Free Online Courses (Other than Google) to Upgrade Yourself

As a continuation from my previous post on Free Google Courses Recommended, I have researched and tried out the free courses available online. I cannot stress on the importance of continuous self- development be it career related or not. Not only is it stimulating to your mind as you get exposed to unfamiliar things, you will be able to utilize some of the points read in your daily life. Besides, it never hurts to know more right! You can also use these pointers as a conversation starter. For example, I am currently going through the Digital Garage by Google which teaches you about marketing in the digital age. Even though this subject is totally different from what I am doing in my line of work, I still find it interesting because I can now better appreciate the elements behind selling a product or service and the promotion efforts behind it.


Note that this post is geared towards an individual who is keen in development in Analytics, Marketing and SEO, Finance and Programming Languages. Skills which are set to get a stronger foothold in years to come. This list is definitely not exhaustive as I only recommend those I have tried before.





1.HubSpot Academy Courses and Certifications


Full list of courses available here. I personally love this place as it touches on marketing in a more in-depth level. I would recommend users to come here after completing the Digital Garage course. Courses are in video format with no option for downloading the video in advance using WiFi to access it on the go. Personally, I prefer to watch them when travelling in between destinations.

There is an exam at the end of course to test how much you have learnt. All exams offer unlimited attempts to take until passed. However, there is a 12 hour lock out period in between failed exam attempts. Duration of each test depends on the paper, ranging from 75 minutes to 120 minutes.

2. Free Code Camp

What I like about this free coding program is its founder's vision. Quincy Larson aims to provide free access to knowledge and helping non-profit organisations in the process. Read about his bio here. I really like the idea where both student and organisation benefits. I believe that education should be free (or charged minimally) as education is the key to break the cycle of poverty and moving through the ranks of social class.


In Free Code Camp, students are put through a comprehensive program list from front end development, data visualization, back end development to full stack development.

For those who are looking for more options that provides a similar experience, this article from Forbes provides a list of websites to learn to code for free. For those who have tried other programs, please feel free to share it in the comments section because sharing is caring. :)


3. CBOE - Chicago Board Options Exchange (Derivatives)





CBOE Education is for those who are keen to explore financial trading in other instruments other than just pure equity trading. It is worth the effort to hedge your trades because you cannot predict the market movements no matter how good your financial analysis is. Contrary to popular belief, investing/ trading contains an element of pure luck too. Unless you have a crystal ball to accurately predict the future, hedging your trades is the way to go. Do note that while derivatives trading has its risk and does not suit every investor profile, it is useful to know the basics and background of derivatives.


CBOE Online Education is structured into Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced levels and individual topics where you can read and test your knowledge in your own time. Users can download the course materials onto PDF and read it while travelling from one place to another. Users have unlimited attempts to clear the quiz. The lock out period in between each quiz is 24 hours. Course registration code is found on my Sources tab.