The Internet is an amazing tool for modern families. I have built a business online that helps me balance providing for my family with spending time with them. There are so many ways to use this information at your fingertips to improve your income-earning ability on your own schedule.
If you’re looking for a second income stream for your family, or want to expand your skills for more flexible career options, online learning is a great way to do that.
Job Skills You Can Learn Online
Whether you’re interested in starting a business or want to build marketable skills, online learning is a great way to go. I love learning new skills and encourage my kids to do the same. Here are some ideas for marketable skills you can master, some in just a few weeks or months:
Health Coaching
Get your certification in nutrition or health and wellness coaching, and turn a passion into a career! Read my full review of the best holistic-leaning programs and their pros, cons, and costs here.
Coding
Our world is becoming more digital every day, and coding is in demand. Even if you don’t plan on being a developer, knowing some basic coding is a great skill to have. It can be especially helpful if you run a website or do business online. Codecademy is my family’s favorite resource for learning to code but there are other resources listed below that also offer coding education.
Blogging
I created Wellness Mama as a way to help more people live healthier lives with my limited time. I couldn’t meet with as many one-on-one clients with little ones at home so the blog became an easier way to reach those clients.
While blogging is certainly hard work, it does offer some flexibility and time freedom that moms (especially) need. If you’re interested in blogging, I recommend this course because it walks you through building a blog from the very beginning.
If you’re curious, read my blogging story or check out my full list of favorite blogging resources.
Photography
If you have an eye for noticing great shots, photography is a great way to make some extra money (or to build a thriving full-time business). But you may need to hone your skills before trying to market them. Luckily there are many options for improving your photography skills in the list below.
There are a lot of ways you can go with photography. From weddings to portraits to stock photos, you’ll be able to find a course or two that will help you learn the kind of photography you are interested in. Try Skillshare or Udemy for reasonably priced self-paced or live courses.
Writing
As online business soars, so does demand for written content. Writing is another great way to make money from home. If you have basic writing skills you can easily learn how to make money writing.
First, you’ll want to decide what kind of writing you like to do. Are you into news, investigative journalism, lifestyle writing, or fiction? Do you have expertise that would lend itself to technical writing? Or, if you have a marketing or sales background, you might consider copywriting.
You may need to take a course (check the list below) on your chosen form of writing to build your skills so you can build a business! Writing skills are also marketable in many traditional jobs as well, putting you ahead of other applicants.
Learn a Language
We live in a global world, so knowing more than one language is increasingly helpful in business and life. Knowing a second (or third!) language can put you at the top of the list for new jobs or promotions at your current job. My family uses DuoLingo for casual (and fun!) language learning. Skillshare also offers a number of language courses (including American Sign language).
We also love The Mimic Method for a fun way to learn by ear that’s very different from traditional classroom learning (I even did a podcast on the method.)
Video Editing
It’s easy to learn how to edit video (using apps like Premiere or iMovie) with all of the online options available. Once you know how to edit video using one app, it’s easy to switch to another if needed. If you have these skills you can edit video for YouTubers and others who need videos edited regularly. You can also teach others how to edit video for another income stream. Linkedin Learning has lots of video editing courses to choose from but you’ll find them on most of the websites listed below as well.
Public Speaking
Learning to speak in front of a crowd is tough for most people, which is why it’s such a great skill to learn! Whether you’re interested in becoming a speaker or just want an additional skill to list on your resume, public speaking is an easy skill to learn at home using Coursera. Public speaking skills can also help if you want to be a video creator on YouTube or a podcast creator.
Finance
There are many ways that gaining finance skills can be helpful in your life and career. Whether you’re just interested in refining your personal finance skills or you want to learn about stocks, bonds, and investment portfolios, financial knowledge is very marketable today. Coursera is a great place to look first since their courses are often free and are provided through many Ivy league schools.
Online Learning for Business
If you have some basic skills in a certain discipline but need to improve to be able to market that skill, I highly recommend using online resources to build your competency. You’re likely to find the exact class you’re looking for on one of these sites:
Udemy
This is one of my favorite homeschooling resources and I’ve taken several of their classes myself (Japanese, anyone?). Udemy is a place where professionals, teachers, and experienced workers create amazing content to share their skills. Udemy uses a pay per course model which is great for people who need extra time to finish each course. Prices are low (some are free) so this is a great place to look to start building new skills. Check them out here.
Skillshare
This subscription site offers 22,000 courses for a low monthly fee. Courses range from minimalist living to coding so you’re sure to find something that suits your interests or goals. Because you pay one price for access to all of the courses, you could potentially take multiple courses for one low fee. Get started here.
Ultimate Bundles
I have loved Ultimate Bundles for years now, where you can purchase the best e-books and digital content on a topic all at once at one low price. They have bundles that focus on business, blogging, productivity, homemaking, and more. The Ultimate Bundles Business Bundle in particular is a collection of e-books and digital resources to help you build your business at a steep discount. The bundle only comes around once or twice a year so you have to keep your eyes peeled for it. But it’s well worth the wait! Follow their bundle calendar here.
LinkedIn Learning (Lynda.com)
LinkedIn Learning has a huge collection of courses in a variety of disciplines. It’s a monthly subscription, and then you have access to any courses you want. These courses are taught by industry leaders so you can grow in your current career or pivot into a new one. Since it’s connected to LinkedIn, one of the most credible networking and job search platforms, you can be sure the skills are relevant and in demand. See what they offer.
Accredited College Courses Online
Many accredited and Ivy league schools are offering their classes online for free or reduced costs. Courses are in a wide variety of topics from child nutrition to Einstein’s theory of relativity.
- EdX.org – You can audit the classes for free or get a certification for a small fee. Access classes from universities such as Harvard and UC Berkeley.
- Coursera – This website offers courses from a variety of universities. You can audit the classes for free or pay a fee to get full access to graded assignments and certifications. There’s also financial aid available, making Coursera a great option for many people.
- Class Central – Similar to the above websites, but Class Central also lists some courses that are housed on other websites. This course website focuses on free courses in particular.
Many universities also have their online classes available directly on their website, so check those out as well.
Job Skills to Learn at Home
It doesn’t take long to find a course or set of courses that can teach you anything you want to know. It can be a tough balance, but as busy parents being able to learn from home in the time we have is so important.
It’s true, sometimes online learning can’t replace the hands-on variety. Still, advances in technology and streaming have made incredible resources available from experts we once would have had to travel or even move to learn from!
Another advantage of learning at home: our kids get to see our example that learning never stops! We encourage our kids to use screen time to research creative interests or build skills that translate into real-life results. They’ve become interested in entrepreneurship right along with us.
If you are looking to build skills so you can start a business or apply for an amazing job, consider learning through the websites listed above.
Have you ever tried any of these online learning options? What business skills are you interested in learning from home?
Leave a Reply