The future of education is all about lifelong learning, but too many people don’t further their education after they get out of school.
Now the beauty of the internet can come to rescue with continuing education options that let you advance your existing career or even switch to a whole new one!
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Opportunities to learn how to code for free
We all hear about the importance of STEM learning and how it will shape the jobs of the future. In fact, Glassdoor.com reports that starting salaries for an Android developer are in the upper $80s right now. If you want in on that action, there are plenty of opportunities out there that you can take advantage of.
Codecademy.com offers free courses in JavaScript, HTML, CSS, PHP, Python, Ruby and API. With the knowledge you get here, you can build programs, games, websites and apps.
KhanAcademy.org is another great site that has interactive video tutorials on HTML, CSS, Javascript, SQL and more. Also offered for free is the highly popular Hour of Code program, which has been adopted by many classrooms.
Speaking of kids, if you’re got a child who wants to learn how to code, there’s a wealth of free resources linked over at Blogging.com.
FreeCodeCamp offers certificates in front end, back end and data viz development and claims that more than 6,000 people who have completed their programs have gotten their first developer jobs.
Another free option is The Odin Project, where you can immerse yourself in training in the Ruby programming, Ruby on Rails, Javascript and more.
Other similar sites you may want to check out include CodeSchool.com where you can learn programming via select free courses or access all their content for $29 a month. Lynda.com, meanwhile, offers a free 10-day trial and after that full access is $25 a month.
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Learning to code this way pays off with a guaranteed job!
If you’re willing to step it up a bit in terms of price point, you might be interested in Udacity.com. While they do offer a variety of free courses, it’s their paid Nanodegree Plus coursework that is really intriguing.
The entire program — designed in conjunction with major employers like Google, Facebook, AT&T, Amazon and many others — is like a pipeline for those companies to fill high-paying jobs with workers who have the skills they need.
The cost is $299 per month and the coursework typically takes six to nine months to complete. So the total bill is $2,700. But here’s the amazing thing: If you study one of the four fields below, successfully graduate and then can’t find a job in your field within six months, the entire $2,700 is refunded to you!
- Machine Learning Engineer
- Android Developer
- Senior Web Developer
- iOS Developer
Coding is now a valuable skill for many careers and industries
With advances in technology happening across all industries — along with increasing integration of technology within current processes and systems — knowing how to code can be a valuable skill for a variety of different jobs and careers.
Free non-credit course from top colleges
Maybe you’re on a different track in life and just want to augment existing skills rather than learn a whole new skill set. Once you have a degree, doing free online education that amps up your skills and modernizes your education is a great way to make yourself an attractive job candidate.
Coursera.org offers free non-credit courses online from 16 top universities including Stanford, Princeton, Penn State, Rice, Michigan, Duke, Georgia Tech and many more. Here’s a list of some of the types of classes that are available:
- Biology & Life Sciences
- Computer Science: Programming & Software Engineering
- Economics & Finance
- Health and Society & Medical Ethics
- Mathematics
- Statistics, Data Analysis, and Scientific Computing
- Business & Management
- Computer Science: Systems, Security, Networking
- Education
- Humanities and Social Sciences
- Medicine and Veterinary Science
- Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Vision
- Computer Science: Theory
- Electrical and Materials Engineering
- Information, Technology, and Design
- Physical & Earth Sciences
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