The modern world is screaming by. At no time in human history has innovation and technology developed at such a blistering pace. People in all occupations can feel it’s unapologetic velocity. We’re clutching to the side of bullet train and only those with the kung-fuiest of kung-fu grips will be there when the train pulls into the station. Luckily there are readily available and cost-free ways to improve your hold on the future.
What is cutting-edge and relevant today may be obsolete and useless tomorrow. Exciting for phones, scary for humans. You too are in constant need of upgrades to remain compatible, useful and market relevant.
Here are few great options for increasing your marketable value and round out some less than well-rounded corners:
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Learn about almost anything with college level courses at Coursera and Khan Academy: Math, Science, Computer Programming, History, Art, Languages, Economics… They have all the putties to help shore up the educational gaps in your academic ship.
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If it’s a European language that you need to level up then DuoLingo is your new best friend. They don’t offer Asian languages yet but they do offer fun interactive learning models and a mobile app so you can learn in a train, plane, cab, Uber, Lyft… you get it.
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Perhaps you like these options but need more and possibly more specific ones? The fine folks over at LifeHack have compiled a list of 25 Killer Sites for Free Online Education that includes courses from MIT and Harvard. I’ve never heard of those places but they sound nice. Also poke around LifeHack while you are there. They have all kinds of upgrades for your daily struggle.
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And finally you can always go the “pay to play” route. Many institutions of higher education offer online courses and degrees. If you’re going this route because you need credits and/or the proof of purchase at the end (a degree) be sure to know what credits transfer, apply, etc. etc. etc. The for profit education world comes with many rules and pitfalls.
Now get in there and start making upgrades! The world is infinitely vast and fascinating and thanks to the power of the internet we can better equip ourselves for navigating it with just our fingers, eyes and minds.