(Photo: Pexels, Divinetechygirl)
The one thing I love about working in tech is that there are countless fields to go into, tons of skills to learn. You can work in an area of tech for 10 years and still be learning. You also decide that an area doesn't challenge you anymore and go learn a new skill. Another beautiful point, skillsets overlap, they'll still be of use to you if you change. I get asked for suggestions for places to start to learn tech, thoughts on a program, etc. It's not a field where you really get a feel for something until you touch it or do some type of learning. So I put together a list of some online sites that you can take tech courses/training, some for free. Not all of them are but it's a place to start.
1. Udemy
Udemy is a favorite for me currently, while the courses aren't free they're not overpriced. This is where alot of us already in tech browse for courses. It's like Target for courses (at least for me lol). They've got courses on ethical hacking, various IT certifications, cloud technology, and more. All their courses are self-paced...so if you missed something go over it again, oh and they have an app! So I can take my learning from the laptop to my phone, which would probably be a wayy more productive use of my time.
2. Udacity
I know this sounds just like the first one but stay with me lol. Udacity is also another online site where you can take courses at your leisure. They focus only on digital skillsets. But they cover everything from data science to artificial intelligence. They have a more refined curriculum if you will. These courses offer nano-degrees, so it's like bootcamp in a sense. It's setup like a full fledge course. You get a syllabus, there's real world projects, and you get mentor support. They've got nano-degree programs for beginners, where you just need to know how to use a computer so no need to fear jumping in the deep end. Some programs are as short as 3 months. They've got payment plans as well.
3. AWS Training
What's AWS? Amazon Web Services. If you've listened to any technical news reports, or been in a company business meeting, you've heard of "the cloud" well that's what AWS provides. Unless a company is completely opposed to innovation, they have something or some application that uses some type of cloud technology. Now get this...Amazon offers free technical training...yes I said Free and Amazon in the same sentence. Through Amazon Training Learn cloud technology basics, machine learning, serverless computing, even get ready for certification exams. This is good for those looking to get in the door in tech or for those of us in the field that want to add a new skillset to transition.
4. Coursera
Coursera has a mix of free and paid courses but that doesn't mean that the free courses aren't good. They've got courses ranging from security and networking to cloud management and data management. They've got a Google IT Support Professional Certificate course, which isn't just a title, it's backed by Google; You can learn entry level IT skills. Something that sets them apart, alot of their courses are backed by national universities.
You still with me?? Got a couple more
5. Cybrary.IT
This online course resource..(that rhymed a little right? moving along) has free courses and paid ones, but you don't sign up for a singular course at a time. The way Cybrary works is you join, and take courses that are available in the different tiers. So there's a free membership, but of course limited courses..but I did spy a free Intro to IT and Cybersecurity course. But the paid membership for an individual is only $59/month. You get unlimited access to courses, virtual labs, practice tests and more..so that's really not bad at all, considering the knowledge you're gaining.
6. Flatiron School
This one is a pretty well known one for it's bootcamps. But did you know that Flatiron School has free courses as well. I'll admit I didn't I hadn't looked in a while. Now the free ones are more like workshops to prepare for the bootcamps, but I love that they have this as an option because when you're looking at educational resources and deciding what to take, it's nice to know exactly what you're getting into. Give me a sample like I'm in Costco on a Saturday before I buy, because bootcamps are an investment that you want to pay off.
Ok I'm done...for now lol. Are you signing up for any free courses, we updating our skillsets in 2021? Or are you looking to move into tech? Hope this helps, I've got some courses I signed up for that I need to go finish, so that's my goal for 2021.