This post is also available in: Español (Spanish)

In the very early days of the world wide web, back in the nineties, most of us were rather oblivious to how exponentially our lives were going to change in the foreseeable years ahead.  Over the course of the past decade and a half, the Digital sphere has drawn everyone in and, as of today, it is unthinkable to imagine a number of our day-to-day jobs, tasks, social activities, without Wi-Fi. Don’t get me wrong; I am the first one advocating Digital detoxes from time to time and I do think that life happens offline, not online. The hundreds of resources we can access online and a great deal of data and information available to us is what has changed the rules of the game. And no, I am not only referring to free encyclopedias or know-it-all search engines. Do you know what I love most about the Digital Revolution which focuses not on the technology but the people who use that technology?: Access to information and learning resources. Being able to learn on the go, anywhere.

As a life-long learner myself and as someone who craves mental stimulation whenever I can, having discovered learning sites has been a major milestone. My hectic day-to-day as a mum of a full-on 3-year-old allows very little time for academic endeavors but it is great to be able to learn something out of real interest, motivation, and to do it at your own pace. And the top bonus is that some of these offer courses you can enroll in for free.

The four below websites have been a great discovery for me, so, if you did not know of their existence, chances are you’ll find that these are resources to treasure, too.

My 4 favorite websites for online courses and learning new skills

www.edx.com

edx.com  is no secret for the Digital folks out there, but discovering this site two years ago was a huge accomplishment for me. This site is literally a gold mine and offers courses by some of the most prestigious Universities and Business schools worldwide like Standford, Harvard, – yes, you read that well- the Massachusetts Institute of Technology or Adelaide university, to name only a few. An impressive plethora of courses on different subjects are offered and the vast majority are for free. However, if you want to receive a certified diploma upon completion of your course, it is required to pay a fee ( they start off from 50$ depending on the Institution). Advanced courses are also offered on a pay-per-access basis so if you are interested in taking courses for professional education this website serves as a great resource to check out.

www.khanacademy.org

I love the site’s tagline You can learn anything: For Free. For everyone. Forever. Do I need to say more?

I find this site is great for brushing up your knowledge on specific subjects, topics and is a de facto textbook. It offers three different categories to choose from when signing up:  learners, teachers, and parents, so, yes, I know for sure that I will keep on using Khan Academy not only to satiate my thirst for knowledge or fill up any general knowledge gaps but also to  help me out with my son’s homework when he is bound for elementary school – He’s just started preschool so I still have a good few years to devote to my own knowledge cultivation before that happens 🙂

www.coursera.com

Like www.edx.com, this site offers courses from Universities from around the world. The main difference with edx.com is that Coursera offers courses in different languages whereas Edx is restricted to English language only. If you are not confident in taking a course about a given subject in English, you can try to search for a similar one here.

www.bookboon.com

A great site to download course books and ebooks for free (and more importantly, legally).  From Accounting to Natural Sciences, to Leadership and Marketing to Personal Development…The array of categories is vast and the books available are worth a thorough screening. I am pretty sure that there is an appealing title waiting for you there. An extra bonus? Books are available in 10 different languages. I think we certainly could not ask for more.

Did you know any of these websites and have you resort to any of them? What has been your experience so far? If you have any other tips on other interesting sites, feel free to mention them in the comments. Thanks for reading!