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Considering today’s fast-paced world, the importance of learning is now more than ever before. Someone rightly said that “Learning is a lifelong process”. Whether you are a fresh graduate or a mid-career professional, employers will look for up-to-date knowledge and skill set in you. To stay relevant and employable it is necessary that you possess in-depth knowledge of your niche plus a few other domains as well. This is why it is essential to enroll in some professional development courses from time to time that helps you gain additional (or recent) knowledge.
Have you ever wanted to boost your professional skills to put your career on a fast track? Well, then you must consider opting for some professional development training. It doesn’t matter that you aren’t a student anymore attending lectures 5 days a week. You still have the option of dedicating a few extra hours each day or over the weekends to polish (or gain) some skills. Now it may happen that you have already given this a thought but some or the other issue held you back. Could have been that your employer doesn’t have a training budget or your own financial situations were not so good. The good news is that you no more have to figure out funds. We bring you some really cheap professional development courses. The best part? Some of them are even free!
If you were overwhelmed by the number and variety of courses available then you should read this article till the end. We have hand-picked some of the best courses from all over the internet and listed them categorically. Each category is one or the other popular domain so it will be easy for you to navigate to the particular category that interests you.
Professional Training Courses
So without any further ado let’s quickly check out some of the best online professional development courses.
Communication Classes
Communication skills are needed in almost every job that’s available. Good communication skills tend to make your work life very easy. Whether you are looking to deliver that perfect pitch in the next meeting or just presenting your deliverables through a PowerPoint presentation, the following courses will help you.
- Introduction To Public Speaking, edX
In this course, you will learn how to become a more effective and confident public speaker. The course will also teach you to design and deliver basic arguments, informative presentations, and persuasive, complex arguments all within 10 weeks.
- Successful Negotiation: Essential Strategies and Skills, Coursera
No business can survive without profitable contracts which is why negotiation is the key to the success of a business. This course can teach you everything about negotiating extremely well.
- Speechwriting 101, Global Speechwriter
Professional speechwriter Brent Kerrigan has crafted 10 articles for this course which are designed to help beginners write better speeches. Some of the articles include, “How to Write for the Ear (Not the Eye)” and “One Speech Structure to Rule Them All.” You’ll receive one new article each week after signing up for this course.
- Pitching Projects and Products to Executives: Lynda
In this 45-minute course, author Dane Howard interviews executives from Google, Apple, and Adobe. They share their take on how to effectively move projects and product ideas forward.
Entrepreneurship Classes
Observing an increasing number of entrepreneurs, we thought of adding this section as well in our list of best professional development courses.
- Entrepreneurship & Business Course, iTunes
This well-ranked podcast series includes expert advice for budding entrepreneurs on idea generation, conceptualisation of business model, company formation, funding, marketing strategies, IPOs and acquisitions, and more.
- Critical Lessons for Entrepreneurs, Udemy
CEO of Docstoc – Jason Nazar, shares important lessons learned during his career in this course. Initial lessons are the ones that he learned while working with new companies and the later ones are from starting his own successful business.
Read More: It’s Never Too Late To Become An Entrepreneur
Management Classes
Always wanted to pursue an MBA? Following courses can help you.
- An Entire MBA in 1 Course, Udemy
If you don’t have the time or money to go back to school for a full MBA, this eight-hour course led by award-winning professor Chris Haroun might be the next best thing. The lessons cover only the essential practical concepts and no boring theory.
Recommended Reading: Top Online MBA Programmes In Australia
- Management 101, Muse University
From dealing with those situations that aren’t in your employee handbook to being a strong leader; this month-long class will give you the tools you need to manage everything like a boss.
Marketing Classes
Lead generation and on-boarding of customers are critical for every business to thrive. The key thing here is marketing. Hence, here are a few marketing professional development courses.
- Content Marketing for New Marketers: Create Your First Content Strategy, General Assembly
Whether you’re branding your business or yourself, learn how to do it the right way in order to use content to your advantage.
- SEO 101, Hubspot
In this free webinar, you can learn the basics of optimizing your website for search engines. This will lead to driving more traffic and new leads that are critical for your business.
- Growth Hacking: Lean Marketing for Startups, Udemy
Whether you work for a startup or just have a startup-sized marketing budget, learn how to grow your product from zero to millions of users with some lean marketing techniques.
Also Read: The Potential Of Affiliate Marketing For Students
Programming Classes
The tech industry is booming and hence having some programming skills under your sleeves can do wonders. Check out these programming professional development courses.
- Harvard University’s Introduction to Computer Science, edX
Here you’ll learn how to think algorithmically, solve programming problems efficiently, and become familiar with a number of languages including CSS, HTML, and PHP. The class is free, but you can add a HarvardX Verified Certificate for $90.
- Introduction to Programming in Java, MIT OpenCourseWare
This course aims to help you develop high-quality, working software that solves real-world problems. Materials are designed for students with some programming experience, but if you have none and are motivated you will do fine.
Miscellaneous Classes
Not all of the best courses could be classified into a particular category so here’s all the miscellaneous professional development courses.
- Salary Negotiation: How To Negotiate a Raise or Promotion, Udemy
If fear or uncertainty is keeping you from getting paid what you’re worth then this course is tailored for you. Author Jim Hopkinson will help you overcome anxiety and teach you the skills needed to negotiate better pay. This one-hour course offers insights on developing a negotiation game plan and improving your persuasiveness.
- Personal Essay Writing for Digital Media: How to Grab Your Readers’ Attention, Skillshare
Learn everything about how to translate your story into the written word.
Hope this blog helped you in choosing some of the best professional development courses available on the internet. Happy learning!
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