No doubt you’ve heard the phrase, “sharpen the saw” before. In the timeless classic, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, by Stephen Covey, in the seventh habit, he writes about continually improving yourself – Sharpen the Saw. In fact, I’ve written about continuous improvement before (sharpening the saw) and some ways you can go about it. But this article is a little different. It contains a list of some of the more popular sources for online courses and other sites where you can go to improve in so many different facets of your life.
References to Online learning are every where. Just the other day I ran across a TikTok where a teenager asked his dad where he learned how to build all of the things he had built around their home. “Was it when you were an engineer in the Navy?” he asked.
The father looked into the camera and said, “YouTube,” and continued with, “I learned how to build all this stuff by watching YouTube videos. Son, there isn’t anything you can’t learn from watching YouTube videos.”
The idea of learning from YouTube videos underscores the importance that the Internet and related technologies have become in learning. E-Learning, along with traditional text books and libraries, is now prevalent in college lecture halls, high school classrooms, and of course in business. So, Online courses are everywhere! So what follows below are a list of online courses programs from around the web.
1Visit The Library!
Strange choice right? Not really. I am a HUGE believer and supporter of your local public Library. I have had a library card from various municipalities all of my life, and when I was a child, it was my learning sanctuary. Even today. The bottom line is that you in today’s larger libraries you can book a study room, pull out the laptop, go on line and supplement your learning with the reference books and materials that surround you. Or better yet, you can turn off the laptop, find a comfortable chair and table, and read a good book. Books are irreplaceable. The smell of paper, the touch and feel of newsprint, can’t be achieved online or with any eBook. The resources as still absolutely mind-boggling. And all of it is free to borrow. And cooler still, through partnerships with Overdrive, even eBooks are now at everyone’s fingertips, available online through most public libraries’ web portals. So my advice – get a library card and visit your local library.
2Sharpen the Saw with a MasterClass
By far my favorite online courses are offered by Masterclass. Masterclasses are taught by many very well-known personalities and celebrities. Their instructors consist of former United States Presidents, performing artists, successful novelists, directors and the list goes on and on. The annual membership is $180 and provides unlimited access to all classes and new classes as they launch. All MasterClass memberships include access to their mobile and TV apps, high-definition videos, and downloadable class workbooks. The math behind this is pretty simple. $180 bucks for a full year of unlimited access. That’s less than fifty cents per day. And you learn something. Now that’s awesome!
3Curl Up to a Good eBook!
I like ebooks and own quite a few. I still believe that books are the number one best way to learn new stuff and skills. What’s so neat about ebooks is that the cost is typically lower than a hard copy book, so it is a lot easier to tote around ten or twenty ebooks on your iPad or Kindle, than 20 hard copy books in your back pack. There are countless sites that offer ebook downloads and programs. Kindle Unlimited is probably the best known, but Apple, Barnes and Noble, Google and countless others (even Walmart!) offer the ability to purchase ebooks.
Grow with Google offers flexible online training programs designed to put candidates on the fast track to jobs in high-growth fields. To start with Grow with Google, no experience is necessary. Candidates learn at their own pace and can complete the online certificate program within their schedule. Best of all 75 % of program graduates report an improvement in their career within 6 months of certificate completion.
5Start a New Career With Apple Training
Apple training is so very cool. Of course the training they offer is deeply technical and to benefit from it, you must already be a techie, but if you want to learn more about device support (Apple Devices) or to develop apps for iOS, and become certified, this is where you want to go.
6Be a More Productive You With Linkedin Learning!
I suppose just about everyone has heard of LinkedIn. In fact, if you are reading this, you probably have a LinkedIn profile. But, it might surprise you to learn that Linkedin also offers online courses in a variety of disciplines. LinkedIn Learning offers expert-led courses across a variety of online class topics for every step of your career. Their instructors have real-world experience. What better place to learn than from Linkedin?
7Do What you Love! CreativeLive
I ran across CreativeLive back in 2020, right before the start of the pandemic. I found that whether you need to change your career or learn a quick tip for your job, CreativeLive offers the right learning tools to succeed and grow. They have over 1,500 curated classes, 650, world-class instructors, and boast more than 10 million students.
8Start Your Path to Success With Brian Tracy!
When it comes to sales and success stuff, you really can’t do better than Brian Tracy. He is widely regarded as one of the most successful salespeople in the world. He is a speaker, consultant, entrepreneur and of course a successful teacher. He has consulted for more than 1,000 companies and addressed more than 5,000,000 people in 5,000 talks and seminars throughout the US, Canada and 70 other countries worldwide. As a Keynote speaker and seminar leader, he addresses more than 250,000 people each year.
When Brian talks, it is well worth your time to listen. He has a trove of training programs on his website and are all well worth the investment in both time and money.
9Build Presentations With Confidence: slideshare.net
In my line of work, I do a lot of presentations. Sometimes I suffer from writer’s block and I need places to go for new ideas to help me develop a sizzling presentation. I found such a site a few years back in slideshare. By doing a simple search about a subject, one can find a boatload of results, that speak directly to the subject at hand. There is a catch, however. The company, once a part of LinkedIn, has been acquired by Scribd family, and now there is a subscription model. Normally, I am all for a subscription model of good sites, but slideshare, like YouTube, uses uploaded content from contributors. If I am going to pay for a service, I want to be sure that I am getting the very best content available.
10Learn How to Do Something: YouTube!
This an excellent source to learn a new skill. A word of caution, however. YouTube is a community, so anyone can post a video, but there is really no checking system to determine of the information presented in the video is accurate. Beyond community violations, a person can post just about anything. So, if you want to learn how to replace the blade on your lawnmower, sure, there are many videos that show you how, but be wary. Vet the efficacy of the information very closely. You don’t want to be out there cutting the grass and out of nowhere you see a sharp blade coming your way at 60 miles an hour! I prefer YouTube as a source for small how-to projects and for entertainment.
