Free Learning. Say What?

Have you ever stopped and thought, "Man, I wish I was back at school." 

Or maybe you haven't gone that extreme yet (and you are thinking that I'm crazy). But you probably have thought at some point of time, "I wish I could learn more about (this) or (that)."

I loved the environment of learning at school and being able to spend so much time filling my brain with knowledge. That's something I do miss (although I usually just have to recall back memories of finals weeks of the past, and that longing disintegrates into piles of gold and white confetti).

However, I've found a way that I can keep learning in my life, and it doesn't even involve the finals week madness! I can learn more about energy and sustainability (some of my favorite topics), or I can practice a new language. And for free.

Free is a beautiful word.

Here are two sites that I use for learning that are extremely value-filled, but don't cost me a penny.

#1 - Coursera

Coursera is a site where MOOCs (Mass Open Online Courses) are offered from top universities around the globe. You can take the course for free, and if you would like to get a verified certificate to show a future employer, it is $50. I have currently finished two courses: Fundamentals of Global Energy Business from the University of Colorado, and Energy 101: The Big Picture from Georgia Tech, and both of them have taught me so much about energy technology and economy. It felt so great to get university-level content about a topic that I'm passionate about, and I could even do my work in my pajamas at home. In one course, I had to write and pass both quizzes and two papers, and in the other there were simply quizzes after each lecture. Coursera is very valuable to me because it helps me grow without any financial commitment. I'm simply learning.

#2 - Mango Languages

When browsing my public library website last year, I found that they have a free language learning program that offers great online instruction in just about any language you could want to learn. For my public library, it is Mango Languages, and I've heard that other counties offer it and other programs as well. I took some of the first lessons of French before a trip to France and found that it gave me a new-found confidence in my baby-language-speak before traveling to this new place. I'm looking forward to using it to advance my language learning, as traveling abroad has shown me just how valuable this is. Language learning is one thing that I don't believe can ever be a waste of time. Try it out and see your world open up!

Do you have other sites that you use to continue learning? Have you taken a course on Coursera, or learned a language through Mango? Comment and let us know!

Read any good books recently? Here are a few that I have been learning from (click on them to view on Amazon).





*All Amazon links allow you to buy items at no extra charge, but using those links does help fund my adventures just a bit through commission.