If you want to improve your skill while sitting at home, these top ten upskilling platforms can help you get that extra certification you need to get the first job or that awaited promotion.
Things are getting more digital than ever before. Also, people are anxious and concerned about their future because of the current economic situation & recent pandemic. Whether you’re looking for a new job or a promotion at work, you must learn new skills or update your skillset to keep up with an ever-changing digital landscape.
Working professionals, recent graduates, or students can quickly develop skills in their free time by taking advantage of today’s internet-based courses and work-from-home opportunities. Learning new skills opens up new opportunities & makes you stand out in the crowded job market. It will also improve your job search chances and make a lasting impression on recruiters and hiring managers.
Check out these websites and classes that can help you upskill through free and paid courses.
List of Top 10 Upskilling Platforms
1. edX
2. Udemy
3. Coursera
4. Udacity
5. SkillShare
6. Simplilearn
7. Duolingo
8. DataCamp
9. MasterClass
10. Code Academy
1. edX
edX is a not-for-profit online learning platform founded by Harvard and MIT professors. It is one of the largest e-learning platforms and has over 34 million students worldwide. It currently offers computer science, Data Management, Engineering, Business, Language, and arts courses.
esX also hosts free university-level courses in collaboration with universities all over the world. The courses are developed and taught by some of the world’s top universities and industry leaders like Harvard, Berkeley, and Microsoft. Most of the courses in edX are free (as long as you don’t want the certificate).
2. Udemy
Udemy is a ‘peer-to-peer’ learning and upskilling platform that allows almost anyone to create courses on a wide range of topics. It claims to have the world’s largest selection of structured online courses with over 100,000 videos and being used by 24 million students.
It offers a huge library of 80,000 courses covering everything from coding to fitness through 35,000 instructors. You can find the right courses to enhance your professional skills from a wide variety of instructors. It offers a huge number of free and paid courses to upskill yourself in a variety of subjects affordably. The paid courses start from $10/course.
3. Coursera
Coursera is another e-learning platform founded by 2 professors from Stanford University. It is home to thousands of 4 to 10-week courses in a variety of subjects, with a primary focus on landing a job in the tech industry.
Coursera is a neatly structured online learning environment trusted by more than 45 million users. It partners with 150+ universities and businesses around the world to create great courses for students & working professionals to improve their skills. It offers free & paid courses, but if you want to get certified, you may need to consider the paid courses with certification options.
4. Udacity
Udacity is a platform designed for professionals to improve their skills. It offers Nanodegree programs and industry-specific courses to help get a job. Udacity is famous for its Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning courses and has 1000+ courses in Data Science, Web Development, Digital Marketing, and Business Analysis.
Udacity collaborates with tech giants like Google, Facebook, AT&T, Mercedes-Benz, and Amazon to create best-in-class industry-specific courses. It offers around 200 free courses, but you need to pay an amount which is just a fraction compared to regular schools to get a nano degree certificate.
5. Skillshare
Skillshare is a community-based online learning platform with thousands of creative courses taught by experts across the globe to help you learn new skills. It has more than 8 million users and 35,000 courses on illustration, design, photography, video, freelancing, and much more. The groups of skillshare create opportunities for users to connect with other creators, share their work, and take their skills to the next level.
The courses in skillshare are aimed at creative professionals and entrepreneurs who want to develop new skills or improve existing ones. Its learning path is designed in a way to help you easily achieve your learning goals with sequential classes. You can deepen your skill set by opting for the courses designed for your current levels of experience, from beginner to advanced.
6. Simplilearn
Simplilearn is an online learning certification provider that helps learners improve their skills and career knowledge. It offers courses and certifications on cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, project management, data science, digital marketing, cloud computing, and a lot more. It is supported by companies like Google and Hubspot as well as 40+ accredited global bodies like Exin and IASSC.
Simplilearn follows a blended learning approach to help you improve your skills and knowledge. For each course you signup for, you will be expected to view videos, participate in discussions, complete quizzes, work on projects, complete graded assignments, and take online exams. You must be willing to put your time & effort into getting the real certification.
7. Duolingo
Duolingo is the most popular language-learning & upskilling platform. It offers a unique way of learning different languages through its gamified UI. You can learn all the skills you need to communicate in a foreign language verbally and written. You can also learn most of the grammar required to communicate effectively.
It provides a plethora of self-paced exercises to assist you in developing a foundational understanding of dozens of languages or reviewing one you already know. Duolingo began as a free app with the intention of remaining free forever. The company has kept that promise by becoming ad-supported and offering a paid membership called Duolingo Plus to remove the ads completely.
8. DataCamp
DataCamp is an online platform that focuses on data science and analytics. It provides 350+ courses taught by 260+ expert instructors as well as top institutions such as Duke University. So, if you want to improve or expand your data skills, DataCamp may be the right online platform for you. All its courses are interactive and designed to allow you to learn at your own pace.
Datacamp has 2 certification programs and they were developed in collaboration with industry leaders to demonstrate that you have the skills required for a career in the specific field. For individual learners, it offers two subscription licensing models, Basic & Premium. The best part about the Premium plan is they include course certification.
9. MasterClass
Founded in 2014, MasterClass is a popular learning platform because of its celebrity and VIP instructors share their knowledge, passion, and experience with you. The MasterClass is a platform for you to consider if you like the idea of learning basketball from Stephen Curry or cooking from Gordon Ramsay. It currently offers 200+ classes across 10+ categories.
Its video classes are well-produced and have a cinematic feel, making MasterClass learning extremely engaging as their videos are no more than 10 minutes long. It regularly introduces new classes where you can learn practical skills and discover new interests. The individual plan starts at $15, which is worth a deal.
10. Code Academy
Coding or programming is a skill you may not have considered previously, but it is in high demand in today’s competitive job market. Code Academy offers courses that are tailored to your specific needs, whether you want to learn to code for web development, programming, or data science.
The majority of their free courses can be completed in under a half-day, and there is also the option to take on more advanced courses if you want to expand on your existing coding knowledge. Codeacademy allows students to put their knowledge into practice by applying it to real-world projects and quizzes. Codeacademy graduates work at companies such as Facebook, Huge, IBM, Google, and Bloomberg.
Wrapping up
Upskilling will go a long way to helping you establish yourself as a candidate in a new job role or starting your career as a fresher. It also helps you more by leaving a memorable impression on recruiters and hiring managers.
