Career coaches are often faced with challenging clients that lack modern employability skills sought by desirable employers.
Many job seekers who enlist the help of a certified career coach are struggling financially, and may not have the means to immediately enroll in vocational school or university programs. Those same vocational and university learning experiences may not provide what some modern employers are looking for.
There are countless online learning websites, and free online learning is excellent for finding interests and building talents, but without demonstrable skills or verifiable certificates, job seekers may find themselves overlooked by employers. Below are several resources for free online learning that allow learners to build shareable work portfolios, grow demonstrable skills or acquire certificates to get noticed by lucrative employers.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy offers courses for beginning learners or more advanced students.
The site provides free math courses at all levels, as well as test prep for common tests such as the SAT or GMAT.
We recommend Khan Academy for:
- Those completing their GED
- Those taking a university-level placement test such as the GMAT (check their website for full course offerings)
- Those wanting to master a new career skill and build a portfolio (Khan Academy offers extensive programming courses
Job seekers may be interested in grammar courses to improve their resumes and cover letters. Job seekers looking for a higher salary may seek out the computer programming courses. Those in need of credit counseling may find the personal finance courses to be beneficial.
Microsoft Office
For job seekers lacking computer experience, a Microsoft Office certification may be the place to start. Courses are available for students at all levels, and provide students with the mastery of office applications required for most modern workplaces.
We recommend Microsoft Office certifications for:
- Clients looking to update their talents and improve their resume
- Clients who struggle with computers and are eager to learn
- More advanced professionals looking to improve efficiency
DuoLingo
Employers are increasingly seeking bilingual employees. DuoLingo makes language learning easy, and has a mobile app for learners on the move. Of course learners should supplement their DuoLingo learning with other online resources or books from their local library, but DuoLingo is excellent for laying the foundations of language learning and quick practice sessions.
We recommend DuoLingo for:
- Clients who are learning or practicing English
- Clients in careers where speaking multiple languages would be beneficial. For example: customer service, hospitality, some government careers, medical careers and other careers
Native English speakers may be interested in Spanish, Japanese or other lucrative languages. There are also English and language courses available for native speakers of other languages.
edX
edX offers free online courses from top schools including Harvard, Georgetown and Berkeley. Courses are available for nearly any career, with courses including programming, computer science, business and management, engineering and much more. edX is useful for prospective students discovering new interests or those seeking to build new skills for a career.
We recommend edX for:
- Students and aspiring learners seeking to explore their interests
- More advanced professionals looking to improve and update their skills
What online learning resources do you prefer? Let us know in the comments below.
