Online Learning
The Top 10 Online Learning Platforms for Professional Development
Professional development is an ongoing process of learning, growing and improving your knowledge and skills. It’s important for everyone in the workplace–not just those who are new to their jobs or careers.
Professional development can take many forms: reading books on leadership, attending conferences or webinars, taking online courses or even shadowing a mentor at work. The goal is always the same–to gain new insights into how you can be more effective at what you do every day.
But why would anyone want to spend time doing this? Isn’t it easier just to keep doing things the way they’ve always been done?
The answer is no! Learning new things will make you more valuable as an employee because it gives employers confidence that if something changes in their industry (or even within their own company), then they’ll have someone who knows how things work who can step up and help out immediately without having any training beforehand
Getting Started
The first step in the process of finding an online learning platform is to research the different types of online learning platforms available. This can be done by searching for “online courses” on Google, or looking at websites like Udemy and Coursera. Once you have a list of potential platforms, compare and contrast them based on their features and offerings.
Top 10 Online Learning Platforms
- Udemy
- Coursera
- edX
- Udacity
- LinkedIn Learning
- Skillshare
- Khan Academy
- Codecademy
- Treehouse
- Pluralsight
Tips for Choosing the Right Platform
Here are some tips for choosing the right online learning platform:
- Understand your learning needs. Do you want to learn a new skill or brush up on an old one? Are there any certifications or licenses involved in your job search? If so, look for courses that meet those requirements.
- Consider cost. Most platforms offer free content but charge for premium features such as live classes and certification exams. If money is tight, look for free options first; then see if there are ways to save money (by taking advantage of student discounts or using coupons).
- Look for user reviews on sites like Glassdoor or Course Report before enrolling in any course–they’ll tell you whether other students feel they got their money’s worth from this particular platform’s offerings!
Udemy
Udemy is a great platform for learning new skills. It offers more than 50,000 courses on topics ranging from programming to business and everything in between. You can learn a language on Udemy or take an online course on how to build your own website. The cost of each course varies depending on its length and level of difficulty, but most are priced between $10-$100 per month (or less if you purchase them as one-time purchases).
Udemy offers several features that make it easy to navigate through their catalog of courses:
- A search bar at the top where you can type in keywords related to what you want to learn about or browse through categories such as “Business & Finance” or “Language Learning.”
- An Explore page where users can find new content based on their interests by clicking buttons labeled “Newest,” “Highest Rated,” etc., as well as filter results by topic or instructor name. Users also have access here if they’re looking for something specific like “Social Media Marketing” because there will be fewer results than if they were searching using just one keyword such as social media marketing alone without any additional information given beforehand like what kind of industry this person works within so that way only relevant results come up instead of having thousands upon thousands come back due simply because someone typed those words into Google first thing before going anywhere else!
Coursera
Coursera is an online learning platform that offers over 1,000 courses in a wide range of subjects. Courses are taught by top universities and organizations around the world, including Stanford University, Yale University and The University of Pennsylvania.
Courses can be taken for free or paid for with a subscription plan (starting at $29/month). There are also many free courses available as part of their Open Education Initiative where anyone can enroll in any course on the platform without paying anything upfront!
Coursera offers features such as auto-play videos that allow you to watch lectures without having to pause or fast forward through them manually; personalized recommendations based on what you’ve already watched; discussion forums where students can post questions about homework assignments and receive feedback from other learners who have completed similar tasks before them; badges for completing certain milestones within a single course or across multiple ones
edX
- edX offers a wide range of courses, including some that are free.
- The platform features an intuitive interface and helpful tools for learners.
- It’s free to sign up for edX courses, but there are costs associated with some of the certificates you can earn by completing them (the cost varies depending on which certificate you want).
Udacity
Udacity offers a wide range of courses, including some that are free. You can also pay for individual courses or sign up for an entire specialization. The cost varies depending on what you choose, but it’s generally around $200 per course or specialization. The platform features include:
- A library of over 1,000 videos from industry experts and instructors
- An interactive learning environment where you can ask questions and get answers from other students and teachers
- A discussion forum where you can connect with others who share your interests
LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning is a part of the professional networking site LinkedIn, and it offers courses in a wide range of fields. The platform has courses on topics like business skills, leadership development, and personal finance–and it’s free!
LinkedIn’s online learning platform is designed to help professionals improve their skills in order to advance their careers. Courses are taught by industry experts from around the world who share their knowledge through videos and articles on LinkedIn’s website. The courses cover a variety of topics including leadership development, sales training and marketing strategies for small businesses. The company also offers certifications for those who want more specialized training in certain areas like project management or social media marketing
Skillshare
Skillshare is an online learning platform that offers thousands of classes in design, photography and more. You can find courses on topics like social media marketing, coding or even making your own podcast.
Skillshare classes are taught by experts in their fields who share their knowledge with students through video lessons and discussion boards. The platform has been praised for its high-quality content, which makes it one of the best places to learn new skills online.
Skillshare also offers paid monthly memberships that include unlimited access to all courses on the site as well as exclusive discounts on premium courses from top instructors (like Jessica Alba’s course). Prices start at $19/month for individuals or $99/year for teams up to five people
Khan Academy
Khan Academy is a nonprofit organization with the mission to provide a free world-class education for anyone, anywhere. Khan Academy offers courses in math, computer programming, finance and more.
Khan Academy has over 3 million registered users who have completed over 180 million exercises since its launch in 2006. The site’s videos have been viewed more than 1 billion times on YouTube alone; they’re also available on Netflix and Spotify as well as through its own mobile app (iOS/Android).
The platform offers free courses that cover everything from basic arithmetic to advanced calculus; if you want to go further into any subject area than what’s offered there already–or if you want personalized guidance from an expert teacher–you can pay $25 per month for access to premium features like live video sessions with instructors or homework help from tutors at nearby colleges such as Stanford University or MIT
Codecademy
Codecademy is a great place to start your coding journey. It’s a free platform that offers courses in JavaScript, Ruby and Python. The courses are easy to follow and the platform features interactive exercises to help you learn by doing. You can also track your progress through Codecademy’s badges system, which gives students rewards for completing certain tasks within each course.
Codecademy offers different pricing plans: if you want access to all of their courses on one device (e.g., laptop), then it will cost $19 per month; if not, there are several other options available depending on how many devices need access at once (e.g., 2).
Treehouse
Treehouse is an online learning platform that offers courses in web development, coding and design. The courses are taught by experts in their fields and include videos, quizzes and other interactive elements to help you learn the skills you need to succeed in your career.
Treehouse offers more than 1,500 video tutorials covering everything from HTML & CSS to mobile app development using iOS or Android platforms. You can take these courses at your own pace; there’s no time limit on how long it takes you to complete each one (although some may require more commitment than others).
The cost of Treehouse depends on whether or not you choose the monthly subscription option ($25/month) or pay per month ($30). If you opt for the annual plan ($199), then all future upgrades are included!
Pluralsight
Pluralsight is a comprehensive learning platform that offers courses on a wide range of topics, including software development and design, data science and machine learning. It also covers IT security, project management and more.
Pluralsight offers more than 5,000 courses from over 1,500 instructors in its library. The company has partnered with top companies like Microsoft, Adobe and IBM to provide their employees with access to training through Pluralsight’s platform; these partnerships allow you access to some exclusive content as well as discounts on paid subscriptions.
Pluralsight offers three different subscription plans: Basic ($19 per month), Plus ($29 per month) or Premium ($39 per month). All three plans include unlimited access to all course content available on the platform; however only Premium subscribers get access to all courses at once (instead of rotating through them).
As you can see, there are many benefits to taking an online course. If you’re looking for a way to improve your skills and learn new things without having to leave the office or classroom, then an online course might be just what you need.
If you’re interested in learning more about these platforms and how they can help with professional development, check out our guide on finding the right platform for your needs here!