Tips For Turning Your Summer Into A Productive Experience

Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.

-Jim Rohn

These were the same exact words I read one day during my freshman fall semester. It is at this point when I realized that although those who have a college degree are statistically making more than those who don’t have one, what if everyone went to college?

What will separate the great applicants who have a bachelor’s degree and those who simply slid by in college? It is apparent that more and more people are obtaining a college degree. However, what can separate you from the rest of the herd is simple: working on your own skill sets and sharpening your strong points. If everyone is doing college, find a way to be different. You might ask, “But how?”

The answer is simple. The internet.

We currently live in a generation where technological advancements are booming. Information is readily available for grabs for free. If you’re looking for a way to better yourself and gain the edge, learning “stuff” online is the best way to get started.

Here are some great resources to jumpstart your learning experience! Did I forget to mention it’s free?

edX.org

http://www.techspot.com

This is one of the first MOOCs (Massively Open Online Courses) I have discovered. You might think that because these courses are open source, they don’t have any major universities backing up this movement of free education.

Fear not! Major universities such as Stanford, MIT, Harvard, and many other universities are releasing their course materials to these sites to give others the priceless gift of education. As of right now, a computer science major can obtain the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree in computer science all online.

The possibilities are endless. There’s architecture, art, biology, chemistry, and almost any subject you can name! This is also a great tool for technical degrees to get a head start.

For their current list of courses, visit https://www.edx.org/course.

CourseBuffet 

https://www.coursebuffet.com

If you’re looking for a more organized curriculum, then CourseBuffet is your best bet. After registering for an account, CourseBuffet gives you a rundown of what classes and electives the typical college student takes for that major. From there, you have the choice to pick your classes from a variety of universities who are providing those courses. Mix and match from multiple universities and start learning today!

Udemy

udemy-images.udemy.com

This isn’t a free source of online education, but a majority of these classes have an ongoing project throughout the course, which you can save and put onto a resume or online portfolio. Paying for Udemy classes will really help you if you are looking for physical projects and work to show to others during an interview or when you’re applying to jobs!

The Possibilities are Endless

There are endless amounts of sites offering MOOCs, but these are some of the more popular sites. You may also have heard of KhanAcademy and ALISON as well! Simply putting in an hour or so everyday will already get you ahead of the game. The best thing about these courses is the time flexibility and getting to choose courses that interest you. What are you waiting for? Get started today!