Countries under lockdown have brought the planet to a near standstill. It’s as if individuals are living in a time warp. The idea of weekends are a blur, sleep schedules officially messed up, and those at home mostly spend their leisure time binge-watching TV shows and movies.
Since many of us are already spending a significant amount of time browsing through content online, why not utilize it more productively by taking up new courses to advance your existing skillset? Learning a new course online might sound frightening, but the returns are unimaginable. FYI (For Your Information), these courses are offered by reputed universities like Princeton and Harvard … for free. So, we shortlisted some online courses for you to enhance your skills.
| Also Read: Top Paying IT Certifications |
Here are the Free online certification courses you can take to improve your skills for free
CS50’s Computer Science for Business Professionals
Offered by Harvard University
This Course is exclusively designed for people at decision-making or managerial levels or those who are founders of organizations. According to the course details, the course will power you to make technological decisions more confidently and efficiently. Topics covered include programming languages, computational thinking, web development, internet technologies, cloud computing, and technology stacks.
Duration: Six weeks
HI-FIVE: Health informatics For Innovation, Value, and Enrichment (Administrative/ IT Perspective)
Provided by Columbia University
There’s never been a more opportune period than now to consider this course, given healthcare systems across the globe are facing a near crisis. Especially when healthcare delivery programs depend heavily on information technology to improve and manage patient registries, coordinate healthcare, and more, this course is made for people who work in business, administration, operations, finance, IT, or data. Additional hardware or software is not needed for this course as the training is role-based.
Duration: 4 weeks
CS50’s Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python
Offered by Harvard University
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is gradually changing our lives – be it personally or professionally. So, it’s natural to see an increase in demand for expertise in the field. This course will help you get the upper hand while building a robust portfolio. From machine translation and handwriting recognition to game engines, this course will provide insight into all aspects of advanced artificial intelligence. The course aims at teaching Bayesian networks, Markov models, logical interference, graph search algorithm and probability theory, and more.
Duration: Seven weeks
CS50’s Understanding Technology
Provided by Harvard University
In case you still regard yourself as a rookie when it comes to using technology or using terms like “technologically backward” to define your limited knowledge, this is for you. This course will equip you for all those periods when something goes wrong or get stuck, and you have to rely on the IT team to come to your rescue. The course includes classes on the Internet, hardware, multimedia, web development, and programming.
Duration: Six weeks
Computer Science: Programming with a Purpose
Offered by Princeton University
Given how the globe is shifting towards an education system that supports “reading, writing, and computing,” it’s become more critical than ever for students across all subjects to learn computer programming. This course is the initial step towards understanding the nature of computer science and its impact on the world. The course aims at teaching necessary skills and programming components such as conditionals, variables, arrays, loops, and I/O.
Duration: Ten weeks
Analysis of Algorithms
Provided by Princeton University
This course includes everything from basic structures such as trees, permutations, words, strings, and mappings to understanding more complex structures, and the historical context of algorithm performance. Moreover, the course also covers generating functions and analytic combinatorics and real asymptotics.
Duration: Nine weeks
Computational Thinking for Problem Solving
Provided by University of Pennsylvania
This course aims at skilling you to solve data-related and quantitative problems using a computational thinking approach. In layman terms, addressing issues and finding solutions in ways that a computer can execute or solve. The course comprises learning about the pillars of computational thinking, how researchers analyze and develop algorithms, and how to use Python to find solutions on a computer.
Duration: 4 weeks
Modern Poetry
Modern poetry—which was created during world wars—is a vaccination against these trying times. You can take a class that covers the modernist period of poetry, with particular attention given to topics like the World War I or Harlem Renaissance, on your own time by following the posted syllabus through Yale’s open courses program.
Pyramids of Giza: Ancient Egyptian Archaeology and Art
Our distant past, present, and future are all merging together these days. But the stress on the remote, distant past—we’re talking Ancient Egypt—can take your mind off things. This Harvard class covers the archaeology, art, and history of the Giza Pyramids and how technology is being used to discover more about them. Don’t let the Ivy League tag keep you from enrolling in it; it’s a self-paced class that runs over 8 weeks, and you’re only answering to self. The class is offered on the edX platform, where you can register and enroll in classes for free.
In the Studio: Postwar Abstract Painting
The Museum of Modern Art is currently closed, but you can learn from their excellent conservators and curators on Coursera. In the Studio: Postwar Abstract Painting is specifically relevant at this present moment. After World War II, abstract artists encountered an event that altered society globally with daring new kinds of expression. This class explores the techniques and materials used by artists like Agnes Martin and Jackson Pollock.
Conclusion: Since money may be an issue in unpredictable times, finding free ways to obtain certifications and training should be at the top of your mind. Certificate programs can lead to lucrative jobs – so if you don’t have to pay for a certification, it’s an excellent opportunity. Check out the free online certifications above that can help advance your career and secure your professional skill set.
