Not all education has to be formal.
Regardless of how young or old you are, you can start developing important skills for your freelance (or honestly any online business) and it doesn’t have to drive you deep into debt. Here are a list of resources to get you going.
General Education
Udemy: Massive online learning community with classes in web development, business, marketing, health, education, traditional academics, IT, design, and WAY more. Courses range from free to around $100 (though a few get higher) and the platform attracts some of the biggest minds/instructors out there.
SkillShare: Great for creatives to push their crafts. Courses in culinary, design, DIY, film, music, photography, tech, writing, business, and more.
Khan Academy: Free with a wide range of subjects ranging from basic math to biochemistry and capital markets
Lynda: This LinkedIn-owned platform offers a free trial which then moves to packages that start at $19.99 a month.
The Great Courses: More standard audio/video courses on topics that run the gamut from science, to math, history, fine arts, music, to business. Useful for becoming knowledgeable on a general topic that you’d like to specialize in.
Google Alerts: Never discount the power of just getting online and reading news and blogs. You’ll be amazed at what you can learn and being up on industry news is always impressive to clients.
Business
Confessions Of A Pink-Haired Marketer (podcast): Advice, encouragement, and guidance that goes against mainstream marketing.
Copyblogger: Content marketing and strategy. A rich offering of resources and community support including e-books, forums, and software for building marketing businesses and online communities.
Business Of Freelancing (podcast): A look into many of the aspects of life as a freelancer hosted by a programmer. Generally focused on increasing earnings and making improving quality of life while working as a freelancer.
MIT OpenCourseware: The majority of MIT’s course materials available for free.
Internet/Webdesign
WordPress: Learn how to use and launch a WordPress site quickly and for free.
Websites That Work with Karvel Digital: Discover how to get an effective, professional website without spending thousands of dollars
Dear Minerva: Tutorials and resources on Photoshop and using graphics in your online presence.
WordPress Beginner: Free guide to those new to WordPress. Learn themes, plugins, hosting, and more.
Writing
Make A Living Writing: Site dedicated to helping freelance writers get started and make more in their work. (The case study boot camp is very good and it also has good tips on developing sales copy…something that can be very lucrative.)
World/Cultural
Pimsleur: Audio language learning resource. Good for a quick start and a cleaner accent. Recently added Swahili, Twi, and Haitian Creole.
Sheppard Software: Learn world geography with quizzes and other exercises.
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