Education is everything: learn, know, understand, so easy now with online learning. We live in a wonderful time where we can get classes about anything and everything online, and usually for free. Like with exercise – challenging yourself mentally keeps your brain bright and active throughout your life.
“no pain no gain”
I plan to keep a list of the online classes that I’ve taken and recommend here in this post, as well as the classes I am currently taking. The classes are at different levels, different colleges, different websites, etc.
Helpful for indy designers and crafters:
Bookkeeping for Crafters with Lauren Venell • A pragmatic guided tour through business accounting for people setting out on their own craft business for $79. There are a lot of good classes over at Creativelive.com, many of which they run for free if you catch them streaming on their “onair” page.
For Knitters:
Lace Shawl Design • This class by Miriam Felton gave me traction when it came to creating my very first design, the Hoo*Bert Shawl.
Graphic design basics:
Adobe Illustrator: Mastering the Fundamentals • There are always new techniques and tricks, this free class at udemy.com is worth the two hours of time to absorb illustrator basics.
In my queue right now:
Become a Game Developer/Designer : Complete Master Series • Getting my feet wet in game development and this one looks worth the time. This is another udemy offering, $10 at the time I signed up with a New Year’s deal good til January 10, 2017. $200 normally.
Game Theory • Free without a certificate at coursera.com, taught by professors at Stanford University and The University of British Columbia. A topic always intriguing to me, but I’ve never spent the time to wrap my head around it.
Game Design: Art and Concepts Specialization • A series of reasonably priced classes in game design at coursera.com from CalArts.
Learn drums • I know I said education is everything, I lied. Education and music is everything. Figuring this one will challenge my musical abilities in ways I hadn’t imagined.
NOTE: Coursera, Edx, and Udemy all have apps so you can keep up with your classes on the go.
Wait a minute, hold up… I almost forgot to list
PODCASTS to feed your brain.
C-SPAN History lecture videos • Learn about history so we don’t repeat it.
Livestreams
Observatory Nights at the The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) • I attend in person usually, but they have them all at Youtube. The best in astronomy information. Here is their Night Sky Report.
Let me know what you take, how you like the classes. And please help me encourage people to catch the online learning bug.