Whether you’re looking to up your skills to advance in your current career or looking for a change and a new path, learning will open doors to possibilities that do not yet exist for you before. Even if your current employer does not provide professional development opportunities there are a multitude of online courses that can provide a boost to your current skills or put you on the path to a new career.
We have compiled a list of 11 courses that are free to take, either individually or with a free trial, some come with a free certificate, and with others, they can be purchased.
1. OpenSAP – The Business Opportunities of a Digitally Transformed Economy
OpenSAP is a platform managed by the SAP corporation I and is totally free for anyone. Their course catalog is aimed mainly towards their products and customers but also it offers other business-related courses that can benefit anyone.
Their course ‘The Business Opportunities of a Digitally Transformed Economy’ is focused on educating business owners, or aspiring entrepreneurs, on the changes that have molded the modern economy. The course explores specific ‘drivers of change’, as well as the ‘value lever model’. The content in this course will allow for streamlining of businesses and improvement of companies, via exploiting the opportunities that have emerged from the newly connected world that we find ourselves in.
The course also has a focus on IT, with the course covering content such as the economy of algorithms. This course has links to both the University of Brisbane and Deloitte. To attain a certificate of completion a test must be undertaken, which can be done at any time during the course. The course offers a free, verifiable certification upon completion.
Go to details on SAP
2. Rice University – Business Statistics and Analysis Specialization Course
This course, offered by the Texas-based RICE University, focuses on equipping its students with essential business data analysis tools and various techniques that they will use in the business world.
The course teaches essential spreadsheet functions, data modelling, and building descriptive business data, as well as a host of other crucial skills, such as modelling probability in a business environment. The platform this course focuses on is Microsoft Excel. This course is aimed at beginners, with no previous experience required. It takes 5 months to complete and at the end of the 5th month the student receives a shareable certificate, stating that they have completed the course.
Data from previous students in this course shows that 50% began a new career after completing the course, while 11% got a pay increase or a substantial promotion. The course is free with a Coursera subscription, for which a free trial period is offered. The course offers a free, verifiable certification upon completion.
Go to course details on Coursera
3. The Open University Business School – Finance Fundamentals: Investment Theory and Practice
This course, offered by The Open University Business School, is focused on teaching students to ensure that any financial investments they make are effective and make money, as opposed to losing it. This course is perfect as a complementary course to a more rounded business course, as it allows for the student to learn plenty of different skills. These skills are going to be just as relevant for business practice and project management as they are for financial investing.
The course teaches the student to study investment choices, possible risks, and returns of each choice, as well as investment strategies. Ultimately, the course will also focus on increasing education around investing and curbing the risk-return appetite, meaning that students will make more careful, educated, and calculated decisions when investing. The certificate is free.
Go to course details on Futurelearn
4. Macquarie University – Excel Skills for Business Specialization
The Excel Skills for Business Specialization is offered by Macquarie University and focuses, to an even greater extent than the Business Foundations Specialization, on Microsoft Excel skills. The course provides help in navigating the functions and the interface of Excel, allowing the student to become more comfortable in the Excel workspace.
The course also provides guidance on Excel data analysis. This includes specific data analysis skills such as the Student t-test, as well as more general techniques of presenting data, such as charts or graphs. Finally, the course also focuses on error correction and automation in the Excel workspace.
31% of past students of this course received a pay rise or a promotion after completing the course, while 35% began an entirely new career. The course schedule is very flexible, and the certificate of completion is issued after approximately 6 months of the course. The course offers a free, verifiable certification upon completion.
Go to course details on Coursera
5. Duke University – Statistics with R Specialization
Duke University offers this course of statistics, with a focus on the programming language R. It teaches how to analyze and visualize data in R, which is perfect for looking at marketing and business statistics, as well as accounting statistics. The course deals in Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Linear Regression, Bayesian Statistics, and Exploratory Data Analysis, as well as a host of other statistical tests and techniques.
The project is structured in a way that requires students to produce numerous data analysis projects, meaning that the course is extremely hands-on. This ensures that the learning here is much more focused on actual real-world application, as opposed to focusing on statistical jargon. The course is tailored to beginners, so even if the wealth of statistics out there is intimidating, this course will cater to you. The course is free with a Coursera subscription, for which a free trial period is offered. The course offers a free, verifiable certification upon completion.
Go to details on SAP
2. Rice University – Business Statistics and Analysis Specialization Course
This course, offered by the Texas-based RICE University, focuses on equipping its students with essential business data analysis tools and various techniques that they will use in the business world.
The course teaches essential spreadsheet functions, data modelling, and building descriptive business data, as well as a host of other crucial skills, such as modelling probability in a business environment. The platform this course focuses on is Microsoft Excel. This course is aimed at beginners, with no previous experience required. It takes 5 months to complete and at the end of the 5th month the student receives a shareable certificate, stating that they have completed the course.
Data from previous students in this course shows that 50% began a new career after completing the course, while 11% got a pay increase or a substantial promotion. The course is free with a Coursera subscription, for which a free trial period is offered. The course offers a free, verifiable certification upon completion.
Go to court details on Coursera
3. The Open University Business School – Finance Fundamentals: Investment Theory and Practice
This course, offered by The Open University Business School, is focused on teaching students to ensure that any financial investments they make are effective and make money, as opposed to losing it. This course is perfect as a complementary course to a more rounded business course, as it allows for the student to learn plenty of different skills. These skills are going to be just as relevant for business practice and project management as they are for financial investing.
The course teaches the student to study investment choices, possible risks, and returns of each choice, as well as investment strategies. Ultimately, the course will also focus on increasing education around investing and curbing the risk-return appetite, meaning that students will make more careful, educated, and calculated decisions when investing. The certificate is free.
Go to course details on Futurelearn
4. Macquarie University – Excel Skills for Business Specialization
The Excel Skills for Business Specialization is offered by Macquarie University and focuses, to an even greater extent than the Business Foundations Specialization, on Microsoft Excel skills. The course provides help in navigating the functions and the interface of Excel, allowing the student to become more comfortable in the Excel workspace.
The course also provides guidance on Excel data analysis. This includes specific data analysis skills such as the Student t-test, as well as more general techniques of presenting data, such as charts or graphs. Finally, the course also focuses on error correction and automation in the Excel workspace.
31% of past students of this course received a pay rise or a promotion after completing the course, while 35% began an entirely new career. The course schedule is very flexible, and the certificate of completion is issued after approximately 6 months of the course. The course offers a free, verifiable certification upon completion.
Go to court details on Coursera
5. Duke University – Statistics with R Specialization
Duke University offers this course of statistics, with a focus on the programming language R. It teaches how to analyze and visualize data in R, which is perfect for looking at marketing and business statistics, as well as accounting statistics. The course deals in Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Linear Regression, Bayesian Statistics, and Exploratory Data Analysis, as well as a host of other statistical tests and techniques.
The project is structured in a way that requires students to produce numerous data analysis projects, meaning that the course is extremely hands-on. This ensures that the learning here is much more focused on actual real-world application, as opposed to focusing on statistical jargon. The course is tailored to beginners, so even if the wealth of statistics out there is intimidating, this course will cater to you. The course is free with a Coursera subscription, for which a free trial period is offered. The course offers a free, verifiable certification upon completion.
Go to court details on Coursera
6. Harvard University – Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies
This course, offered by one of the best universities in the world, is focused on business and management skills. It takes an entirely interdisciplinary approach to teach students to navigate through difficult social problems, teaching students about individual agency. Students will learn to solve these types of complex problems themselves, as well as learning about prior attempts to solve problems such as these. The course will allow students to pinpoint opportunities for entrepreneurship within these problems, which can be difficult to see if you are not well-versed in business acumen. This Harvard course will also teach how to frame and structure these types of entrepreneurial solutions.
This course is tailored towards non-experienced students, looking to make themselves more familiar with the business world and the techniques employed in it.
The course is expected to take around 6 weeks. While the course is free, the Verified Certificate at the end of the course will cost $199 to receive.
7. The University of Michigan – Finance for Everyone: Smart Tools for Decision Making
This course, offered by The University of Michigan, examines several applications of finance in personal life. This can include business setup, balancing of paychecks, or any other personal use. This course will enable students to evaluate and analyze the professional decisions that are made on a daily basis.
Different frameworks for decision-making, fundamental skills and knowledge for money management, and understanding of the financial world are all offered in this course. As finance is such a broad and complex idea, this course will focus on equipping its students with multi-purpose and multi-field tools for the management and understanding of finance on both a personal and professional level.
The knowledge and skills gained in this course can be used for business, or simply for everyday life. While the course is free, the verified certificate will cost $49.
8. Alison – Introduction to Contracts in Law
This course is more tailored to those thinking of pursuing a career, or even a side-job, in the legal field. This course offers newcomers in the legal world a look into the field of contract law. The course looks at the most important parts of a contract: the details, the structure, and the crucial aspects of any major agreement between two parties.
Additionally, the course looks at cases where a contract may be broken, such as if the terms of the agreement are breached by either of the two parties. The course is more of an introduction than a full exploration of this field and only takes around 3 hours to complete. In addition to the short time frame of the course, the course also offers a downloadable certificate for about $25.00, which is offered after completion of the course and achievement of 80% or more in each course assessment.
Go to course details on Allison
9. HubSpot Academy – Inbound Marketing
The Inbound Marketing course by HubSpot Academy teaches marketing techniques ranging from content creation, social promotion to converting, and nurturing leads. In this course, you will learn how to attract new customers and nurture current customers with relevant and helpful content providing value at every step and the buying journey. Lessons in this 4 Hour course Will cover inbound marketing fundamentals, understanding social media, developing growth strategies, nurturing leads, and Aligning your marketing and sell channels to implement significant measurable processes.
Go to course details on HubSpot Academy
10. Eduonix – A Complete Guide For Effective Business Communication
In this course, you will learn the basics of good business communication and how not to be misunderstood. Effective communication is the foundation for all business, It is well understood that the way we communicate in business is not how we would communicate with our friends or family, and there are easily followed principles that will ensure what you have to say is understood.
This 3-hour 17 lecture course covers the scope of business communication. some of the principles you earn are the 7 C’s of business communication, guidelines for written and oral communication, how to communicate with coworkers, how to write business emails, and effective negotiation strategies. The course and certificate are both free free
Go to course details on Eduonix
11. Alison – Introduction to Basic Electrical Drawings and Test Equipment
This course offers an introduction to a career in electronics. It teaches students to interpret electrical drawings accurately, as well as to learn the uses of important electrical equipment. By the end of the course, students should be able to analyze standardized and presented data and information about power, lighting, and communication. The course will also familiarise new students with electrical symbols, test equipment, and basic electrical concepts, ready for a career in electronics. This course takes around 3 hours and comes with a free certification at the end of the course.
Go to course details on Allison
6. Harvard University – Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies
This course, offered by one of the best universities in the world, is focused on business and management skills. It takes an entirely interdisciplinary approach to teach students to navigate through difficult social problems, teaching students about individual agency.
Students will learn to solve these types of complex problems themselves, as well as learning about prior attempts to solve problems such as these. The course will allow students to pinpoint opportunities for entrepreneurship within these problems, which can be difficult to see if you are not well-versed in business acumen. This Harvard course will also teach how to frame and structure these types of entrepreneurial solutions.
This course is tailored towards non-experienced students, looking to make themselves more familiar with the business world and the techniques employed in it.
The course is expected to take around 6 weeks. While the course is free, the Verified Certificate at the end of the course will cost $199 to receive.
Go to course details on edX
7. The University of Michigan – Finance for Everyone: Smart Tools for Decision Making
This course, offered by The University of Michigan, examines several applications of finance in personal life. This can include business setup, balancing of paychecks, or any other personal use. This course will enable students to evaluate and analyze the professional decisions that are made on a daily basis.
Different frameworks for decision-making, fundamental skills and knowledge for money management, and understanding of the financial world are all offered in this course. As finance is such a broad and complex idea, this course will focus on equipping its students with multi-purpose and multi-field tools for the management and understanding of finance on both a personal and professional level.
The knowledge and skills gained in this course can be used for business, or simply for everyday life. While the course is free, the verified certificate will cost $49.
Go to course details on edX
8. Alison – Introduction to Contracts in Law
This course is more tailored to those thinking of pursuing a career, or even a side-job, in the legal field. This course offers newcomers in the legal world a look into the field of contract law. The course looks at the most important parts of a contract: the details, the structure, and the crucial aspects of any major agreement between two parties.
Additionally, the course looks at cases where a contract may be broken, such as if the terms of the agreement are breached by either of the two parties. The course is more of an introduction than a full exploration of this field and only takes around 3 hours to complete. In addition to the short time frame of the course, the course also offers a downloadable certificate for about $25.00, which is offered after completion of the course and achievement of 80% or more in each course assessment.
Go to course details on Alison
9. HubSpot Academy – Inbound Marketing
The Inbound Marketing course by HubSpot Academy teaches marketing techniques ranging from content creation, social promotion to converting, and nurturing leads. In this course, you will learn how to attract new customers and nurture current customers with relevant and helpful content providing value at every step and the buying journey.
Lessons in this 4 Hour course Will cover inbound marketing fundamentals, understanding social media, developing growth strategies, nurturing leads, and Aligning your marketing and sell channels to implement significant measurable processes.
Go to course on HubSpot
10. Eduonix – A Complete Guide For Effective Business Communication
In this course, you will learn the basics of good business communication and how not to be misunderstood. Effective communication is the foundation for all business, It is well understood that the way we communicate in business is not how we would communicate with our friends or family, and there are easily followed principles that will ensure what you have to say is understood.
This 3-hour 17 lecture course covers the scope of business communication. some of the principles you earn are the 7 C’s of business communication, guidelines for written and oral communication, how to communicate with coworkers, how to write business emails, and effective negotiation strategies. The course and certificate are both free.
Go to course details on Eduonix
11. Alison – Introduction to Basic Electrical Drawings and Test Equipment
This course offers an introduction to a career in electronics. It teaches students to interpret electrical drawings accurately, as well as to learn the uses of important electrical equipment. By the end of the course, students should be able to analyze standardized and presented data and information about power, lighting, and communication.
The course will also familiarise new students with electrical symbols, test equipment, and basic electrical concepts, ready for a career in electronics. This course takes around 3 hours and comes with a free certification at the end of the course.
Go to course details on Alison
By Bryan Greene
