How to Upskill for Free While Working from Home?

How to Upskill for Free While Working from Home?
How to Upskill for Free While Working from Home?

Introduction

We are at a stage where most of us have been asked to work from our homes. For some, it might seem like a restriction, but for many, this is the opportunity of a lifetime. Not wasting time traveling or in transit allows us to give more time to ourselves. On-site visits and going for offline meetings have been replaced with video conferences and online presentations. There has never been a better time to upskill yourself.

This leads to better jobs and even enables you to become more effective in your current job. Upskilling also does not just mean that you get better at what you are doing, it can also mean learning new things. For instance, you might upskill yourself on the latest technology, more advanced tools, or, you can even decide to learn completely different things such as project management and product design. You can even upgrade your digital marketing skills or learn a new language such as French or German.

There are two choices one has when it comes to training and personal development, individuals can choose to upskill for free in the comfort of their own home or they can take up paid courses as well. However, in this article, let’s cover how you can upskill with online courses, academic papers, books, and through other training mediums for free. 


5 Ways You can Upskill for Free

Here are the 5 different ways you can train yourself or learn in order to upskill for free:

  1. Enroll in free online courses

This is probably the best option as courses are especially orchestrated to effectively teach skills and topics to students. There are many free online courses that are designed extremely well and flexibly planned to suit the needs of working professionals. Courses generally also come with certificates after completion of the program and that serves as proof of your accomplishment. If you do not care about certificates, you can also take up free courses offered by various well-known Universities (and companies) through edX.

If you want valid certification and a highly interactive program, you can join any foundational or advanced course such as the Full-stack program Development Program from here. You can also choose to take up courses that can help you learn project management, finance, data analytics, visualizing, reporting, or anything that leads to personal development.

  1. Join free boot camps

This is geared towards individuals who are more serious about the skill they wish to acquire or professionals who want extensive training and who are willing to participate in projects and events. Boot camps are known for being highly interactive as most boot camps have teachers who actively engage with the students. Most boot camps are conducted live as opposed to pre-made material in online courses, thus being more personalised as well.

The Front End Masters boot camp is a great choice for those who wish to learn web development for free. HTML, CSS, and JavaScript boot camp through Front End Masters. However, if you want access to placement opportunities and a ‘pay after you get placed’ payment scheme, you can join the Ninjas Career Camp as well. Here, you get the option of paying only after you get a job.

You can also choose to take up digital marketing boot camps in order to meet the needs of this digital era.

  1. Study using academic papers and books

There are hundreds of academic papers that are publicly available on different subjects, topics, and research that has been conducted. Going through research papers and academic journals is a great way of gaining extensive knowledge on a subject and covering topics.

blog banner 1

Academic papers take a holistic approach towards learning, not missing out on anything and recording every single bit of information on the subject of interest. This is a great way to gain deep knowledge of the subject you wish to learn. There are also many books that can be downloaded for free or that are made publicly available by institutes and learning platforms. You can also choose to read it online if you are unable to download any particular material.

You can also study project management and operations management in order to prepare yourself for managerial or senior-level positions in the future.

  1. Learn a new language

Learning a new language is fun and exciting. It is not only a personal accomplishment or an additional ability, but it also offers you a fresh perspective of the world around you. Once you learn new words and especially new phrases which represent different subliminal references, your mind starts getting wired differently.

Learning a second or third language increases your cognitive abilities and improves your mental capacity. It is a great idea to learn a language such as Spanish, German, French, Korean, Japanese, or even Latin. You can start learning a language for free from Duolingo or Busuu. Similarly, through other coding platforms, you can also learn a new programming language such as C++, Java, Python, or even R and Scala.

  1. Watch videos uploaded by learning platforms on Youtube

There are multiple options for you to choose from when trying to train yourself or learn new things including Youtube. Youtube has made it possible for learning platforms to teach interested students all the foundational skills they require.

Youtube is free and does not even require you to sign up, allowing you the ability to watch a video on anything you wish to learn. However, rather than learning from scratch, Youtube should be used for doubt-clearing and problem solving more is great you can check the Coding Ninjas Youtube Channel to learn topics such as Pointers and Arrays.

You can also prepare for senior developer/engineer positions by watching videos on System Design.

Why Upskill?

Here is why you should consider upskilling:

  • More than anything, you will be learning something new and improving yourself. Personal development should always be welcomed. You will also remain up to date with the latest technologies, techniques and reduce the chance of any skills gap in the future.
  • Become more valuable to your organisation, company, or employer by possessing additional skills. This leads to better job opportunities and being given more valuable responsibilities.
  • Experience a pay rise sooner rather than later inside your organisation. There is also the chance of you getting better offers and job opportunities in other companies.
  • The option to engage and collaborate with more people from other departments. In the case of learning a new human language, you will be able to converse with people from other countries or cultures.
  • Finally, it is a personal accomplishment and this will make others look up to you, thus motivating them to do better as well. This helps the organisation in the long run and promotes healthy competition.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I upskill myself during a lockdown?

You can learn new things and improve yourself in your current role using upskill free online courses. In this age of the internet, there is no need to go out and join offline classes to learn what you want. However, you must check an upskill course’s reviews before investing valuable time.

How do you upskill yourself while working?

It depends on if you wish to upskill for company requirements or personal development. In the case of the latter, you must find the time to take up the lessons when you are not working or doing your daily chores. If it is for the benefit of your organisation, you can discuss this with your employer or boss and decide upon a time when you will be allowed to complete your training within your working hours.

Is Upskill free?

Yes, you can easily upskill yourself for free.

What is the best way to upskill?

You can get the necessary upskill training by enrolling in upskill courses for free or by joining a boot camp. You can also choose to learn skills on your own by using books, videos and academic papers.

What skills do you need for Upskill?

It depends on what you wish to learn, for instance, if you wish to upskill in web development or the foundations of a programming language, there is no need to know anything special other than the basics. However, if you wish to upskill in more advanced topics and technologies, you must have the proper foundation to facilitate that or you should have studied other associated topics.

How often should I upskill?

You should upskill as often as you can. One should definitely upskill when new technology is introduced or new techniques are adopted into organisations. You can also choose to upskill every few months or annually in order to perpetually grow and develop yourself as an asset.

How long does it take to upskill?

You can learn new skills within a few weeks to a few months. Some skills and subjects, however, can be more time-consuming.

Should I upskill on my own or take up a course?

That depends on your individual requirement and what you wish to learn. For instance, some subjects will prove difficult to cover on your own without a properly planned study program. Meanwhile, some skills are easier to learn on your own.

Can I upskill myself for free using a paid course?

Coding Ninjas provides scholarship tests that can secure you 100% scholarships (10% to 100%) for a huge list of premium courses. You can learn different programming languages or Android development for free by securing a good rank.

Key Takeaway

Now that we have covered the different options you have in regards to upskilling yourself, you can easily upskill for free, so, why wait?

Improving your career prospects, upgrading your skills and learning new things is as easy as conducting a few searches on Google and clicking on ‘Start Learning’. Lastly, it is also important to utilise these skills practically or deploy live projects in order to properly experience the benefits of upskilling.