Free Online Classes You Can Take (and Finish) by the End of This Year

By The Daily Muse Editor

No matter where you’re at in your career, learning something new can only help you. Looking for a new job? A unique skill could easily set you apart from the hundreds of other applicants. Worked in the same position for a long time? Expertise in a new field could be the factor that gets you the promotion. And, even if you’re a senior-level manager who’s totally content, getting experience in an unfamiliar area shows your team how much you value growing your skill set.

Like most other things, though, learning a new skill is easier said than done. Unless, of course, all the resources are handed to you. Today, we’re doing exactly that. To make sure that you don’t spend hours searching for what to learn and where to learn it, we curated a list of 45 online classes from awesome resources across the web.

Whether you’re interested in programming, graphic design, speech writing, or conflict resolution, there’s bound to be a class for you.

P.S. All of these classes are free.

P.P.S. None of them take more than 10 weeks to complete, so be ready to add new skills to your resume before the end of the year!

Programming

1. JavaScript, Codecademy

Join more than five million students in learning JavaScript—the programming language of the web. You’ll develop everything from a simple “Rock, Paper, Scissors” game to an address book and even a cash register.

Duration: 10 Hours / 16 Lessons

2. Java Tutorial for Complete Beginners, Udemy

Just like the courses title says, this class is designed for anyone with no prior programming knowledge. As long as you have a desire to learn to code, you’re fit to take the class. And don’t get intimidated by the large number of lessons. Although 75 lectures are taught, most of them are under 20 minutes long, and the time commitment is perfectly manageable if distributed well across a few weeks.

Duration: 17 Hours / 75 Lessons

3. Intro to Java Programming, Udacity

Java is the core language used in developing Android apps and is commonly used in back-end web development. If you’ve never programmed before but are interested in entering either of these fields, then this course is a perfect spot for you to start.

Duration: 24 Hours / 9 Lessons

4. Make a Website, Codecademy

Take this short, three-hour course to learn how to build a website from scratch using HTML and CSS. You’ll be asked to create a recent version of Airbnb’s home page and learn the fundamentals of web development in the process.

Duration: 3 Hours / 5 Lessons

5. Diploma in C Programming, ALISON

One of the most popular and widely used programming languages, C is commonly used to program operating systems such as Unix. Upon completing this course, you’ll learn everything from functions, methods, and routines to variables, arrays, and pointers.

Duration: 15 Hours / 17 Lessons

6. HTML, CSS, and Javascript, Coursera

Taught by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, this course teaches you the essential elements of web development. Although no previous experience in HTML, CSS, and Javascript is necessary, the instructors note that it would be helpful to have some type of prior programming knowledge. By the end of the course, you’ll be able to create a website using HTML elements, apply CSS to parts of a website, and program interactive Javascript in a website.

Duration: 12 Hours / 3 Lessons

7. HTML5 Part 1: HTML5 Coding Essentials and Best Practices, edX

Anyone with a basic knowledge of HTML and familiarity with CSS is encouraged to take this course taught by the World Wide Web Consortium (also known as W3C). You’ll learn to use the new simplified HTML5 tags, animate fun web graphics, and practice coding techniques through multiple interactive exercises.

Duration: 48 hours / 6 Lessons

Design

8. Beginner’s Guide to Image Editing in Photoshop, Digital Tutors

This series of step-by-step videos will teach you Photoshop terms and definitions and get you started with using basic tools and techniques. You’ll start off by resizing and resampling images, then move on to correcting the colors of an image and removing unwanted information. You’d be surprised by how much you can learn in 90 minutes!

Duration: 1.5 Hours / 10 Lessons

9. Getting Started With Photoshop CC, Udemy

Udemy’s introduction course covers the basics so you can get started using Photoshop CC as soon as possible. Want to learn to use the marquee tool in detail, feather a selection, or refine edge command? You’ve come to the right place.

Duration: 2 Hours / 23 Lessons

10. How to Get Started With Adobe Illustrator CS6—10 Things Beginners Want to Know How to Do, Adobe TV

In this 40-minute tutorial, Adobe Creative Suite Podcast’s Terry White will show you the basics that’ll help you get started using Adobe Illustrator CS6.

Duration: 40 Minutes / 1 Lesson

Online Marketing

11. Online Advertising, OPEN2STUDY

Want to find out more about major digital platforms, social and mobile search, and how online ads are priced and delivered? If so, then OPEN2STUDY’s Online Advertising course is perfect for you. Be prepared to learn how to set realistic and measurable campaign objectives, identify the steps involved in digital campaign planning, and understand the process of selling an online ad program.

Duration: 16 Hours / 33 Lessons

12. Google Analytics, ALISON

One of the premier tools for analyzing web traffic, Google Analytics is useful whether you’re running a major international commercial website or managing a personal blog. At the end of this course, some of the skills you’ll have mastered include knowing how to see how well your paid keywords perform, determining the keywords that bring high value visits, and identifying problem areas in your campaigns.

Duration: 2 Hours / 1 Lesson


13. Diploma in E-Business, ALISON

This course will help all business owners increase their knowledge of what online marketing is and how to go about implementing a successful online marketing strategy. Concrete skills you’ll have by the end of the course include using AdSense and AdWords, analyzing revenue metrics and custom reporting, and navigating Google Analytics reports.

Duration: 10 Hours / 15 Lessons

Communication

14. Professional Communication Essentials, Udemy

Email etiquette, letter-writing, web and URL searching: These are communication skills no professional can live without. In this hour-long online course, you’ll be equipped to communicate effectively and improve your thinking, writing, and information literacy in different electronic environments.

Duration: 1 Hour / 10 Lessons

15. Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, OPEN2STUDY

Does the idea of networking or resolving conflict make you cringe? If so, this course by Dr. Andrew Heys of Macquarie University could bring you renewed confidence. You’ll learn concrete skills like labeling different phases of negotiation and learning what to do in each phase, using a general framework for analyzing and resolving conflict, and bridging the gap between “knowing” and “doing” so that you can put the skills you learn into practice.

Duration: 4.5 Hours / 40 Lessons


15. Business Communication—Developing Effective Business Presentation Skills, ALISON

No matter where you are in your career, we’re guessing that you’ve become familiar with poorly made presentations. But not all presentations have to be that way—and that’s where this course comes in. Upon completing the class, you’ll know how to effectively engage and persuade an audience, develop an effective presentation by mapping its flow and creating presentation aids, and assess the expectations of your audience.

Duration: 3 Hours / 3 Lessons

Writing

16. Business Communication—Fundamentals of Business Writing, ALISON

Being able to express your thoughts and ideas through writing in a clear, concise, and efficient manner is crucial in the business world. Whether you’re sending an inquiry to a company or submitting a cover letter for a job application, how the letter is written and formatted can make the difference between having it taken seriously or not. That’s why this course aims to give you the skills—and the confidence—needed to write professionally in any situation.

Duration: 3 Hours / 3 Lessons

17. Introduction to Journalism, Class Central

Calling everyone interested in journalism: This course taught by the University of Strathclyde Glasgow could be the perfect class for you. Run by a team of internationally renowned scholars and journalism practitioners, the class gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the professional world of reporters and editors. The six topics are: what makes a good story, writing news, writing features, opinion writing, politics and journalism, and investigative journalism.

Duration: 24 Hours / 6 Lessons

18. Journalism Skills for Engaged Citizens, Coursera

Over eight weeks, this course, designed by instructors from the University of Melbourne, will teach you the basics of news writing, how to interview people to gain crucial information, how to develop your sources, and how to use your legal rights to access public information. You’ll explore the ethics behind journalism practice and conduct a mock investigation into local government.

Duration: 56 Hours / 8 Lessons

Entrepreneurship

19. Entrepreneurship 101: Who Is Your Customer?, edX

Although this course was originally taught at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, don’t expect to watch a series of lectures. Instead, every session in the syllabus is an in-depth and focused case study of MIT entrepreneurs from areas as diverse as mobile applications and 3D printing to power electronics and international development. From these case studies, you’ll learn how to go from having an idea to gaining an understanding of who will buy your product. The course is free, but you can add a MITx Certificate for $100.

Duration: 24 Hours / 6 Lessons

20. How to Make Money Online: The Passive Income Business Plan, Udemy

Instructed by online entrepreneur Mike Omar, this course aims to help you make money while you sleep (no, we’re not joking). The course materials were designed to make you $5,000 per month in passive income earnings. What’s more, the skills you learn in this course will allow you to build all kinds of online businesses in the future.

Duration: 12 Hours / 24 Lessons

21. Growth Strategies for Business, ALISON

This course is created for anyone who is interested in starting his or her own company or wants to learn more about the factors involved in growing a business. You’ll gain knowledge of the changes, transformations, strategies, and mistakes that need to be considered when growing a business internationally.

Duration: 3 Hours / 5 Lessons

Law

22. Fundamentals of Business Law, ALISON

Take this course if you’d like to learn about the important principles in business law. You’ll study everything from legal requirements and legal recommendations to financial status and taxation.

Duration: 2 Hours / 2 Lessons

23. Copyright Made Easy, Udemy

Designed by a licensed attorney, this class gives you a comprehensive introduction to copyright law. At the end of two hours, you’ll understand the benefits that intellectual property brings and learn how to apply copyright law to your content.

Duration: 2 Hours / 8 Lessons

24. Cyberwar, Surveillance, and Security, edX

This course taught by the University of Adelaide will help you understand the competing tensions of laws related to privacy and national security. You’ll learn the nature and consequences of cyber-activism and cyberwar, as well as the purpose and impacts of global networked surveillance technologies.

Duration: 18 Hours / 6 Lessons

There are about 45 Free online classses had to cut them short because the post was too long,For more Information and other online classes to take,you would also get a direct link to the various websites and classes taking the courses

Source: www.themuse.com/advice/45-free-online-classes-you-can-take-and-finish-by-the-end-of-this-year

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