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Just like many top universities, major companies such as Google, Amazon, IBM, and Facebook offer free and cheap courses on e-learning platforms edX and Coursera.
Companies use their online courses for myriad reasons. They help train their own employees, build skills they want in applicants (especially for rapidly growing, tech-heavy roles), prep students for certification tests, or serve their philanthropy. As a result, these online courses are typically taught by employees who are industry experts, such as Romeo Kienzler, IBM’s chief data scientist.
Below, you’ll find a few of the programs offered by Google, Amazon, Facebook, IBM, and more. Most of the classes are either free or under $100 to enroll in, while multi-course programs may cost a few hundred dollars.
P.S.: If you plan to take many online classes this year, and they’re included in the membership Coursera Plus, you may want to look into that annual membership ($399/year) to save yourself money in the long term. (Its members get access to 90% of the site for $399. You can learn more here).
As one of the world’s most recognizable companies whose raison d’etre is to organize and increase the accessibility of information, Google pairs well with MOOCs (massive open online courses).
Most Google courses are free to audit, and students can pay a small fee to receive a certificate upon completion. Skill levels required vary from introductory to intermediate.
Once students complete in-depth programs like its Automation with Python Certificate program, they can also opt to share their information with potential employers.
For those looking into entry-level project management roles, this program explains the basics of Agile project management, focusing on Scrum events, artifacts, and roles. Students will also learn strategic communication skills through real-world scenarios.
This program covers a broad overview of the design process before going into the fundamentals of UX design and having students complete a UX portfolio of three projects: a mobile app, a functioning website, and a cross-platform experience.
Learn how to tackle the day-to-day responsibilities of a junior or associate data analyst by gaining key skills like data cleaning, data analysis, and data visualization using tools like Tableau and programming languages like R and SQL.
Here, beginners learn how to create an effective query on Google — from the basics to advanced operators like intext: filetype: and site: that narrow results. Students will also learn how to determine if information is credible. It’s taught by Daniel Russell, a member of the Google Search engineering team since 2005, and will take approximately three weeks to complete.
Learn the best online search methods for finding fast, accurate medical information. This course will take approximately two weeks to complete, and it’s taught by a senior research scientist at Google and the Director of Cancer Health and Communications Research at the University of Michigan.
This six-course professional certificate program builds the skills needed for a career in cloud architecture. It’s designed as part of a pathway to earning your Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer certification — including sample questions and practice quizzes similar to those on the exam. You’ll earn a certificate of completion, and it will take approximately four months to complete.
This five-course certificate program prepares you for an entry-level job in IT support through a curriculum developed by Google. The program is also ACE certified, so you can earn up to 12 college credits once it’s completed. It will take approximately three to six months to finish. Upon completion, those eligible to work in the US can share their information directly with potential employers.
Amazon Web Services claims to be “the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform.” As such, it has dozens of affordable courses and programs teaching new and experienced users how to leverage AWS to power infrastructure, improve efficiency, and lower costs.
Most AWS courses are free to audit, with a small fee for a certificate of completion.
This four-course program gives current or aspiring IT professionals an overview of the features, benefits, and capabilities of Amazon Web Services (AWS). Its instructors include senior technical trainers, architects, and technologists. It will take approximately five months to complete.
This course teaches the fundamentals of Machine Learning needed to build AI applications. It’s taught by an AWS senior technical trainer and will take approximately eight hours to complete.
This three-course program teaches students how to build, deploy, and optimize applications on AWS. It’s taught by senior technical trainers and technical architects. It will take approximately five months to complete.
This course teaches students how to migrate on-premises applications and workloads to the AWS Cloud. It’s taught by a technical trainer and technical architect, and it will take approximately four weeks to complete.
IBM is the largest technology and consulting employer in the world, and it offers dozens of courses and multi-course programs in data analysis, cybersecurity, AI engineering, machine learning, cloud essentials, and more.
Most IBM courses are free to audit, with a small fee for a certificate of completion. Skill levels needed range from introductory to intermediate, for the most part.
This six-course program is designed to build the skills and portfolio you need for a career as an AI or ML engineer. Its instructors include senior data scientists and software engineers. Upon completion, you’ll earn a professional certificate and receive a digital badge from IBM recognizing your proficiency in AI engineering. It will take approximately eight months to complete.
Description: This course introduces students to IBM Cloud and is potentially a good fit for anyone who wants to be a cloud practitioner or use Cloud skills as a developer, architect, system engineer, or network specialist. It will also help students prepare for IBM Cloud Foundations Certification. It will take about five weeks to complete.
Linux claims to power 98% of the world’s supercomputers, most of the servers powering the Internet and financial trades, and tens of millions of consumer devices such as Android phones.
Most Linux Foundation courses are free to audit, with a small fee for a certificate of completion. Skill levels range from introductory to intermediate.
This four-course program teaches you how to develop open source software using Linux, Git, and more. Upon completion, you’ll get a certificate and a digital badge from The Linux Foundation recognizing your proficiency in open source software development, Linux environment and Git. It will take approximately four months to complete.
This course introduces students to blockchain technology: what it is, its impact for change, how it’s applied to business processes, and immediate uses in technology, enterprise, and business. The instructors include the CTO and Director of Education of Blockchain Training Alliance, and it will take approximately 14 weeks to complete.
Salesforce helps other companies leverage cloud, mobile, social, AI, and blockchain technologies to create a comprehensive idea of customers.
Salesforce courses are free to audit, with a small fee for a certificate of completion.
This five-course program helps students build job-ready skills for entry-level Sales Development Representative (SDR) positions. Its instructors range from an account executive at Okta to a customer engagement specialist at Google. No degree or prior experience is required, and it will take approximately six months to complete.
You can take this course on its own or as part of the Salesforce Sales Development Representative Professional Certificate program. It introduces students to the skills needed for the non-technical aspects of their job, like strategy selection and communication. It will take approximately 19 hours to complete.
Unity reportedly serves millions of registered developers — from major publishers to hobbyists — as they create 2D, 3D, VR, and AR games and apps.
Through Coursera, Unity offers three specializations — two intermediate and one for beginners. They take between 4-7 months approximately to complete. After a seven-day trial, students pay a $79 fee for a certificate of completion.
This five-course specialization prepares you for the Unity Certified 3D Artist exam. It’s best suited for 3D artists who have used Unity for real-time rendering for 1-2 years, and it will take approximately seven months to complete.
This four-course specialization prepares you for the Unity Certified Programmer exam, and it’s best suited for Unity programmers with 1-2 years of experience. It will take approximately four months to complete.
This introductory three-course specialization teaches students about the technologies that make XR possible, the unique UX concerns around developing for XR, and walk students through developing VR and AR apps for mobile devices. It will take approximately three months to complete.
Autodesk, a 3D design, engineering, and construction software company, gives students and teachers free access to its design software and learning resources.
On Coursera, it offers multi-course programs designed for mastering a particular skill — like digital manufacturing — and prep for tests such as the AutoCAD for Design and Drafting exam. Its programs can take between 4-6 months approximately to complete, and test prep is typically about 15 hours.
Autodesk courses are free to audit, but students will have to pay a small fee for a certificate of completion.
This advanced course prepares students for the Autodesk Certified Professional: Inventor for Mechanical Design exam. It’s designed for industry professionals who can solve complex challenges in workflow and design, and it will take approximately 14 hours to complete.
This four-course specialization teaches the foundations of applying computer aided design (CAD), computer aided engineering (CAE), and manufacturing principles while also developing technical skills within Autodesk Fusion 360.
This four-course specialization teaches students the foundations of CAD and toolpath generation, while helping them develop technical skills in Autodesk Fusion 360. It will take approximately four months to complete.
Facebook offers a five-course digital marketing program through Coursera geared towards beginners. The program’s courses delve into topics such as advertising and the optimization of marketing campaigns. Ideally, students will finish the program with a personal portfolio they can use in job applications.
Altogether, the program will take approximately five months to complete. After a seven-day trial, the course is $49 for access and a certificate of completion.
The Goldman Sachs Foundation’s mission is to strengthen its communities through a focus on entrepreneurship and economic growth. Through Coursera, the foundation’s 10,000 Women program is designed to support female entrepreneurs through a 10-course business and management program — as well as access to mentoring, networking, and capital — to women in 100 countries.
Each course is free to enroll in, and each class takes approximately four hours to complete.
Classes are available in languages such as Spanish, and subtitles are available in multiple languages, including Spanish, Russian, and Portuguese.
In this course, students learn about how acquisition and funding applications can support a business opportunity. They’ll evaluate their business’ financial profile and create action plans to improve it. It will take approximately three hours to complete.
Students begin to optimize their business growth by considering factors like a cash flow cycle and its impact and developing a Cash Flow Forecast. It will take approximately three hours to complete.
This course focuses on developing marketing plans and strengthening brands as the business grows, including an exploration of various digital marketing tools and identifying the right metrics to measure effectiveness.
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