You know that now is the time to learn something new, but where do you start? With so many different learning options available it’s hard to know what’s best. When it comes to online learning the best tool or platform will  depend on what your personal goals and objectives are, the specific topic you want to learn and skills you want to develop. In this post we’ve compiled 10 great resources for learning new skills from home. Whether you’re looking to brush up on a second language, or you’re thinking of learning something that will translate into a new career path, or even if you just want to exercise the grey matter there’s a great learning resource out there for you.

10 Great Resources For Learning New Skills From Home

1. For creative skills – Skillshare

If you want to develop your creative skills then Skillshare is a great place to go. They have a wide variety of courses taught by creators with course categories including animation, design, illustration, lifestyle, photo and film, business and writing. Courses cover anything from Water colouring, to hand lettering to DSLR photography to feng shui so whether you’re looking to improve on a skill you already have or your thinking of getting that creative side of you re-ignited, you’re likely to find a course that suits you. You can sign up for a 7 day free trial here. 

2. For coding skills – Code Cademy

Coding skills have never been more in demand and that trend isn’t going anywhere. If you’re thinking of retraining and changing career direction then learning to code is a golden ticket. From web development, to programming and computer science to data science, career paths that requires coding skills are massively underserved. To get a taste of what coding is really all about check out Codecademy

Here you can learn coding hands on, from scratch, regardless of whether you’re a complete beginner or if you already have some experience and languages include HTML, CSS, Python, SQL and more.

Learning  coding skills will definitely make you stand out above the competition.

3. For Free Courses – Alison

If you’re looking for a great resource for learning new skills from home that will allow you to learn for free then Alison.com is a really great platform. The platform allows you to sign p for a free account, select any course and complete it completely free of charge. The platform even offers Certificate and Diploma courses which can be taken and competed for free. If you do want to receive your formal certificate / diploma once you have passed the course, then you will need to pay. But given that your new skills will likely open more doors and give you more career opportunities, this seems very reasonable.

And if you think you can get away with not taking the course seriously since it’s free to complete, the passmark here is 80%, so there’s not slacking here! Click here to create your free account and get started. 

4. For Presentations – Slideshare

If you’ve ever created and delivered an incredible presentation only to file it away never to be seen again, then it might be time you shared it with the world. As the name suggests, Slideshare is a place where people share great slides. So if you’re looking for more information or even data on a topic, SlideShare could be a great place to look. And if the idea of slides makes you think of death by powerpoint and boring topics, think again. You can find presentation slides from leading organisations and topics ranging from Google Analytics to Marketing to veganism, right through to complex medical and legal topics.

Check out Slideshare here. 

5. For Anything and Everything – Udemy

If you’re looking for a course in something but you feel it’s too obscure, whether it’s to do with health and fitness, mindfulness, mental health, parenting or relationships, Udemy probably has a course on it.

This learning platform has thousands of courses of varying lengths available, it’s free to sign up and you can browse and pay for any course as you go, with rices typically staring at about £10. Whether you want to learn about tarot cards, energy healing or Excel VBA and macros, there’s a course for you.

6. To Expand Your Mind – TED Talks

So far when it comes to the resources available for learning new skills from home, we’ve focused on course platforms, but there are other ways to learn which may not involve taking short or long and formal courses. After all, learning is an ongoing and  continuous process of finding out new information. And what better place to learn new things and also challenge yourself than via TED.

The great thing about TED talks  is the breadth of the topics. it’s not about learning new skills, but about expanding your awareness, challenging your mindset, making you think differently and really making you think about things, often in a  new way.

better yet, the talks are short and you can watch them on the App anytime, anywhere. So, why not put those little moments to good use.

7. For “How To” Learning – Youtube

I once had a tyre blow out just as I was getting onto a motorway and no joke, I went onto YouTube to check out “how to change a tyre”. I swear I am not making that up! Now I know what you’re thinking… firstly, that’s crazy, and also, youtube is not a learning platform, it’s a place for watching cute cat videos and for getting sucked into hours of inane viewing. Well, read on.

While we all know the lure of the youtube rabbit hole is never far, there’s a lot you can learn from it- specifically, it’s amazing for finding out how to do things. If you learn by watching step by step, and you learn by doing, then this is a great place to learn new skills from home.

There will of course always be things that require a course, but for a quick how to, YouTube is a great go-to, so before you give up and decide you can’t do something, just remember there’s probably a youtube video on it.

8. For Learning Languages through immersion – Language Learning With Netflix ( LLN)

Did you know you can learn languages by watching your favourite shows. Of course you did. but did you also know that there s a handy little Chrome Extension that can help?

LLN is a Chrome extension that gives you the power to learn a language of your choice while watching Netflix. Te extension allows you to have two subtitles, one in the original language of the show and the other in the language of your choice.

According to the Chrome Webstore:

  • Subtitles are shown in two languages, allowing you to compare the original audio and text with a translation in your language.
  • The extension allows you to listen to subtitles one at a time, and to change the playback speed.
  • There’s a pop-up dictionary, and the extension suggest the most important words for you to learn.

So, if you want to step up your language learning game then this is another great way to immerse yourself without the need to travel. Plus, it’s a great excuse for more Netflix, as if we need one! Find out more here.

9. For Learning Languages on The Go – Babble & Duolingo

Now I now the linguists among you may not agree, but having used both these Apps, I think they are both a good way to go, or at least a good way to get started with learning a new language. And while this isn’t a review of both Apps, I wanted to include them both to allow you to take your pick, depending on your preferences.

 

Personally, like the game design of Duolingo and found that I picked up lots of new vocabulary quickly, while babble was great when it came to nailing down the grammar side of things. Each one has it’s pro’s and con’s like anything and of course there are there are others to choose from. Ultimately, the best language learning App is the one you will can commit to using consistently long term.

10. To Listen & Learn

Last but not least I couldn’t leave out Podcasts. While podcasts aren’t necessarily the first thing you think of when you think of learning, there are some great shows out there  that can expand your thinking, introduce you to new and interesting topics and all while you’re on the go ( yes we will be on the go again, one day).

You can listen to podcasts on Stitcher Radio, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and lots of other places.

As a bonus, with the world in Pandemic mode, if you’re a parent needing to home school- why not check out  Khan Academy

There you have it, 10 great places to look if you’re considering learning something new. And if you’re not, then it’s worth checking them out anyway, you never know where it might lead you and how your next course might change your life for the better!