Lockdown seems like the perfect moment to learn new skills. From arts to business, we selected the best online platforms to start learning right now.
Since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic and the closure of all schools and universities, online learning has become an incredible resource, not only for full-time students. Many people are taking advantage of this time to explore new career possibilities, new business opportunities or even just to learn something they were always curious about but never had the time (or sometimes the courage) to learn.
I have always been a fan of online learning. I see the fact that you can learn anything from anywhere, whenever you are free as an incredible opportunity. Especially for those who don’t live in a big metropolitan city and probably have fewer opportunities to join a course, online learning has been a game-changer.
Having tried a few platforms from a few different countries, I can say without hesitation that not all platforms are created equal. Many companies are offering online, self-paced learning, depending on what you want to learn and how you want to learn it. I have tried edutainment through an Italian platform – Corsetty, unfortunately only available in Italian – business courses organised by French universities and many English-speaking platforms, both big and independent, that offer all sorts of online learning. What I learned is that the teacher is still the most crucial part of the course, even online. Make sure you look into who is teaching the class you are thinking about before purchasing.
After months of trying and testing, these are the English-speaking online learning platform we think you should try out this year.
Masterclass
Masterclass is hands down the best platform out there, for many reasons – the first one being the incredible teachers. Do you want to know more about creative writing? You can learn from Handmaid’s Tale’s author Margaret Atwood. Are you interested in fashion and leadership? Anna Wintour will take you under her wing. Other incredible teachers include singer Alicia Keys and chef Yotam Ottolenghi. If that’s not enough, they have the best-filmed classes in the industry and a forum where it’s possible to chat with other people who have taken the same course around the world.
Recommended class: Self-made entrepreneurship with Sarah Blakely, inventor of Spanx.
Price: $200 for the yearly subscription.
Skillshare
Skillshare is a great place to learn just about anything, whenever and wherever you want. There are thousands of classes on the platform but Skillshare is particularly good for creatives, artists or people that want to learn an artistic skill. From mindset classes to watercolours, there are plenty of classes to help you develop your creativity.
Recommended class: Discovering Success: 7 Exercises to Uncover Your Purpose, Passion & Path with Emma Gannon.
Price: $99 for the yearly subscription.
Udemy
With 130,000 classes to choose from (and new added every month), Udemy is probably the biggest online courses bank out there. If you are not sure if online learning is for you, this platform would be a good one to start from as the prices are quite low compared to other actors in the market with classes starting from as little as $15.
Recommended class: too many to chose from!
Price: depends on the class, starting from $15.
Coursera
Coursera is more than just an online learning platform. The site offers certified MBAs from universities around the world, most of the time at a fraction of the price. This means that you can earn a degree for a university in the United States, while comfortably studying from a Spanish island. If you don’t need a certification and you only want to follow a course, a small selection of courses is free to enjoy.
Recommended class: Stanford University Introduction to Food and Health (free without certification).
Price: depending on the course, starting from $39.
The Robora
Not all online learning platforms have hundreds of courses like Skillshare or Udemy. There are quite a few people out there translating their experience and knowledge into a course offered on their personal platforms. If you follow a few business-oriented people, chances are that they have (or will soon) an online course. Annie Ridaut is a London-based journalist and entrepreneur that teaches (mostly) women how to transform their ideas into real businesses.
Recommended class: Become your own boss.
Price: starting from £50.
Picture: Artem Podrez
