Five Online Courses That Are Worth Your Time and Money

Information travels faster today than it has at any other point in history. In seconds, with a simple click or tap, anyone can access a vast library of content, from entertainment to knowledge and everything in between. Perhaps as a result of this immediate availability of information, more is expected of individuals, both professionally and generally. In terms of the former, employers often require—not simply encourage, as was the case in the past—their staff to develop existing skills, learn new abilities, and keep up to date with the latest industry trends.

Most such means of doing so—developing and honing workplace skills—are through online classes.

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The ability to use specific programs, administer certain techniques, and a whole lot else can be relayed to learners remotely, over the internet. Because of this and the aforementioned employer requirements, proactive individuals, as well as those who love learning, have countless options before them. There's no shortage of knowledge that can be absorbed by those with an internet connection, a little bit of extra time, and a desire to get ahead. To be sure, in addition to formal education, employers look for supplemental certifications and specialties on applicants' resumes.

The only potential downside to this point—abundant information offered to intrigued individuals—is that, well, there's an abundance of information to sift through. It can be difficult and, in some tricky situations, nearly impossible to determine which online courses are worth taking and which should be skipped over.

To help anyone who's eager to learn make the most of their time and money, let's take a look at five online courses that are sure to prove worthwhile!

5. Microsoft Office Classes

Microsoft Office has been utilized by billions of individuals and an abundance of companies throughout the last two decades. As Microsoft continues to update and improve upon the Office programs, including Word. PowerPoint, Excel, and more, the software's role in professional and personal activities will continue to grow.

Because of Microsoft Office's prominence and the fact that its programs are so widely used, individuals would do well to learn about the mentioned applications. Word is great for writing and typing, Excel is ideal for crafting spreadsheets and statistics, and PowerPoint is a phenomenal presentation tool, but unless one is able to use all these programs' features, he or she won't reap all the programs' associated rewards.

Online training is the key to quickly becoming a Microsoft Office aficionado.

4. Basic Coding Classes

Bluntly stated, there's a small chance of those who specialize in something besides coding and web design making a career change and developing software like a seasoned veteran; most coders become interested in the field during their youth. It takes a unique individual with unique talents to efficiently code, and even unique individuals must practice for a substantial amount of time to reach professional status.

With that said, coding is a big part of every company's efforts today; even entities that don't offer digital products must maintain websites and/or applications. As a result, coding is practically useful for all sorts of employees. Outside of work, remedial coding knowledge can help individuals to earn extra cash and optimize their online ventures, including blogs and personal websites.

3. Digital Design Classes

Digital design classes help explain how breathtaking artwork, graphics, and internet-ready logos, amongst other things, can be efficiently created using one or more of the magnificent design and editing programs available today.

Design courses usually focus on a single program, such as Photoshop or GIMP. But classes that cover the basics of several programs also exist, as do those that help students become acclimated with special program features (airbrushing, background removal, etc.).

The benefits of digital design expertise are essentially unlimited. The ability to create images, edit images, and even format images for specific uses are valuable in personal and professional life.

2. Safety Courses

Basic first aid, emergency preparedness, and many other safety courses can be taken online. These courses help prepare students to respond to real-world emergencies, and as a result, their certifications are particularly sought after and touted in law enforcement, paramedic, fire fighting, and education; the skills can also prove significant in many other fields.

More than being professionally valuable, online safety courses will allow students to offer themselves and those around them peace of mind, in that should something go wrong, the appropriate and potentially life-saving measures will be promptly taken.

1. Foreign Language Courses

The interconnectedness of contemporary society can be dizzying. Anyone in the world can remotely contact anyone else in the world in a matter of seconds. Products are shipped from every country around the globe to many other nations.

However, even though people are more connected and united in business and leisure than they've previously been, some elements of global interaction have remained constant. Different individuals, depending on their place of birth, speak different languages. This is perhaps the single greatest detriment to interconnectedness.

And that's where foreign language courses come in. Hiring a tutor or teacher to provide in-person lessons can be very costly. Moreover, the same knowledge is available through online courses. Online foreign language courses are affordable and thorough. They can fit into any schedule and match students' particular learning timeframes; lessons can be explored and mastered for as long or as short as a student needs.

By investing a bit of money and time, anyone can learn about exciting cultures and become better able to communicate with international acquaintances. This benefits work, personal relationships, and much, much more.

The time is now to start learning with online courses. Be sure to browse around before settling on a specific class, and try to select a topic that's personally interesting—not just a topic that'll prove professionally important.

Thanks for reading, and here's to the future of online education!