In our previous post, “Winners Aren’t Afraid to Learn New Skills: Are You Ready?,” we talked about the importance of challenging yourself to learn new skills. Why? Because you’ll open up new opportunities, feel happier and maybe even live longer, to name a few good reasons.
Of course, the most obvious way to learn a new skill is to sign up for classes at a local educational institution – this could be a business course, a painting class or a writing course. But that’s not the only way.
Sign up to learn how to play a musical instrument, archery or to ride horseback – whatever sounds interesting and fits your schedule.
Online learning opportunities have exploded in the past few years. You can find dozens of websites that are designed to teach online learners new skills. Online learning has a lot of benefits — it’s free or usually inexpensive, you learn at your own pace, and you choose your schedule.
With more than 20,000 topics, it would be hard not to find something interesting to learn here! First, you complete a survey that tells the “Curious Learning Engine” about your interests, and then the engine generates a personalized program. It sends you information daily and tracks your progress as you gain mastery. Price: $89.99 per year with a free trial option.
Lynda.com is a LinkedIn company (the social media platform geared toward professionals). The site contains more than 4,200 online video courses taught by subject matter experts. The site tends to focus more on career-related learning such as technology, business and education. The price varies, starting with a basic month-to-month subscription at $24.99 up to $29.99 per month for a premium plan, with a free trial offer.
Coursera partners with 140 top educational institutions from around the world to offer video lectures and interactive quizzes. Courses tend to be what you would find in a university such as social sciences, arts and humanities, business, math, data and computer science, engineering, and personal development. Some courses are free, but some can run up to $400 if they provide a certificate of completion.
CreativeLive focuses on creative topics such as photography, art, music, crafts and entrepreneurship. It broadcasts free live workshops from creative experts from around the world, or you can purchase a class that includes lessons for about $100-$200. The offer more than 600 classes.
These are just a few sites to give you an idea of what’s out there. The free courses can be a good place to start, but based on user reviews, you tend to get what you pay for.
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” – Albert Einstein
I guarantee when you find the activity that interests you — and you learn something new from it, you will have unlocked your winning potential and be on your way to a more fulfilled life!
Need some help figuring out what you’re good at? Check out a previous post, Not Sure What You’re Good At?
What activity or class would you sign up for? Let us know in the comments section below!
Image quote attribution: Thomas Huxley, 19th century scientist
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