There is an abundance of websites and universities that are offering paid and free online certifications, courses and training, particularly in Information Technology.
In no particular order, we have listed some websites that offer free online courses you can use to improve your tech skills!
1. Udemy
Udemy is an American online learning platform aimed at professional adults and students. They have a wide range of free courses available, covering areas such as Python, Java, JavaScript, CSS, HTML etc. These courses are suitable for people of all skill levels, from beginner up to expert.
2. Codecademy
Codecademy is an online interactive platform that offers a free account for basic courses. They have courses for all skill levels, with topics including Computer Science, Data Science and Web Development. They also have courses for specific languages, including Python, JavaScript, C++, SQL and PHP.
3. Coursera
Coursera is an online learning platform that offers online courses, specialisations and degrees. They have some free online courses in topics such as Python, Data Science, AI and Computer Science. This platform collaborates with some of the biggest universities and companies in tech, including Google, IBM, Duke University and Imperial College London.
4. edX
edX is an open online course provider that was developed by Harvard and MIT. They have over 2,000 free online university-level courses, including C Programming, Azure, Blockchain, AI, Machine Learning and JavaScript. These courses consist of interactive learning, videos and online textbooks.
5. FreeCodeCamp
FreeCodeCamp is a nonprofit community that helps people learn to code by building projects online for free. There are several coding challenges to complete and you can earn verified certifications. Each certification on FreeCodeCamp is self-paced and takes roughly 300 hours to complete.
6. Future Learn
FutureLearn is a digital education platform that is jointly owned by the Open University and SEEK Ltd. They have a diverse selection of courses from leading universities and cultural institutions from around the world. In terms of IT courses, they offer free short courses in areas such as Computer Programming, Artificial Intelligence, SQL and UX Design. These courses last 2-4 weeks, usually at a maximum of 2 hours study per week.
7. Harvard
Harvard University have several free courses available on their website. These courses have a duration of as little as 3 weeks up to 13 weeks, covering subject areas such as Game Development, Web Programming with Python & JavaScript and Mobile App Development with React Native.
8. MIT OpenCourseWare
MIT OpenCourseWare is a web-based publication of all MIT’s course content that is available for free. They have several courses related to Computer Science, including Artificial Intelligence, Programming Languages and Data Mining, just to name a few!
Once you have completed some of these online courses and gained new skills and qualifications, it is a good idea to add them to your CV. We have some tips for writing CVs that will get noticed.
If you are searching for your next IT job in Ireland or the US, our team specialise in areas such as Software Development, Testing, IT Infrastructure, Business Analysis, Project Management and Data Analytics. Get in contact or check out our live jobs!
Written by Michelle Corry