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We’re the last ones to put on undue pressure to “take advantage” of unstructured time in self-quarantine. But, after you’ve re-watched The Office a few times, you might consider a new diversion from the stress/horror from the pandemic. Maybe you’re ready to embrace a new career, language, or skill set. These are the 10 best online courses to test drive a new hobby or do a deep dive into an unfamiliar topic.
Khan Academy
This non-profit is student-focused. Their subjects feature online classes such as U.S. History, SAT prep, and AP Calculus. However, adult-learners can benefit from courses in computers, personal finance, and entrepreneurship.
Udemy
The to cost to participate in the best online courses on Udemy range from free up to $200. Their diverse video classes focus on subjects like social media influencing, business courses, and fitness. Keep an eye out for coupon codes to save on classes.
Masterclass
The appeal of Masterclass is unfettered access to celebrities telling you the “secrets” of their success. No denying these courses are pricey. And, they provide less tangible knowledge than the other sites on this list. But if you’ve got the cash, you can watch the likes of Anna Wintour, Serena Williams, and Dan Brown teach you their trade.
Skillshare
This site offers the best free and subscription based online courses that cover creative and business pursuits. Use the browse feature to scroll through potential classes until something catches your eye, or search for specific topics.
Alison
If you’re looking to use your downtime to beef up your resume, check out Alison. They offer the best free online courses in categories like IT, language, lifestyle, and business. Some courses specialize in career changes and offer certificates and diplomas upon completion.
Plainmath
This is a nonprofit organization and a great math encyclopedia for every student in need. There are collected secondary and post-secondary unsolved high school math problems, shows ways to solve them, so students can learn.
iTunesU
Add a little self-improvement to your daily chores or workout with iTunesU. The free app only works on Apple but offers both podcasts and videos on a wide range of topics.
The Ivy Leagues Online
Most of the Ivy League schools offer free online education options. You get access to world-class content, in between episodes of Tiger King, without changing out of your pajamas. Check out the sites from MIT, Carnegie Mellon, UC Berkeley, Yale, Stanford, and Harvard.
Coding
If anything, this pandemic illuminated our dependence on the Internet for communication, work, and shopping when face-to-face interaction becomes dangerous. Adding familiarity with coding is an impressive way to beef up your CV for the future. Check CodeAcademy and Code for an intro to advanced courses on coding.
TED-Ed
You remember TED Talks. Earnest experts talk about their life’s work and how it relates to everyday people. Along with the YouTube channel, radio show, and podcast, there’s also TED-Ed. The site is filled with online classes that are 10 minutes or less. The courses also include supplemental materials for the curious mind, and quizzes to test your newfound smarts.
LessonPaths
Less of a learning site and more of a way to organize your quarantine goals. Once you sign up, you can create glossaries of links to courses, curated by subject or source. They also offer a Chrome extension. The easiest way to structure your quarantine education.