Why not start this year by improving yourself, learning new skills or acquiring new knowledge about the world and other people? Just because you might’ve left school does not mean you should stop learning and becoming more educated. So check out these sites, learn new skills and do so for free, in the comfort of your own home!

You could be learning German in your underwear using a tested and proven method that works better than taking a college-level class, or building interesting visualizations using some of the best data tools found on the internet! If that doesn’t pique your interest, then take English Literature or Quantum Mechanics classes with some of the best teachers around! With these guys the only thing limiting how much you learn is your time and effort.

1. Get a refresher from the best maths teacher around

Khan Academy is one of the most famous innovators on the online education space. Founded centuries ago in internet-time, this site started as a small Youtube channel where MIT grad Salman Khan would teach basic mathematical principles to his young cousin and now reaches 10 million students each month. From learning basic algebra to an in-depth analysis of the financial crisis, this site will be able to help both a middle-schooler and a middle-ager who wish to brush up on their numeracy.

Started: 2006

Topics: Maths, Finance, Computer Science, Natural Sciences

Languages: Interface in English, Spanish (more to come, lectures translated into 20+ languages)

Universities: None.

Assignments: Yes, interactive lessons, exercises and projects.

Calendar-based: No, can learn at own pace.

Number of courses: 30+ topics, 700+ lectures

Free: Yes

2. Watch lectures from some of the best lecturers in the world

Academic Earth works as a repository for some of the best lectures (and lecturers) in the world. Aggregating, encoding and cataloguing videos from some of the best universities one can attend, this resource is great as refresher or low-commitment courses where you do not want to be pushed to work hard, just need some information on a topic.

Don’t know where to start? Try these:

Started: 2009

Topics: Art & Design, Business, Computer Science, Engineering, Humanities, Mathematics, Medicine and Healthcare, Science, Social Science, Test preparation

Languages: English

Universities: MIT, Stanford, UC Berkeley, Yale and 45 others.

Assignments: Only lectures

Calendar-based: No, at your own pace

Number of courses: 750+ courses, 8500+ lectures

Free: Yes

3. Take full course modules from the most prestigious universities around

A consortium of some of the best universities in the world, edX was set up by the universities themselves. It gives people access to lectures, lessons and exercises to learn almost any topic imaginable, and allows you to take courses as if you were taking them at university. A relative newcomer to the field, it is one of the most promising and offers a wide array of courses.

Started: 2012

Topics: Biology, Business, Chemistry, Communication, Computer Science, Electronics, Economics and Finance, Energy and Earth Sciences, Engineering, Environmental Studies, Electronics, Ethics, Food and Nutrition, Health and Safety, History, Humanities, Law, Literature, Math, Medicine, Music, Philosophy, Physics, Science, Social Sciences, Statistics and Data

Languages: English

Universities: MIT, Harvard, Berkeley, UTexas, McGill, Kyoto University, IIT Bombay, and 23 others

Assignments: Yes

Calendar-based: Yes

Number of courses: 102

Free: Yes

4. Take courses in entrepreneurship and computer science-related topics

Udacity is one of the most tech-oriented of the general courseware providers. Founded by a Computer Science lecturer, it has definite focus on digital technology and computing, along with entrepreneurship. More recently, it has started to offer paid courses on certain commercial technologies sponsored by the companies, such as Salesforce and Cloudera, and is gearing to become a resource for employers to find skilled hires.

Started: 2011

Topics: Computer science, Entrepreneurship, Enterprise technology

Languages: English

Universities: Instructor-based

Assignments: Yes

Calendar-based: No, work at your own pace.

Number of courses: 35

Free: Yes (some paid)

5. Learn how to program and build your own applications

Do you want to learn how to become more productive, learn about computers and make computer systems to do your bidding? Then Codecademy is probably the best place in the internet to start. Not only can you learn some of the most popular and powerful programming languages currently out there, but you can also take lessons on some of the best APIs (Application Public Interfaces, these allow your code to connect systems like Twitter or Youtube and do interesting things with the data).

Started: 2011

Topics: Programming (Javascript, HTML/CSS, PHP, Python, Ruby, APIs)

Languages: English, French, Spanish, Russian, German, Portuguese, Arabic, Farsi, Chinese, Japanese

Assignments: Yes, lessons are based around active programming.

Calendar-based: No, at own pace.

Number of courses: 5 languages + 26 separate API lessons

Free: Yes

6. Learn a new language by playing and translating

Being bilingual will help raise your market value and allow you to differentiate yourself from other candidates to positions you are applying for. It will also help you in your career as it will open many doors, both domestically and abroad. Duolingo is free and fun, and has been scientifically proven to be better at teaching you a language than a college-level course, so don’t miss out and start learning German, French, Italian, Spanish or Portuguese. If you are proficient in a language not offered yet, you can also help build the lessons in your language in the Duolingo Incubator, so you could be helping millions of people learn your native tongue.

Started:

Topics: Language-learning

Languages: Spanish, English, French, German, Portuguese, Italian

Assignments: Listening, Reading, Writing, Fill-in-the-gap

Calendar-based: No, you work at your own pace.

Number of courses: Six languages with three massive blocks of lessons.

Free: Yes.

There we go guys! Six amazing resources that are all available for free… all you need is willpower and some of your time. These may not hand out university degrees after completing the courses, but they will give you valuable skills that you can apply to your own life, and especially, to your career. Instead of watching TV or playing video games, why not spend an hour each day learning French, or build a small application that groups all the information about your neighbourhood? Do it for yourself and for your career, it can never hurt to learn more and become more productive…

Once you’ve upped those skills, start the search for your next job with Adzuna.ca!