- March 27, 2020
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Megan Quick
- 4 min
Being house-bound leaves us with more time on our hands than usual. We don’t lose an hour (or two) a day on our commute. It’s a good time to catch up on Netflix shows, (I’ve never seen the Sopranos!), read a book or two, but what about those of us who might want to take this time to improve our minds? There are some great options out there for adults who wish to continue their education while in quarantine.
Codecademy
Valiant Technology is a people-first IT company, but our first recommendation is to continue your technology education. Codecademy is a great resource for those who need to learn the basics of coding, and they offer courses on 12 different coding languages. It has an easy to use interface and there are three plans you can sign up for to take courses: the Basic plan is free and provides daily practice and interactive lessons, the Pro plan is nineteen dollars a month and aims to teach the student job-ready skills, and the final plan is for companies to utilize for teams of people.
https://codecademy.com
Honorable Mentions
Scotch.io – Scotch IO is another great way to expand your knowledge in web development!
https://scotch.io
UDEMY – UDEMY is an online learning platformed aimed at employee upskilling. This online platform has a very wide scope of topics and is ideal for businesses and companies that want to see their employees continue their education.
https://www.udemy.com
Microsoft Learn – Microsoft Learn is a free online platform that offers students different learning paths and certifications. It is a narrower focus than Codecademy because it focuses on a comprehensive education in Microsoft products and services. According to its website, Microsoft Learn provides “… role-based training and learning paths for Azure developers, solution architects, and administrators. We also provide role-based training and learning paths for Microsoft Power BI, PowerApps, and Dynamics.” This online resource can meet you where you are, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced IT professional.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn
Leaving IT for a Moment…
It’s a good time to really understand your technology (and Valiant heartily encourages it), but it’s an opportunity to learn about Philosopher’s, take on a Creative Writing course, or learn a new language.
Coursera
Coursera connects users to universities like UPenn, Duke, Stanford, and the University of Michigan among others. While they offer IT courses, the breadth of their subjects goes beyond IT education. While browsing their catalog, I found one twelve-hour course from Duke University called Dog Emotion and Cognition. I’ve signed up to do it as a productive after-work activity! There are other courses that can stretch your mind or help you see if there is another career you want to try. There are also virtual museum tours, which could satisfy some of the restlessness many of us are feeling these days.
https://www.coursera.org
DuoLingo
This is a fun one and a classic for anyone who’s wanted to balance learning a new language with a busy life. Now that you have more time at home then you might want, buckle down and work on your Spanish/French/Russian, etc. Come out of quarantine speaking a new language!
https://www.duolingo.com
To Sum Things Up
Right now, we might have more time on our hands then we know what to do with. These platforms are just the tip of the iceberg for online educational resources. Explore them, see if they pique your interest and learn something while in quarantine. Some courses are free, some you pay if you want a certificate.
You don’t necessarily need to earn another degree (although you could) to feel a little more entertained and productive. According to an article in Forbes by Sarah Landrum “being mentally and socially active keeps you connected to the world and yourself as you process your experiences, filled with new information and rich details.”
We need this mental and social engagement more than ever right now. We can’t necessarily go out in the world and experience new things, but we can challenge our selves to expand our minds at home. Good luck, and stay safe, healthy and sharp!
