Game development is a thriving industry in the world of software, with bigger and better games being pumped out every year. So if you want to launch a career in game development by learning how to build games, you’ve come to the right place!

In this article, I have gathered the best online game development courses for programmers in 2024 that will teach you a wide range of tools and programming languages to build immersive games. You will learn how to program in C++ and C#, how to use the Unity and Unreal Engine, making 3D models, using javascript, and much more.

Get ready to build loads of exciting games by yourself through hands-on exercises in these courses. Let’s get started!

Top 17 Best Online Game Development Courses

1. Game Development – An Introduction To Unity® For Absolute Beginners (Skillshare)

First on my list is a popular online game development course on Skillshare that will teach you how to code using the C# programming language and build games using the Unity 3D engine. This beginner-level online class has been taken by over 3500 students.

Your instructor for this online course will be Diego Herrera, a software engineer with over 17 years of professional experience in app development, web design, multilingual software, and 3D. Recently, Diego has taken to diving deeper into augmented reality and 3D applications.

In this 4 ½ hours long online course, you will start from scratch by first learning how to program using C# before diving into the basics of Unity 3D, a popular engine for building games. You will learn about adding various elements like weather to a game, building a fun car app, and much more.

With a free 2-month trial of Skillshare Premium up for grabs, you can take this video game development course for free!

• Beginner level
• 4 ½ hours long
• Taught by experienced software and game developer
• Free 2-month trial of Skillshare Premium
• Learn Unity 3D game engine

Activate FREE Skillshare Trial

2. Complete Beginners Guide to Unity C# Game Development (Skillshare)

Unity is widely used for building immersive 2D and 3D games, and this beginner-level online game development course on Skillshare will teach you how to use Unity to build your own games. Taken by over 800 students, this comprehensive online course will make you an expert in using Unity.

In this online course, you will be taught by Christopher Navarre, a software expert and instructor with more than 2200 followers on Skillshare. Christopher runs his own YouTube channel named ‘Chris’ Tutorials’ where he posts tutorials about a wide range of software languages and topics.

Through 8 hours of bite-sized video content, Chris will teach you how to build detailed games using the Unity game development engine. You will go through topics like working with components of game objects, building a solid Unity workflow, manipulating audio, making UIs, and much more.

You will have all the scripts and assets from this online course available online for you to access and use at will!

• Beginner level
• 8 hours long
• Taught by software instructor from Chris’ Tutorials on YouTube
• Free 2-month trial of Skillshare Premium
• Scripts and assets available publicly

Activate FREE Skillshare Trial

3. Complete C# Unity Game Developer 2D (Udemy)

If you’re looking for an online game development course that will teach you how to build 2D games using the Unity engine through project-based learning, this online course on Udemy is for you. Taken by over 370,000 students, this beginner-level online course has an average rating of 4.7 stars.

As for your instructors, the GameDev.tv team will be teaching you in this online game development course. Instructors Ben Tristem and Rick Davidson are experienced game industry professionals who will bring their expertise to bear on the content in this online course.

In this massive 35 hours long online course, you will start by learning how to code using C# and quickly get comfortable with object-oriented programming before building a series of games and learning the ins and outs of using Unity to make production-ready 2D games, and much more.

Once you’re done with this online course, you will receive a certificate of completion to share with your network and showcase your newly acquired skills!

• Beginner level
• 35 hours long
• Taught by GameDev.tv team
• Certificate of completion
• Full lifetime access

Visit Udemy.com

4. Unity 2D Game Development Course (Skillshare)

For those of you looking for a high-level and fun introduction to game development using Unity, this beginner-level online course on Skillshare is the perfect choice. Taken by 1400+ students, this online course will help you convert the board game ‘Rush Hour’ into a digital video game.

Jack Donaldson, a programming and software development expert with more than 5 years of experience, will be teaching you in this online game development course. Jack is experienced with a number of languages like C#, C++, and Python, and is an expert at developing games.

Through his short 2 hours long online course, Jack will show you how you can take the famous board game ‘Rush Hour’ and slowly build a video game version of it using Unity. He will teach you topics like designing levels, importing assets, basic game design principles, and much more.

By completing this basic hands-on project, you will find yourself ready to take on much bigger ones and build games of your own!

• Beginner level
• 2 hours long 
• Taught by game developer with 5+ years of experience
• Free 2-month trial of Skillshare Premium

Activate FREE Skillshare Trial

5. Unreal Engine C++ Developer: Learn C++ and Make Video Games (Udemy)

Next on my list is a beginner-level online game development course on Udemy that will make you an expert at building games using C++ and the Unreal engine. With an average rating of 4.6 stars, this bestselling online course has been taken by over 234,000+ students.

You will be provided with instructors for this online course by the GameDev.tv team, an e-learning company that creates online courses to teach game development. The company has published 20 courses on Udemy on various game dev topics, teaching more than 700,000 students.

In this 31 ½ hours long online course, you will learn how to code using C++ and use Git as a version control system. Then, you’ll dive into topics like game design principles, vector math for gameplay and physics, using Unreal’s Terrain Editor and Gameplay Framework, and much more.

You’ll have full lifetime access to this online game development course, so you can come back whenever you want to review rusty concepts and solidify your basic understanding!

• Beginner level
• 31 ½ hours long
• Taught by GameDev.tv team
• Certificate of completion
• Full lifetime access

Visit Udemy.com

6. Professional Certificate in Computer Science for Game Development (edX)

If you’ve ever wanted to learn computer science from Harvard and get into game development, this online professional certificate in game development on edX is the perfect choice for you. As part of this program, you will take 2 online courses taught by some of the best professors from Harvard.

You will be taught in this online course by a group of elite instructors from Harvard’s Computer Science department. This group includes David J. Malan, the Gordon McKay Professor of the Practice of Computer Science.

It will take you about 6 months to complete the 2 beginner level online courses that form this program. The first will teach you the fundamentals of computer science from scratch whereas the second will take you through the basics of game development through multiple hands-on exercises.

You will get the chance to understand the design of games like Super Mario and Angry Birds while learning at your own pace and getting a certificate of completion at the end!

• Beginner level certificate consisting of 2 courses
• 6 months long with 6-14 hours of effort needed per week
• Taught by renowned Harvard professors and instructors
• Self-paced learning
• Certificate of completion

Visit edX.org

7. Complete C# Unity Game Developer 3D (Udemy)

3D games require a lot more skill to build as compared to 2D games, and this online game development course on Udemy will teach you how to build your favorite ones using the Unity engine. This beginner-level bestselling online course has been taken by over 125,000 students.

GameDev.tv, an e-learning company that creates educational materials for aspiring game developers, will be providing you with the instructors for this online course. The company has taught more than 700,000 students from around the world through its 20+ online courses.

In this 34 hours long online course, you will first learn the basics of programming using C# before delving into the basics of Unity. You will be making a series of hands-on games like Argon Assault and Zombie Runner to get a solid idea of the fundamentals of game development, and much more.

The certificate of completion you’ll receive at the end of this online game development course will prove to be crucial in helping you secure a game developer job!

• Beginner level
• 34 hours long
• Taught by the GameDev.tv team
• Full lifetime access
• Certificate of completion

Visit Udemy.com

8. Introduction to Game Development (Coursera)

Offered by the Michigan State University (U.S.), this beginner-level online game development course on Coursera will get you started with building video games using the Unity3D engine. Taken by over 113,000 students, this is the first online course in a series of game development courses.

As for your instructor, Brian Winn will be teaching you in this online course. Brian is the Associate Professor of Media and Information at Michigan State University. He has published 3 courses on Coursera and earned an average instructor rating of 4.9 stars.

Over a course of 22 hours, you will go gradually change yourself from being a game player into a game developer skilled in building and setting up a game’s graphics, building an environment in Unity3D, incorporating physics, adding elements like enemies and animations, and much more.

Don’t worry if you are unable to afford the full fees for this online course – you can apply for financial aid through Coursera and complete this online course for free!

• Beginner level
• 22 hours long
• Taught by an associate professor from the Michigan State University
• Certificate of completion
• Financial aid available

Visit Coursera.org

9. The Ultimate Guide to Game Development with Unity (Udemy)

Created in collaboration with Unity Technologies, this online game development course on Udemy will make you capable of building professional 2D and 3D games using the Unity engine. Over 60,000 students have taken this beginner-level online course that has an average rating of 4.5 stars.

In this online course, you will be taught by Jonathan Weinberger, a self-taught software engineer with over 8 years of professional experience. Jonathan has published over 10 courses on Udemy and built applications and games for companies like Cartoon Network and Coca-Cola.

In this 21 hours long online game development course, Jonathan will take you through the exciting world of game development with topics like power-ups like lasers, enemies that have basic AI behavior, sound and background effects, implementing game physics, and much more.

Get ready to take an online course that was built by the creators of the Unity engine itself!

• Beginner level
• 21 hours long
• Taught by self-taught game developer with 8+ years of experience
• Full lifetime access
• Certificate of completion

Visit Udemy.com

10. Introduction to Game Design (Coursera)

Next on my list is a beginner level online game development course on Coursera that is a perfect choice for the more artistically-inclined among you. Taken by 70,000+ students, this fun online course has been developed by the California Institute of the Arts (CALARTS).

Your instructor for this online course will be Fran Krause, a faculty member at the School of Film/Video at the California Institute of Arts who teaches character animation. Fran has taught 2 courses on Coursera and earned an average instructor rating of 4.92 stars.

Through 6 hours of learning in this short online course, you will learn the fundamentals of game design by going over the various elements of a game, how to build and implement rules for a game, construct a story that encapsulates all the characters, define multiplayer rules, and much more.

Coursera offers you the option to apply for financial aid so don’t worry if finances are a problem for you, you can take this course for free!

• Beginner level
• 6 hours long
• Taught by faculty from California Institute of the Arts
• Financial aid available
• Certificate of completion

Visit Coursera.org

11. Video Game Design and Development: Introduction to Game Programming (FutureLearn)

If you’re looking for a short and beginner-friendly online course on game development, this online course on FutureLearn is the right choice for you. This beginner-level online game development course has been produced by Abertay University and has taught over 9,500 students.

In this online course, you will be taught by Paul Robertson, a lecturer in games programming at Abertay, and Christopher Acornley, his colleague. Abertay University is renowned for its computer games education.

In the 2 weeks it will take you to complete this online course (with 3 hours of study per week), you will get an overview of basic programming and game development concepts such as loops and conditionals, user input, sprites and animations, forces, collision detection, and much more.

This is an ideal online game development course if you want to learn from an amazing university and spend some time with the basics before diving deeper!

• Beginner level
• 2 weeks long with 3 effort hours per week
• Taught by instructors from Abertay University
• Certificate of completion

Visit FutureLearn.com

12. Unreal Engine 4: How to Develop Your First Two Games (Udemy)

People have loads of creative ideas for games and other interactive experiences but don’t have the skills to translate them into reality. By taking this online game development course on Udemy, you will learn how to use the Unreal Engine 4 to convert your ideas to tangible reality.

As for your instructor, Christopher Murphy will be teaching you in this online course. Christopher is an independent game developer with over 10 years of experience building games for a number of platforms. He is also an Unreal Engine evangelist and strives to help more people learn this tool.

Through 15 ½ hours of on-demand video lessons, Chris will give you a comprehensive introduction to game development in Unreal Engine 4 through 3 complete projects. You will make an Arch Viz game, Pinball, and a survival game, directly applying everything you learn about Unreal Engine 4.

Don’t worry if you find your skills getting rusty after some time – with full lifetime access from Udemy, you can always come back to the contents and review topics at will!

• Beginner level
• 15 ½ hours long
• Taught by Unreal Engine evangelist and game developer with 10+ years of experience
• Full lifetime access
• Certificate of completion

Visit Udemy.com

13. Game Development for Modern Platforms (Coursera)

Developing a game for Windows is not the same as developing a game for Android or Mac OS X. If you want to learn how to develop games for all modern platforms, this intermediate-level online game development course on Coursera is the perfect choice for you.

Brian Winn, an associate professor of media and information at the Michigan State University, will be teaching you in this online course. Brian has taught more than 122,000 students on Coursera earning an average instructor rating of 4.8 stars.

In this 12 hours long online course, you will start with a basic overview of game development concepts and make a playable game by implementing features like game managers and character controllers. Finally, you will learn how to ship the game on all modern platforms, and much more.

With Coursera, you can apply for financial aid if you are unable to pay the full fees for this online course. You will also get a certificate of completion at the end!

• Intermediate level
• 12 hours long
• Taught by faculty from Michigan State University
• Certificate of completion
• Financial aid available

Visit Coursera.org

14. Data Science in the Games Industry (FutureLearn)

Games collect a lot of data from players and users and if utilized properly, it can lead to a lot of interesting insights and developments. So if you want to learn how to manage the data collected by games and put it to good use, this online course on FutureLearn is definitely for you.

Your teachers for this online course will be Andy Cobley and Mark Whitehorn. Andy is a senior lecturer and director of the data science master’s degrees at the University of Dundee. Mark is also a professor from the same university who specializes in data analytics and data science.

Over a course of 4 weeks of learning, you will learn about how games store data, how you can use non-relational database tools to manage it, how to use applications to sort and process the data, how to conduct analyses on the data using tools like R, machine learning, data mining, and much more.

If you’re already a part of the gaming industry, this is an ideal online course that will help you unlock a completely new world of information from your games!

• Intermediate level
• 4 weeks long with 3 effort hours per week
• Taught by senior lecturer and professor from University of Dundee
• Certificate of completion

Visit FutureLearn.com

15. RPG Core Combat Creator: Learn Intermediate Unity C# Coding (Udemy)

Next on my list is another intermediate-level course from the GameDev.tv team that will teach you the basics of building core role-player game (RPG) elements from scratch using Unity and C#. It has been taken by close to 80,000 students and has an average rating of 4.7 stars.

You will be instructed in this online game development course by members of the GameDev.tv team including Ben Tristem, Rick Davidson, and Sam Pattuzzi. They are all experienced game developers who have taught more than 700,000 students through their online courses on Udemy.

In this comprehensive 27 ½ hours long online course, they will make you capable of building your own RPG by teaching you topics like building core combat mechanics for different kinds of attacks, path-finding systems, balancing player and enemy stats, and much more.

Closed captions for this online course are available in 8 languages including French, German, Indonesian, and Spanish, so you can take this online course in your native language!

• Intermediate level
• 27 ½ hours long
• Taught by the GameDev.tv team
• Certificate of completion
• Full lifetime access

Visit Udemy.com

16. Create Your First Game with Python (Coursera)

Python’s PyGame library has useful tools and functions to build simple 2D games in a short time. This intermediate-level online game development course on Coursera will teach you how to make games using Python by making you work on a guided project.

In this online course, you will be taught by Amit Yadav, a machine learning engineer who works as an ML and data science instructor at Rhyme.com, an e-learning company acquired by Coursera. Amit now is a part of Coursera’s Guided Project Network.

Through 2 hours of guided instruction, you will step by step build a complete game using Python’s PyGame library. You will learn to initialize the game loop, add images and sprites, make classes for your elements, handle events, add finishing touches, and much more.

You won’t need to install any software for this because everything will be done in the browser through a split-screen – you will code and learn at the same time!

• Intermediate level
• 2 hours long guided project
• Taught by machine learning engineer
• Certificate of completion
• Learn PyGame

Visit Coursera.org

17. Video Game Design and Development: A Bit-by-Bit History of Video Game Music (FutureLearn)

The final entry on my list is a beginner-level online game development course on FutureLearn that is perfect for anyone interested in learning about video game music and how it has developed over time. Over 6,500 students have enrolled in this online course which has a rating of 4.4 stars.

Kenny McAlpine, an Abertay University musician, author, and academic, will be teaching you in this online course. Kenny specializes in video game music and teaches the history of the development of music in video games.

In this 2 weeks long online course (with 2 hours of weekly study), you will learn how old games introduced music on platforms like the Atari VCS, ZX Spectrum, and the Commodore, and how modern games like first-person shooters go about their music, and much more.

You can take this online game development course for free through FutureLearn, or pay a nominal fee and get extra benefits like a certificate of completion!

• Beginner level
• 2 weeks long with 2 effort hours per week
• Taught by musician and academic from Abertay University
• Free access to course contents
• Certificate of completion (for extra fee)

Visit FutureLearn.com

Apache Spark has cemented its position in the global big data industry as a leading tool for large-scale distributed data analysis and processing. So if you want to learn this important tool and start a career in big data and algorithms, you’ve come to the right place!

In this article, I have gathered all the best online Apache Spark courses in 2024 that will teach you the very foundations of using Apache Spark for data processing. You will learn how to develop applications, analyze structured and unstructured data, scale up Spark applications, and much more.

You will get a lot of practical hands-on examples in most of these online courses and tutorials so that you can comfortably work with Apache Spark and turbocharge your career. Let’s get started!

Top 11 Best Online Apache Spark Courses & Classes

1. Apache Spark 3 with Scala: Hands-On with Big Data! (Skillshare)

First on my list is a comprehensive online Apache Spark course on Skillshare that focuses on teaching the data analysis tool through loads of hands-on examples to help up-and-coming data engineers. This beginner-level online course has been taken by close to 300 students and is ideal for people who love hands-on learning.

Your instructor for this online course will be Frank Kane, the founder of Sundog Education. Frank has worked at companies like Amazon and IMDb and holds 17 patents related to data mining, distributed computing, and machine learning.

In this 7 ½ hours long online class, you will go through a wide range of topics related to Apache Spark including the resilient distributed data-stores, basics of the Scala programming language, using Amazon’s Elastic MapReduce service, using Hadoop YARN, and much more.

By going through 20 real examples that increase in difficulty as you progress forward, you will develop an instinct for working with Apache Spark!

• Beginner/intermediate/advanced: Good for all future data scientists
• 7 ½ hours long
• Taught by ex-Amazon and ex-IMDb data expert
• Free 2-month trial of Skillshare Premium

Activate FREE Skillshare Trial

2. Big Data Analytics with Hadoop and Apache Spark (LinkedIn Learning)

When used together, Apache Hadoop and Spark can prove to be an ideal big data solution for any enterprise that has to deal with huge amounts of data. So if you want to learn how to make the two work in tandem, take this intermediate-level online Apache Spark course on LinkedIn.

In this online course, you will be taught by Kumaran Ponnambalam, a senior AI architect at Cisco who has been working with data for more than 20 years. Kumaran has a master’s degree in Information Technology from Aspen University.

Through 1 hour-long bite-sized video lessons, you will learn the foundations of how Apache Spark deals with data, the different data types you can work with, the role of bucketing in partitioning data, reading HDFS files, and best practices for data processing, and much more.

If you’re a new or premium user on LinkedIn, you can take this online course for free, and get a certificate of completion at the end!

• Intermediate level
• 1 hour long
• Taught by data professional with 20+ years of experience
• Certificate of completion
• Free access to new/premium LinkedIn users

Activate 1-Month FREE Trial

3. Big data analysis with Apache spark – PySpark Python (Skillshare)

If you want to learn industry-relevant Apache Spark skills that will quickly get you a job in a top company, you should definitely check out this online Apache Spark course on Skillshare. This intermediate-level online course will teach you how to use Spark on the back of its Python API.

As for your instructor, Ankit Mistry will be teaching you in this online course. Ankit has a master’s degree in machine learning and artificial intelligence and has been working for 8+ years in a renowned private investment bank.

In this 2 ¼ hours long online course, Ankit will start by giving you an overview of the big data landscape, how Apache Spark fits into it, and how to get it set up on your machine before going to advanced topics like structured streaming, machine learning, and feature engineering in Spark.

With a free 2-month trial of Skillshare Premium, you can take this online Apache Spark course (along with hundreds of others) for free!

• Intermediate level
• 2 ¼ hours long
• Taught by machine learning graduate with 8+ years of experience
• Free 2-month trial of Skillshare Premium

Activate FREE Skillshare Trial

4. Apache Spark 2.0 with Java -Learn Spark from a Big Data Guru (Udemy)

For those of you already comfortable with programming in Java and looking for an online Apache Spark course that will allow you to play around with big data, this is the online course for you. Taken by over 18,000 students, this intermediate-level online course has a rating of 4.4 stars.

You will be instructed in this online course by Tao W. and James Lee, software engineers who have worked for big names like IBM, Google, and Microsoft, and hold master’s degrees in computer science from McGill University.

Once you’re done with the 3 ½ hours of on-demand video lessons, you will have developed the skills required to build Spark 2.0 applications, analyze data using DataFrames and Datasets, understand Spark SQL, learn the best industry practices, integrate with Hadoop, and much more.

You will receive a certificate of completion at the end of this online course which you can use to showcase your newly acquired industry-ready skills to your network!

• Intermediate level
• 3 ½ hours long
• Taught by pair of experienced software engineers
• Certificate of completion
• Full lifetime access

Visit Udemy.com

5. Beginning Data Exploration and Analysis with Apache Spark (Pluralsight)

You can’t do much with data if you can’t make any sense of it. So if you want to learn how to use Apache Spark to prepare your data and bring it into a form suitable for analysis, this beginner-level online Apache Spark course is the perfect choice for you.

Swetha Kolalapudi, a data science expert from India, will be teaching you in this online course. Swetha worked for Flipkart in the early days and played a pivotal role in scaling it up to 100+ employees through her Analytics role.

In this 2 hours long online Apache Spark course, you will learn how to clean, transform, and summarize your data using Spark by going over topics like the resilient distributed datasets, using Spark independently on a local machine, and working on a fun project to apply your skills.

Take Pluralsight’s free 10-day trial to audit this online course for free and figure out if you find the platform and its features well-suited your taste!

• Beginner level
• 2 hours long
• Taught by data analytics expert from India
• Certificate of completion
• Free 10-day trial of Pluralsight

Visit Pluralsight.com

6. Apache Spark and Scala Certification Training (Simplilearn)

Next on my list is an online Apache Spark course on Simplilearn that will teach you the Scala programming language before diving into the applications of Spark itself. You should have a good idea of a programming language and SQL database to take this intermediate-level online course.

Your teacher for this online course will be Ronald van Loon, a top 10 big data influencer. Ronald has authored a number of data-focused websites like Data Science Central and Datafloq.

Through 5 hours of video lessons in this online course, you will be taught the basics of programming using the Scala language before you dive deep into Spark by going over topics like using resilient distributed datasets, running SQL queries, GraphX programming, and much more.

At the end of the lessons, you will get the opportunity to work on a project resembling a real-life scenario so that you can really master the knowledge you’ve learned!

• Intermediate level
• 5 hours long
• Taught by Top 10 Big Data influencer
• Certification exam after completion

Visit Simplilearn.com

7. Big Data Analysis with Apache Spark (edX)

Brought to you by the University of California, Berkeley, this intermediate-level online Apache Spark course on edX will introduce you to the world of analyzing and processing big data. You will learn how to leverage the useful Python API for Spark called PySpark.

As for your instructor, Anthony D. Joseph will be teaching you in this online course. Anthony is the professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of California Berkeley and received all degrees up to his Ph.D. from MIT.

You will be spending 4 weeks to complete this online course with 5-10 hours of work required every week. During this period, you will learn how to use Apache Spark to analyze data in various ways, use parallel programming in PySpark to manage large datasets, and much more.

Don’t worry if you can’t take out time regularly to devote to this online course – with self-paced learning, you can complete the entire course in whatever time you can spare!

• Intermediate level
• 4 weeks long with 5-10 effort hours per week
• Taught by MIT-trained computer scientist
• Certificate of completion
• Free auditing of course contents

Visit edX.org

8. Learn Spark and Hadoop Overnight on GCP (Skillshare)

Google’s Cloud Platform offers a streamlined method for big data enthusiasts to make use of Apache Spark to build their projects. This intermediate-level online Apache Spark course is ideal for you if you will be using Spark on the GCP in your upcoming projects and work.

You will be instructed in this online course by CS Viz, an education company from India that specializes in big data and all of its sub-fields like data visualization and analytics. CS Viz has published 2 online courses on Skillshare on the subject.

In this 3 ½ hours long online Apache Spark course, you will get a solid introduction to the ideas behind Apache Spark before going through topics like hot and cold data, the architecture of Hadoop, high replication, configuring Spark in GCP, DataFrames, and much more.

The video lessons are divided up into nice bite-sized chunks, so you won’t end up falling asleep while going through the lectures!

• Intermediate level
• 3 ½ hours long
• Taught by education company from India
• Free 2-month trial of Skillshare Premium

Activate FREE Skillshare Trial

9. Distributed Computing with Spark SQL (Coursera)

Spark SQL enjoys a special position because of its unique ability to manage gigantic amounts of data and make machine learning applications easy to apply. Get enrolled in this intermediate-level online Apache Spark course on Coursera if you want to master Spark SQL and all its features.

Brooke Wenig and Conor Murphy, professionals from Databricks, will be teaching you in this online course. The duo are machine learning and data science experts and have taught over 15,000 students through this online Apache Spark course.

Through 12 hours of video lectures and practical labs, you will learn to use Databricks in conjunction with Spark SQL to manage data that is spread out across multiple machines. You will use Spark UI to analyze performance, create an end-to-end pipeline, and much more.

Coursera offers the option to apply for financial aid and take the entire course for free – so don’t worry if you find yourself unable to pay the full fees for this online course!

• Intermediate level
• 12 hours long
• Taught by experts from Databricks
• Certificate of completion
• Financial aid available

Visit Coursera.org

10. Apache Spark Essential Training (LinkedIn Learning)

Next on my list is a popular online Apache Spark course on LinkedIn that has been taken by more than 34,000 people. This intermediate-level online course will help you get started with Apache Spark and build all sorts of applications, becoming an attractive target for potential employers.

Your instructor for this online course will be Ben Sullins, an expert data ‘geek’, as he likes to call himself. Ben has built a reputation for himself through his work for top companies like Microsoft, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

In this 1 ½ hours long online course, Ben will give you a refresher on Spark by teaching you about its components, data interfaces, and strengths. He will then go over topics like making use of text files, loading CSV data, analyzing data with Spark SQL, making ML models, and much more.

By enrolling in this online course, you will get access to special learning groups where you can resolve your own confusions and queries, and share your own work as well!

• Intermediate level
• 1 ½ hours long
• Taught by expert data professional
• Certificate of completion
• Free access for new/premium LinkedIn users

Activate 1-Month FREE Trial

11. Python Spark Certification Training using PySpark (Edureka)

The final entry on my list is an online Apache Spark course on Edureka that is perfect for those who are looking for live weekly classes that bring back the feel of a traditional classroom. You don’t need to know anything beforehand to take this beginner-level online course.

Instructors for this online course will be provided to you by Edureka itself. The company hires subject matter experts from the industry who have at least 10 years of experience to work on producing the content and giving the live lectures.

You will have 36 hours of instructor-led live classes and two options: 12 sessions (3 hours each) on the weekend, or 18 sessions (2 hours each) on weekdays. During this online course, you will learn everything about Hadoop, Apache Spark, Python’s Spark API, Spark RDDs, and much more.

A useful feature of this online course is that you will have 24 by 7 expert support for help with any issues based on a ticketing system!

• Beginner level
• 36 hours of instructor-led live classes
• Taught by industry experts
• Certificate of completion
• 24/7 expert support

Visit Edureka.co

C# is one of the most popular programming languages today used to make cross-platform applications, games, and web applications. So if you’re looking to launch a career as a C# developer and work on exciting applications, you’ve come to the right place!

In this article, I have gathered the best online C# courses in 2020 that will not only teach you the basic syntax, variables, and control flow elements of C# but will also teach you how to use primitive and non-primitive types, work with files, build games and apps, and much more.

Once you’ve completed an online course from my list, you’ll be ready to apply for entry-level roles in most software development companies. So let’s get started!

Top 13 Best C# Courses & Training

1. C# Basics – For Complete Newbies (Skillshare)

First on my list is a beginner-level online C# course on Skillshare that will give you a solid introduction to the language by teaching you C# from the very basics. More than 4,000 students have taken this popular online course on Skillshare and went on to launch their own careers.

Your instructor for this online course will be Grant Klimaytys, a software engineer who has been coding and building apps for more than 15 years. Grant is an expert in a number of languages such as JavaScript, C#, Bootstrap, .Net, Python, and PHP.

In this 1 ½ hour-long online C# course, you will be introduced to several C# concepts and topics including variables, operators, comparisons, control flow elements like conditionals and loops, arrays, classes, methods, inheritance, exceptions, and much more.

As part of this online course, you’ll have a thriving student community to rely on whenever you find yourself stuck in a problem and unable to get out on your own!

• Beginner level
• 1 ½ hour long
• Taught by a software engineer with 15+ years of experience
• Free 2-month trial of Skillshare Premium

Activate FREE Skillshare Trial

2. Learning C# (LinkedIn Learning)

Taken by close to 70,000 people on LinkedIn, this beginner-level online C# course will take you through all the basics of a programming language by going into the latest version 7 of C#. This is an ideal online course for those who want to stay up to date with the latest developments in C#.

In this online course, you will be taught by Alexander Zanfir, an experienced game and application developer who is the president of SocialPlay Inc., an R&D firm centered on game service and technology.

Through 3 hours of video lessons, Alex will teach you the basics of C# based on the latest version of the programming language with topics including how to work with variables, conditionals, loops, functions, and switch statements, how to build object-oriented programs, and much more.

You will get access to dedicated learning groups that will help you to solve all of your problems and share your own ideas for a much better learning experience!

• Beginner level
• 3 hours long
• Taught by experienced game and application developer
• Certificate of completion
• Free access for new LinkedIn users

Activate 1-Month FREE Trial

3. C# Basics for Beginners: Learn C# Fundamentals by Coding (Udemy)

If you’re looking to get yourself started with C# or just need a refresher in basic C# and .Net concepts, this beginner-level online C# course on Udemy is an excellent choice for you. Taken by over 130,000 students, this online course has an average rating of 4.5 stars.

As for your instructor, Mosh Hamedani will be teaching you in this online course. Mosh is a software engineer with 20+ years of professional experience under his belt. He has published 20 courses on Udemy, teaching more than 450,000 students through them.

In this 5 hours long online C# course, Mosh will make you comfortable with the fundamentals of C# by going through topics like primitive and non-primitive expressions, managing the flow of the program, using arrays and lists, working with data, text, and files, debugging apps, and much more.

This online C# course has subtitles available in 9 languages including French, German, Indonesian, Romanian, and Spanish, so no matter which corner of the world you live in, you’re covered!

• Beginner level
• 5 hours long
• Taught by a software engineer with 20+ years of experience
• Certificate of completion
• Full lifetime access

Visit Udemy.com

4. Introduction to C# Programming and Unity (Coursera)

Offered by the University of Colorado through Coursera, this beginner-level online C# course will quench your thirst for building exciting and interactive games through C# and the Unity engine. Taken by over 65,000 students, this popular online course has an average rating of 4.7 stars.

Dr. Tim “Dr. T” Chamillard, an associate professor of computer science at the University of Colorado, will be teaching you in this online course. Dr. Tim provides lectures in game development and has built and maintained the Game Design and Development program.

Through 28 hours of lectures and hands-on exercises, you will get to know the basics of using C# to build a simple Unity program, leverage the versatility of classes and objects to increase complexity, manage basic Unity 2D elements, add functionality and user input to games, and much more.

You will have flexible deadlines so you don’t need to worry about adhering to rigid deadlines in case you find yourself in a tough spot!

• Beginner level
• 28 hours long
• Taught by associate professor of computer science
• Certificate of completion
• Financial aid available

Visit Coursera.org

5. C# Essential Training: 1 Syntax and Object Oriented Programming (LinkedIn Learning)

Next on my list is a beginner-level online C# course on LinkedIn that is ideal for those who are looking to dive into the basics of C# and gain strong knowledge of object-oriented programming. This popular online course has been taken by more than 45,000 students on the platform.

Your teacher for this online course will be Bruce Van Horn, a full-stack software engineer with 15+ years of professional experience. Bruce is currently working as the lead software developer at Visual Storage Intelligence, where he creates software for cloud-based intelligence tasks.

In this 3 ¼ hours long online C# course, Bruce will start by giving you a brief background of the development of C# before going into topics like how to set up visual studio, work with strings and mathematical operations, use object-oriented features, extend classes, and much more.

If you’re a new user on LinkedIn, you can gain access to this online course for free, and get a certificate of completion at the end! Also: Check out our best free Linkedin Courses HERE!

• Beginner level
• 3 ¼ hours long
• Taught by veteran software developer
• Certificate of completion
• Free access for new LinkedIn users

Activate 1-Month FREE Trial

6. Complete C# Unity Game Developer 2D (Udemy)

For those of you interested in getting into game development using the Unity engine, this beginner-level online C# course on Udemy will teach you everything needed to program 2D games in C#. With an average rating of 4.7 stars, more than 370,000 students have taken this bestselling course.

In this online course, you will be instructed by Ben Tristem, the founder of GameDev.tv, and Rick Davidson, an experienced game developer with 14+ years of professional experience. Between them, they have published 10+ courses on Udemy and taught more than 700,000 students.

Over the course of 35 hours of learning, you will go through a number of sections including the basics of coding in C#, making the basic elements of a game using C# in Unity, constructing the user interface for a game, placing various units, building interactions, and much more.

By the time you’re done with this online course, you’ll have created 4 exciting 2D games that you can share around in your network! For more courses on Unity, check out this article!

• Beginner level
• 35 hours long
• Taught by GameDev.tv Team
• Certificate of completion
• Full lifetime access

Visit Udemy.com

7. C# Development Fundamentals (Pluralsight)

It takes a lot more than one course to truly master C# and explore all of its features and avenues, so check out this 18-course learning path on Pluralsight if you want a one-stop shop of C# resources. You will find beginner, intermediate, and advanced level online C# courses in this collection.

You will be provided with instructors for these online courses by Pluralsight. You can rest assured that you are learning from industry experts because Pluralsight carefully selects professionals who are not only competent but also know how to teach.

With a collection of 18 online courses ranging from ½ hour to 4 ½ hours long in length, you can be sure to find everything needed to become a complete C# developer. You will find topics like basic syntax and variables, using LINQ queries, dates and times in .NET, C# interfaces, and much more.

You will get a certificate of completion at the end of each online C# course in this collection, so get ready to impress potential employers with your learning endeavors!

• Beginner/intermediate/advanced level collection of 18 courses
• ½ hour to 4 ½ hours long courses
• Taught by industry experts picked by Pluralsight
• Certificates of completion
• Free 10-day trial of Pluralsight

Visit Pluralsight.com

8. Programming in C#: A comprehensive approach to C# Fundamentals (Coursera)

Some people learn best when they’re working on a project, so if you’re one of those people, you should checkout this beginner-level online C# guided project on Coursera. Taken by more than 4,000 students, this online guided project has an average rating of 4.5 stars.

Javier Cacao, a subject matter expert in C#, will be teaching you in this online course. Javier is experienced with rapid software development and has been working for Coursera’s Project Network to make such online courses available to learners.

In this 2 hours long online project, Javier will guide you as you build simple programs using C# and learn how to print to the console, work with numeric and character-based data, perform arithmetic operations, take user input, use Boolean logic, implement loops and methods, and much more.

You won’t need to install any kind of software to complete this online course – everything will be done directly in the web browser of your choice!

• Beginner level
• 2 hours long
• Taught by C# subject matter expert
• Certificate of completion
• Financial aid available

Visit Coursera.org

9. Complete C# Masterclass (Udemy)

Next on my list is a beginner-level online C# course on Udemy that is ideal for those who like to dive deep into a topic and come out with an expertise in it. Taken by 42,000+ students, this online course will teach you everything a C# developer needs to know.

Your instructor for this online course will be Denis Panjuta, an engineer who received his degree from the University for Applied Science Konstanz in Germany. Denis has published over 30 online courses on Udemy, teaching more than 172,000 students.

Once you’re done with the 33 ½ hours of on-demand video lessons, you will know all about working with variables, methods, arrays, if statements, and loops in C#. You will also be able to implement classes and objects, leverage the power of inheritance, and much more.

If you’re worried about forgetting concepts with time, don’t worry – with full lifetime access from Udemy, you can come back whenever you like and review anything from the contents!

• Beginner level
• 33 ½ hours long
• Taught by an engineer from Germany
• Certificate of completion
• Full lifetime access

Visit Udemy.com

10. C# Programming for Unity Game Development Specialization (Coursera)

C# is the gateway language to learn for anyone who wants to get into game development using Unity. So if you’re looking to start a career as a game developer, you should consider getting enrolled in this beginner-level online C# specialization on Coursera.

In this series of online courses, you will be instructed by Dr. Tim “Dr. T” Chamillard, an associate professor of computer science at the University of Colorado. Dr. Tim is an expert in game development and has designed a special degree for game development enthusiasts at UoC.

Through 4 online courses that will take about 4 months to complete in total, you will get started with programming using C# by learning basics like variables and methods, before diving into Unity game development by going over data structures and design patterns for games, and much more.

If you’re unable to pay the monthly subscription fee for this specialization, you can apply for financial aid through Coursera and complete all the online courses for free!

• Beginner level specialization consisting of 4 courses
• 4 months long with 8 hours of work per week
• Taught by associate professor of computer science
• Certificate of completion
• Financial aid available

Visit Coursera.org

11. Learn C# (Codecademy)

If you prefer online courses that guide you gradually through all the concepts and flatten the learning curve, then you should checkout this beginner-level online C# course on Codecademy. More than 45 million students from around the world have taken online courses on this platform.

Industry experts hand-selected by Codecademy have developed this online course for you. You can be sure that you will be going through learning material that is accurate and up to date based on the latest developments in C#.

In this 30 hours long online C# course, you will start by making the trademark ‘Hello World’ program before diving into individual C# elements like data types, variables, logic and conditionals, methods, arrays, loops, classes, interfaces, references, and much more.

You’ll be working on some exciting portfolio projects to make you comfortable with coding using C# and building even bigger and better apps!

• Beginner level
• 30 hours long
• Developed by industry experts from Codecademy
• Certificate of completion
• Hands-on projects

Visit Codecademy.com

12. Object-Oriented Programming with C# (LinkedIn Learning)

The final entry on my list is an intermediate-level online C# course on LinkedIn that is perfect for those who are already familiar with the basics of C# but want to dive deeper into object-oriented programming. This popular online course has been taken by over 29,000 students.

Anton Delsink, a full-stack developer and Microsoft Certified Trainer, will be teaching you in this online course. Anton is an expert in C#, having appeared onstage on events like Microsoft TechEd and SharePoint Saturday to share his knowledge.

Through 4 hours of video lessons in this online C# course, you will go through the basics of object-oriented programming in C# by learning about topics like making classes, using StreamReader to process text, using Windows Forms controls, leveraging inheritance, and much more.

You will get the opportunity to work on a hands-on project towards the end of this online course so that you can put your skills to the test!

• Intermediate level
• 4 hours long
• Taught by Microsoft Certified Trainer
• Certificate of completion
• Free access for new LinkedIn users

Activate 1-Month FREE Trial

An honest Synthesis School Review from parents and their ten-year-old.

If Tesla is to cars as SpaceX is to space travel, is the Ad Astra & Synthesis School the future of education?

Educating our children in the digital age presents a sea of opportunities and ongoing enrichment programs. 

It is also an experience still grounded in the traditional classroom and tethered by tax-dollar constraints.

We wanted to share our story in the event it could help curious parents evaluate if their child’s learning experiences and education systems are truly teaching relevant skills.

A Good Problem to Have

We’ve been fortunate to have kids who thrive in the traditional system. Blessed, in fact.

But will the conventional system prepare them for the world that awaits them ten years from now?

My guess is no.

And I can tell you the exact moment it became clear:

The parent-teacher conference.

Driving there, we were curious about the deep insights we will hear about our child’s specific behaviors, interests, strengths, and weaknesses. We couldn’t wait. 

Driving home, we felt the feedback we received could have been copied and pasted for 80% of the kids in the class.

Beyond that, we couldn’t shake the nagging sense the subjects felt like an outdated checklist of nice-to-haves.

Could memorizing state capitals be more important than learning to code?

Our thesis: With Siri a whisper away and supercomputers in our pockets, memorizing facts should take an immediate backseat to developing fundamental problem-solving skills.

Follow Every Direction

But how could they learn to solve real problems when always given both direction and rules?

Flashback to my niece’s first day of soccer. Shin guards on, a little nervous to try something new, and a last-minute pep talk from the car reminded her, “be certain you follow every direction from your coach.”

The coach asked the young group to run down the line and back to warm-up. Unsurprisingly, she was last to finish as she tried to run literally “down the line” like a balance beam.

She was doing exactly what she had been told: follow every direction. 

I was beginning to feel like school days encouraged a lot of carefully following one another to tiptoe down the line.

But She’s Doing Great In School

My daughter might receive high praise for listening well to others, being organized, and owning the completion of her tasks.

And while she is very self-sufficient when it comes to her homework, one night Math triggered tears. She was distraught and declared there was no way a specific problem was fair as her teacher would never assign something that hadn’t yet been taught.

Upon reading the problem and others she had completed, you could recognize that the theme was similar, just flipped on its side. She had no interest in trying to problem solve, she was simply hurt to be asked to do something she didn’t understand.

This was a flag for us.

She had been hailed as an “excellent mathematician” the week before. This experience highlighted that she was excellent at coloring in the lines but inexperienced in flexing the necessary muscles to solve a new problem without a handbook patiently.

What school would we design?

You might not be surprised to learn this, but we’re both engineers.

When faced with a problem, our instinct if take it apart and design something better.

So we turned over our daughter’s report cards and began with a fresh sheet of paper.

What are the essential capabilities for her to develop? And how would she practice those skills?

• Get comfortable being uncomfortable / embrace the chaos
• Have the curiosity to look at complex problems and define your own speed limit
• Practice and refine collaborative problem-solving skills
• Ask questions and listen for thoughtful answers
• Build relationships with those who can help

And if we’re being honest, we’re not contrarian enough to homeschool our kids to make this a reality. Instead, we looked for ways to supplement.

Enter: Synthesis School

This quick video from a parent certainly piqued our interest:

What is the Synthesis School

Synthesis School (you’ll find them at synthesis.com) is an online school that started as a full-time program for the children of parents who worked at SpaceX. It was born of – surprise, surprise – a disappointing parent-teacher conference for Elon Musk.

When Elon left a meeting with his child’s teacher, he was inspired to re-think the concept of a school from first principles. Why did we continue to teach kids the same as we did 100 years ago? Especially given success in the world looks much different today?

He asked Josh Dahn to create that school with two principles in mind:

1. Cohort children based on their ability, not their age.
2. Don’t teach the tool. Teach the problem.

He rationed that learning how to use tools for the sake of learning them can be boring until you see how tools can help to solve problems. He felt that the current grade-level model was not the right fit and that students have different skills and interests that vary over time. 

He noticed that his children didn’t need any nudging to play video games, so why not gamify education?

With these guiding principles, Josh Dahn went on to create Elon Musk’s Ad Astra school (in Latin, “to the stars”) a lab school for Musk’s children and SpaceX employees.

In Dahn’s own words, “The goal was to develop students who are enthralled by complexity and solving for the unknown. Synthesis is the most innovative learning experience from that school. It is designed to cultivate student voice, strategic thinking, and collaborative problem-solving.”

Enter Chrisman Frank, engineer #1 at ClassDojo, a K-12 network that reaches ~30 million teachers and students. He visited Ad Astra for the day and was astonished by the energy and excitement flowing from the classroom during the “Synthesis” course. Instead of lectures, students were whole-heartedly engaged in Astra Nova game simulations. 

Frank felt compelled to bring this opportunity to students around the world and is now the co-founder and CEO of the edtech startup Synthesis School.

How does it work?

Sometimes it’s easier to show than tell.

There are another half dozen games and simulations that kids play weekly with a consistent group of peers. They can also opt into an increasingly diverse set of programs with other kids worldwide.

For our family, the weekly consistency combined with opt-in flexibility works for our 10-year-old.

You can always learn more about their approach on their website too. It’s worth checking since the offering is rapidly changing as they learn more about what works.

Bracing Yourself to Embrace the Chaos

I know we struggled with this.

As parents, we can’t aspire for our kids to get comfortable with failing and constantly prevent mistakes. We can’t ask them to make sense of ambiguity and then ask for every detail to be settled in advance.

So like us, you’ll probably have questions like:

Who are the Teachers?

Synthesis School is quick to point out a razor-sharp focus on their teachers. Only 4-6% of those who apply to teach are accepted. 

Our daughter would be quick to point out that she thinks of the “teacher” as more of a facilitator for her cohort. More questions than instructions.

What’s Application Process?

We had first heard about Synthesis on Pomp’s podcast.

Intrigued, we began to dig a little more and actively followed the school’s chief learning evangelist, ana Lorena Fabrega (aka Ms. Fab):

We mentioned the idea to both daughters and shared the video of students playing the Constellations. Their reaction was one of slight intrigue, but it sounded like “more school.”

As parents, we were intrigued. 

“Apply to Synthesis” remained on the whiteboard for several weeks.

As we were making dinner, we put on the office hours webinar. Our youngest was in the kitchen with us, and after listening for a bit, she raised her hand and hopped off her seat at dinner to complete her application.

In the spirit of student-led learning, we didn’t peer over her shoulder or suggest re-recording her interview. It was one honest, enthusiastic take.

And I wish we had recorded her reaction when we told her she was admitted the following day. It was an authentic “I made it!”

We’ve heard from a few friends that there is a waitlist now, so might be worth getting your name in sooner than later.

What if my kid hates it?

First, I’ll admit things started a bit slowly for our daughter. The game was new. The people were unknown. The rules weren’t unclear; they didn’t exist.

So if we asked her how she liked it, it was closer to a “meh” than a “hell yeah.”

But we were determined to see if she could get more comfortable with all that newness. After all, wasn’t that the point.

Ultimately she did. And especially for a couple of other games, she “holy moly loved it.”

But Synthesis School also makes it easy on us. If we wanted to bow out after a month because it wasn’t what we expected, their refund policy is to simply ask. That’s it.

Our Daughter’s Experience 3 Months In

To set expectations, we didn’t expect raving reviews every session. Our expectation, knowing our daughter, is that she’d straddle curiosity and discomfort.

But that she’d want to show up and actively participate week in and week out. And hopefully, build into some optional sessions.

We also tried to set her up for success: we have good internet speed (some kids don’t and it’s frustrating for everyone), a good laptop, and a quiet place to play. And we give her a gentle reminder to expect the tsunami of chaos and “ride the wave”.

Thus far, I’d say we’re meeting that expectation. She loved the introduction of the Constellation 3D game.

In fact, here’s her take:

What’s the best part of Synthesis School?

The best part is the challenges.

A challenge can be to reach a certain number of points or to reach a certain area of a map. You get to do challenges with your cohort, and there’s one for each game.

Everyone has so much fun with the challenges, and it brings us closer together as a team.

What’s one thing you’d change?

I would add cohort vs cohort challenges. If we could meet at a random time during the week to do games or a challenge with other cohorts, that would make it awesome!

What are the kids in your cohort like?

The kids in my cohort are very nice, they are very focused, and they are competitive. The kids from my cohort are not just from the U.S, they are from all over the globe!

It’s fun to be with my cohort during the week because you get used to them over the weeks.

My only problem is the fact that I am one of the oldest in my cohort. I am with all the younger kids.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give new students?

I would say just try your best. Even if you are not very good at a game yet, or you are confused about how the game works, give it some practice, and you will get better!

Are you Ready to Try Synthesis School?

By sharing our experience, we hope that you can decide if introducing a little chaos is just what your little learner needs. And if it’s not gamified online problem solving, perhaps you prefer to supplement with advanced math?

We’ll circle back and provide updates periodically as our daughter grows and Synthesis School evolves with her.

If you have any feedback, let us know in the comments. And if you decide to make the leap, we’d love to hear about your experience.

Voiceover and narration can be used for anything from training videos to commercials to animated features as it’s a form of acting and reading and can be learned by anyone. So, if you’re keen to learn this valuable skill yourself, you’ve come to the right place!

I have found some of the best free online voice-over courses and classes available online to help you break into a voiceover career for profit or use it for your own videos or animations as you improve your acting skills.

Many of these online courses include valuable extras such as material to download, exams, course textbooks, CE credits, or a certificate of completion. Let’s jump right in!

Top 10 Best Free Online Voice Over Classes

1. Voice over Masterclass – The Official DIY Guide to Voice Acting (Skillshare)

First up on my list is a great online course to teach you all of the skills you need for success in voice-over acting, from how to nail the read, how to record, and how to market yourself and your work!

You will be taught in this online voice-over course by Donald Fittsgill, owner of the company Podcast Doc which assists aspiring podcasters to find their voice and present it properly so you are in great hands with his expertise!

Across 45 minutes of beginner-level on-demand video, the course modules include conversational reading, upbeat reads, narration, setting up a recording room or home studio, hardware essentials, recording and editing, creating audiobooks, creating voice-over demos for the online market or documentaries, and finding a unique edge. Also included are downloadable resources, class projects, and class discussions.

This class is hosted on Skillshare, an online continuing education platform giving new users a free trial to test out a whole range of courses offered on the platform! All in all, this is a great short and sweet online voice-over course to get you started in the world of voiceovers and home recording!

• Beginner level for those looking to find their new voice!
• ¾ hour on-demand video
• Taught by voice-over actor
• Downloadable resources
• Class projects
• Class discussions

Activate FREE Skillshare Trial

2. Introduction to the Voice Over industry from a voice America recognizes (Skillshare)

Learn from a nationally recognized voice actor in this beginner-level course offering plenty of insightful tips and tricks from an industry expert!

Nationally acclaimed voice-over personality, Mike Elmore, will be your instructor for this online course. Mike is a coach for acting and narration for many popular TV shows and also a producer of several successful shows.

Spanning 2 hours of self-paced on-demand video instruction, course modules include an introduction to voice-over, freelance options, improv, and a critique of student projects. Included in the course are downloadable resources, class projects, and class discussions for students to access to boost their learning.

SkillShare is the host for this online course and new users can take advantage of a free trial to enroll in the thousands of other courses like this one across diverse fields. This online voice-over course provides an excellent opportunity for you to build up your voice-acting abilities!

• Beginner level… no need for a recording studio!
• 2 hours of on-demand video
• Taught by TV voice-over producer
• Downloadable resources
• Class projects
• Class discussion

Activate FREE Skillshare Trial

3. Voice-Over for Video and Animation (LinkedIn Learning)

Whether you’re a director or an actor, you’ll need to learn what is expected for quality voiceovers and how to improve your own readings. This all-levels online course will teach you all this and more!

In this online voice-over course, you will be taught by producer, director, and voice actor, Mark Simon, who is also president of Animatics & Storyboards, Inc whose work you would have seen if you’re a fan of Woody Woodpecker, Dynasty, and The Walking Dead.

By enrolling in this online class lasting 90 minutes, students will be guided through class topics covering preparation for a voice-over session, finding clients, making demo reels, and how to deliver files. This course also includes downloadable resources, class discussions, and a certificate of completion.

This course is hosted by LinkedIn Learning and includes valuable extras such as downloadable resources, CE credits, and a certificate of completion, as well as a free trial for new LinkedIn members. Hone your voice-over skills by enrolling in this online course!

• All levels
• 1 ½ hours on-demand video
• Taught by voice over director
• Downloadable resources
• Class projects
• Certificate of completion

Activate 1-Month FREE Trial

4. Be a Voice Actor: Making a Living with Your Voice (Udemy)

If you’re keen to take your first steps into the industry of professional voice over acting, look no further than this beginner-level online course which discusses how to record voice over and how to market yourself successfully!

Cartoon voice actor Laci Morgan is your instructor for this class, and has also made voice ads and created characters for video games from companies such as Mattel, Nintendo, Hasbro, and Sephora, so you know you’re being taught by an expert!

Comprising 2 ½ hours of on-demand video content, the course modules cover finding a voice, setting up a studio, audio editing, making a demo, marketing, and finding work. This class also includes downloadable resources and a certificate of completion.

Udemy is the online education platform hosting this course, a leading source of continuing education in many different fields, offering extras such as lifetime access and CE credits. You won’t want to miss this fantastic voice over course to take your skills to the next level!

• Beginner level
• 2 ½ hours on demand video
• Taught by cartoon and video game voice over actor
• Downloadable resources
• Class projects
• Certificate of completion

Visit Udemy.com

5. Intro to Voice Overs 101 – A complete newbie’s guide to voice narration using Librivox and Audacity (Skillshare)

Teaching the difference between voice over and voice acting, this great online class will instruct you in the editing app Audacity and the project site Librivox to teach you to make demos that will launch your new career!

Your instructor for this quick 30-minute online class featuring on-demand video will be Erin Lillis, a voice actor, creative consultant, and commercial animator. Erin has worked on projects as diverse as Rogue One – A Star Wars Story and Disney’s Moana.

Students of this online voice over course are taken through course modules including voice overs, voice acting, eliminating unwanted mouth noises, choosing a microphone, and prepping scripts. Extras include downloadable resources, class projects, and class discussion.

SkillShare hosts the course and provides extras such as downloadable materials and class projects to work on, plus you get a free trial if you’re new to SkillShare. All in all, this is a great short and snappy course that enables you to get to work as a voice over artist!

• Beginner level
• ½ hour on demand video
• Taught by voice over expert
• Downloadable resources
• Class projects
• Class discussion

Activate FREE Skillshare Trial

6. Vocal Lessons: 3 Expanding Your Range (LinkedIn Learning)

If you’re interested in expanding your vocal range for any kind of voice work, these singing lessons and vocal training methods will teach you just that!

As for your instructors, you will be led by Jeannie Deva, who has coached and trained Grammy winning singers, Broadway actors, and top recording artists across different genres of music and she brings her wealth of experience to this online voice over course.

This online voice over course spans 3 hours of on-demand video covering the 12 stages of developing as a singer, head voice vs chest voice, eliminating register breaks, and improving range and precision.

LinkedIn Learning hosts this course and provides lifetime access across multiple devices, downloadable resources, Continuing Education credits, a certificate of completion. You also get a free trial if you’re a new LinkedIn member! To take your voice over skills to new heights, this is a great course to enroll in!

• Beginner level
• 3 hours on demand video
• Taught by professional singing coach
• Lifetime access
• Class projects
• Certificate of completion

Activate 1-Month FREE Trial

7. VOICE OVER ACTING -Instruction in Commercials Animation & more (Udemy)

If you are being complimented on your great voice but wonder how to turn it into paid gigs or a full-time career, this online course will help you achieve those goals!

Voice coach and voice actor Michael Christopher is your expert teacher for this online course. Michael has done voice work for Warner Brothers, Universal Studios, and NASCAR.

Across 4 ½ hours of on demand video suitable for all levels, modules include the 4 C’s of voice overs, breathing exercises, essential techniques, and a bonus singing course. There are also valuable extras such as downloadable resources, articles and class projects.

Udemy online courses have lifetime access across multiple devices. Many of the courses include Continuing Education credit and a certificate of completion. All in all, this is an excellent course to take to hone your voice over abilities!

• All levels
• 4 ½ jours on demand video
• Taught by professional voice actor
• Lifetime access
• Downloadable resources
• Certificate of completion

Visit Udemy.com

8. Setup for Video Interview and Voice Over (CreativeLive)

Part of a series of comprehensive courses for story telling, this online course covers a lot of material useful for making great video which includes recording accurate audio, so you can hone your voice over skills!

Corey Rich will be leading you in this online voice over course, bringing his many years of experience in filming video and commercials for major companies including Fortune 100 companies.

Students who enroll in this course get the benefit of 15 hours on on-demand video lessons covering topics such as DSLR filmmaking, creative briefs, storyboarding, basic gear, video interviews, and voice over.

CreativeLive classes include lifetime access via streaming or downloading, bonus content, class projects, and a certificate of completion. Overall, this highly comprehensive online voice over course is not to be missed no matter what level you’re currently at!

• All levels
• 15 hours on demand video
• Taught by professional video maker
• Bonus materials
• Lifetime access
• Certificate of completion

Visit CreativeLive.com

9. Voice-Over Training: Record And Edit Voice Overs Like A Pro (Udemy)

If you’re finding that working from home presents challenges for voice over work, you can learn how to overcome these with good planning and proper techniques that are taught in this beginner level course!

Your instructors for this online voice over course are from Voiceover Masterclass, including former BBC news announcer Peter Baker. Peter is a popular tutor, having taught over 50,000 students across various courses.

In this course comprising 6 ⅓ hours of on-demand video lessons, class topics cover equipment choices, voice training, voice styles, audio editing, and marketing. Students also have access to downloadable resources, class projects, and class discussions.

Udemy is the online education platform offering this course, giving users lifetime access, extra materials, and a certificate of completion. Launch your voice acting career with the valuable skills you’ll learn in this online voice over course!

• Beginner level
• 6 ½ hours on demand video
• Taught by professional voice over performer
• Downloadable resources
• Lifetime access
• Certificate of completion

Visit Udemy.com

10. Voice Training – 30-Days to a More Confident Powerful Voice (Udemy)

Develop a better voice and market yourself as a voice over artist and vocal actor by practicing the methods taught in this great beginner-level voice over course!

As with the previous course on this list, you will be taught by professional instructors from Voiceover Masterclass, including former BBC news announcer Peter Baker so you’re receiving plenty of expert guidance!

Throughout the 5 hours of on-demand video instruction in this course, students are engaged in 30 different lessons on various topics, plus bonus content.

You can find this course on Udemy, which offers you extras such as downloadable resources, class projects, a certificate of completion, lifetime access and Continuing Education credit. Take the opportunity to get started with voiceovers by enrolling in this great course!

• Beginner level
• 5 hours on demand video
• Taught by professional voice workers
• Downloadable resources
• Lifetime access
• Certificate of completion

Visit Udemy.com

Taking up amazing winter hobbies in the winter months can add some spark to colder days! Finding a fun indoor hobby to explore with a loved one can immediately change your outlook on the winter season. We love the classic t outdoor hobbies such as bundling up to build an igloo, a trip to the rink to ice skate or finally taking a snowboarding lesson.

But, if you are craving something different, we suggest a range of ideas for winter activities that make the most of spending time inside. 

Many of these are great hobbies that don’t require a lot of money to get started and allow you to get the creative juices flowing with some DIY projects.

Lets make the most of your free time. Below is our guide to 25 popular hobbies and  creative outlets:

Creative Winter Hobbies

Knitting

As the first of our creative winter hobbies, Knitting is the ultimate winter past-time. Cozy-up on your lounge and knit a scarf as it rains or snows outside. And this certainly pairs well with netflix and hot chocolate.

You can knit lots of different things, like clothing, art, homewares. Generally, people start with a basic pattern like a scarf, blanket, or socks. 

Take an online knitting class to learn the basic technique and grab some needles and yarn and you’ll be ready to start your knitting hobby. 

Crochet

Similar to knitting, crochet uses yarn and thread, with special hooks a little different from the needles used in knitting.

You can make clothing, art, and homewares and decorate your house or give your creations away as gifts. Once you’ve been crocheting for a while, you might even make a side-income from it from markets or selling online. 

To learn how to crochet, there are lots of tutorials online and articles to read. This blog post gives a good explanation of how to crochet.

Cross-stitch

As a form of embroidery, cross-stitching is the art of decorating fabrics with needle and thread. You can add extras like beads and sequins to your creations as well. 

Many people start cross-stitch as a guided-embroidery technique where they can follow a set pattern and relax as they stitch, It’s a super comforting winter-day hobby. 

Buy a cross-stitch package that contains all the tools you need and some beginner patterns to get started. You can choose from packages like these.

Baking

Make desserts and snacks from the comfort of your own home. The beauty of baking is that you have all these yummy creations to enjoy at the end! Baking for loved ones is always a great idea. 

You’ll need an oven and some basic baking tools in your kitchen, and then simply follow a recipe to make your first creation. There’s a good range of baking recipes on this site.

Try your hand at a dessert or snack that you love to eat, and then set yourself a goal of making a new recipe every weekend or in the evenings throughout the week to master this skill. After a quick trip to the grocery store, you can dive into this rewarding and fun hobby. Need some help? Check out our piece on the BEST baking classes online!

Cooking

This new skill will always come in handy, not only cooking for yourself but preparing meals for family and friends. 

If you’ve not cooked much, start with simple vegetable stir-fries and bakes, and then progress to pasta and oven-bakes. Try a few sheet pan dinners. 

Learning to love your time in the kitchen is huge for your mental health, and your physical health as you include more homemade meals in your week.

There are a lot of cooking resources online. This site has a huge range of recipes that are suitable for all levels. Invite a friend over for dinner and plan your menu. 

Scrapbooking

Creative winter hobbies are best when you have something to show and look back on, like a memory album that you have crafted. Not to mention, it is a perfect way to save money when gift-giving.

That’s what a scrapbook is – using paper crafts and photos to turn memories into works of art. You can do it your own way – there are no set ‘rules’ to scrapbook.

Let your imagination run wild and learn about all the different tools you can use in this helpful scrapbooking blog. 

Creative Writing

There are many ways to write creatively. You can create short stories, spoken word, poetry, and even write music lyrics. When you improve your writing, it can be an entirely new language!

If you love expressing yourself and putting pen to paper, you’ve likely already written stories and poetry in your time. 

Start small. Make it a hobby by committing to 10 minutes a day of writing, and see how much you enjoy it. Perhaps treat yourself to buying a new writing journal. You can also enter online competitions to motivate you to complete your creations.

Paper Quilling

The beautiful paper spiraled artworks you’ve seen on cards and framed pictures is a technique called paper quilling. 

You can make things like bookmarks, cards, ornaments, and gifts for friends and family. You only need the quilling tools (easy to find at a. Local art store) and some paper to start. 

Paper quilling is a relaxing and mindful creative hobby. Once you get your materials, take an online paper quilling class to get started. 

Origami

Origami is the art of paper-folding. It’s about creating amazing designs, objects, cards, and geometric shapes from one or many pieces of paper, often small squares. 

To start an origami hobby, you can begin with very simple designs. It’s easy to find instructions online to get the hand of measuring and folding with your hands in a detailed way. 

Eventually, you’ll develop the skills to go a little further with it and try complex designs with multiple pieces of paper. Check out this site for tons of origami inspiration, or this link to Amazon for a great starter set!

Sketching

Sketching is a drawing technique that is often based on capturing real-life imagery and moments with a pencil, charcoal, or pen. 

You don’t have to sketch realistic images if you choose not to – there’s also artistic, abstract skating to explore as well.

For some inspiration on the types of sketching you can do, check out this gallery of amazing sketches. 

Painting

Painting is a great way to express yourself. There’s nothing like painting indoors on a cold winter’s day and bringing some color to your day.

Painting, like sketching, can be realistic or abstract, with many different forms of abstract painting free for you to explore. 

You can start with acrylic paints as they’re easier to use than watercolor and oil-based paints. Also, consider a short painting course online to learn more about basic techniques.  

Tea Making

If you love sipping warm tea in the cold weather, you might love to learn how to make your own herbal tea blends.

It’s quite easy – all you need is to find herbs that you like that blend well together for their taste and their purpose, and then mix them in a jar and drink your tea!

You can give the tea a gift as well, which is a bonus. To learn more about blending herbs together, read this blog on tea making. 

Candle Making

Making your own candles is a super satisfying hobby. You can make them any size you like, add decorations, and different scents with essential oils.

There’s plenty of information online for candle making, and you may even find a candle-making beginners pack in your local art store. 

Start by reading up on the different techniques you can use to make candles to choose which one feels most doable for you. This blog helps with that.

Active Winter Hobbies

Strength Training

Just because it’s cold and dreary outside doesn’t mean you can’t work-out and build your strength and fitness.

Whether you’re stuck at home or go to an indoor local gym, you can start a strength-training hobby by lifting weights. 

If you are starting from home, follow online strength training workouts on YouTube. This channel has some great content.

Pilates

Creating a strong core is essential for supporting the health of your body, especially your back. Pilates not only gets you toned and strong but also gives you great posture.

It’s not as easy as it looks (if you’re someone who thinks pilates might not be a strong workout). Start with beginner classes and progress from there.

Online pilates videos are easy to find, and many local gyms will have pilates classes, or your city might have a dedicated pilates studio. 

Dancing

Though you likely already know how to dance socially and on your own to great music, taking up dancing as a hobby is a level up.

It’s about learning specific techniques of dance styles and sometimes learning fun routines. You’ll boost your memory and your fitness by taking dance classes.

Dancing is one of the fun winter hobbies to do at a local studio and meet new people, or in the comfort of your own home. Explore the many styles of dance and online classes available on this popular virtual dance platform. 

Yoga

Starting a yoga practice is a spiritual hobby that also has many physical benefits. You’ll get stronger, more flexible, soothe your nervous system, and clear your mind. 

Many people start yoga to combat stress and to get healthier without having to do high-impact exercise. We have a list of the best 12 online classes as well!

You can begin by reading about the different yoga styles so you have some knowledge of the different styles you’ll find when you go to do a class in-studio or online. 

Gymnastics

You can start gymnastics at any age, and it’s amazing to get more fit, strong, and flexible. 

Start at home, if the weather is keeping you indoors, by taking online classes. If you can venture out, join a local gymnasium for beginner classes.

Gymnastics is suited to the type of person who loves to be challenged and who isn’t afraid of falling over – because this will totally happen at the start!

Technology-Based Winter Hobbies

Graphic Design

If you love being creative and have a good understanding of technology, you can learn graphic design and art.

It’s simple to begin when you take an expert-led beginners course, like this one on Udemy.

You will need to download the right applications – like Adobe Illustrator – which will come at a small fee, and then you can get going right away!

Photography

Starting this hobby has never been so easy when you can take your images on a smartphone. There’s no need to buy expensive camera equipment.

Focus on things that you find interesting and beautiful – nature, people, objects, etc. Play around with how the photos can be edited as well with some editing software.

To understand the techniques of lighting and composition, it’s a good idea to take a short photography course. 

Gaming

Gaming is another fun one on our list of winter hobbies that any tech-loving person can start. If you like problem-solving and being challenged, then there’s a game for you.

You don’t have to only choose super action-packed games, you can also choose online board games and relaxing puzzles as well. 

Online gaming is one of those winter hobbies where you can really lose track of time and spend the whole day playing.

Watch Documentaries

This hobby is great for rainy and snowing days, where you can cuddle up and watch a documentary about something you’re interested in.

There are always new documentaries released about nature, politics, history, human development, and more. Choose your topic and you’ll find plenty of options. 

To make it a full-on hobby, create a list of documentaries you want to watch, or have a regular meet-up with friends and watch them together. Here’s a list of popular documentaries.

Listening to Podcasts

If you want to relax and learn about something interesting or valuable to your personal or professional development, get on the podcast train!

All you need is to download the podcasts for free with a wi-fi connection, and you can sit back, relax, and enjoy your podcasting-listening hobby. 

Make it fun by committing to a certain number of podcast episodes a week – like 5 – and see how much you can learn! Here’s a list of top-ranked podcasts on iTunes. 

Start a YouTube Channel

Do you have something to share with the world? Any expertise you love to talk about? Or perhaps you’re an entrepreneur and want to expand your audience. 

Creating a YouTube Channel is a great way to market yourself, or share your insights with the world. If you have a camera, you can record on your phone, camera, or use your laptop. 

Learn about editing techniques and how to get found on YouTube search through reading this helpful article on how to succeed as a new YouTuber. 

Create an Online Reading Club

Book clubs have been around for a long time. Now that so much of the world has gone online, so too has this concept. 

A reading club is where a group of people get together, read the same book, and then meet up to talk about the story, answer questions, and share their opinion. 

It’s a way to make new friends in the comfort of your own home, and it also doubles as a reading hobby as well!

Artificial Intelligence and machine learning is revolutionizing various industries and disciplines all over the world, changing our lives for the better.

From healthcare to finance, AI is becoming more and more relevant to all walks of life. If you’re looking for resources to launch a career in this thriving field or just learn more about it, you’ve come to the right place!

In this article, I have gathered the best online AI courses in 2024 that will not only give you a good understanding of what AI is all about but will also teach you how to build your own AI systems through technologies like artificial, convolutional, and recurrent neural networks, robotics, and much more.

You will get the opportunity to build your own machine learning and AI models that match human-level performance via big data in a lot of tasks. If you want the best artificial intelligence and AI courses, we have your back!

Top 16 Best Online AI Courses & Certifications

1. Demystifying Artificial Intelligence: Understanding Machine Learning (Skillshare)

First on my list is a beginner-level online AI course on Skillshare that is a perfect intro for everyone who wants to better understand what AI is in an awesome introduction to artificial intelligence. You will also be joining 60,000 other students who have already completed this training!

Your instructor for this artificial intelligence course will be Christian Heilmann, an experienced developer at Microsoft who has more than 20 years of professional experience. Christian currently serves as a senior program manager and focuses on AI and fundamental machine learning courses.

In this 1 hour-long class, you will gain an intuitive understanding of what AI is and how it came to be. You will go through topics like how training takes place, how training programs are helping humans, what tools are used, what audio/video applications are developed, and much more.

After taking this online AI course, you’ll be able to have an intelligent conversation about AI confidently with anyone who brings up the subject! Also, don’t forget to take advantage of the 2-week free trial!

• Beginner level (no prerequisites required)
• 1 hour long
• Taught by senior program manager at Microsoft
• Free 2-month trial of Skillshare Premium

Activate FREE Skillshare Trial

2. AI For Everyone (Coursera)

Every company needs to have an AI strategy and so needs to have employees who know how AI projects are set up. If you’re looking to bring this knowledge to your company, get enrolled in this online AI course on Coursera that has been taken by more than 500,000 students.

In this online course, you will be taught by Andrew Ng, the co-founder of Coursera and the founder of deeplearning.ai. Andrew is an adjunct professor at Stanford and has worked in the Google Brain team as well as at Baidu as a chief scientist.

Through 6 hours of video lectures, Andrew will demystify AI for you, showing you what terms like ‘neural networks, programming languages, deep learning, natural language processing, and data science’ mean. He will show you the powers and limitations of AI, how to spot opportunities for your company, and much more.

Don’t worry if you’re not good at programming or are not technically sound – this beginner-level online AI course is designed for everyone, and will allow you to use the information in practical applications.

• Beginner level (great for new learners!)
• 6 hours long
• Taught by the founder of deeplearning.ai
• Certificate of completion
• Financial aid available

3. Artificial Intelligence – AI (edX)

If you’re interested in getting hands-on with AI and getting a broad overview of the entire field, this advanced-level online AI course on edX is the right choice for you. Taken by more than 250,000 students, this online AI course will give you a thorough training on various AI practices.

As for your instructor, Ansaf Salleb-Aouissi will be teaching you in this online course. Ansaf is a lecturer in the computer science department of Columbia University who has a Ph.D. in computer science and specializes in machine learning and deep learning models.

Over a course of 12 weeks (with 8-10 hours of weekly effort), you will take a broad tour de force through the field of AI, learning topics like the history of AI, intelligent agents and heuristic search, adversarial games, machine learning algorithms, applications of AI like NLP, and much more.

You can access the contents of this online AI course for free, but you can also get a verified certificate of completion if you’re willing to pay a one-time fee of $249!

• Advanced level
• 12 weeks long with 8-10 hours of study per week
• Taught by computer science lecturer from Columbia University
• Free access to course contents
• Certificate of completion

Visit edX.org

4. Advanced AI: Deep Reinforcement Learning in Python (Udemy)

Reinforcement learning is one of the frontiers of AI with intense research going on. If you’re an experienced AI practitioner looking to break into this exciting branch, get enrolled in this advanced level online python programming course on Udemy that has been taken by more than 32,000 students.

You will be taught in this online course by Lazy Programmer Inc., an AI and machine learning engineer who specializes in deep learning and has a master’s degree in computer science. He has taught more than 400,000 students through his 25+ online courses on Udemy.

In this 10 ½ hour-long online course, you will learn to apply reinforcement learning algorithms in a practical fashion via tutorials and by going over topics like building deep learning agents like DQN and A3C, making RBF networks, using policy gradient methods, doing hands-on exercises, and much more.

You will receive a certificate of completion at the end of this online AI course which you can showcase to your network and let them know about your newly acquired knowledge!

• Advanced level
• 10 ½ hours long
• Taught by AI and machine learning engineer
• Certificate of completion
• Full lifetime access

Visit Udemy.com

5. Machine Learning (Coursera)

Next on my list is a widely popular online AI course on Coursera that has been taken by more than 3.5 million people from around the world. This intermediate-level online course will give you a full introduction to the world of machine learning and automation, including all the latest technologies.

Andrew Ng, adjunct professor of machine learning and AI at Stanford University, will be teaching you in this online course. Andrew has worked as part of the team that developed Google Brain and has taught more than 4.5 million students from around the world through Coursera and comprehensive certification programs.

Through a massive 60 hours of video lessons and hands-on work, you will learn everything about the workflow of machine learning by going through topics like supervised and unsupervised learning, best AI practices used in silicon valley, and the latest applications like NLP, and computer vision, and much more.

If you can’t afford the full fees for this online course, you can apply for financial aid through Coursera and get access to this online AI course for free!

• Intermediate level
• 60 hours long
• Taught by chief scientist at Baidu and adjunct professor at Stanford
• Certificate of completion
• Financial aid available

6. Artificial Intelligence Tools and Concepts (LinkedIn Learning)

AI has revolutionized a number of fields but it can be difficult to identify the right solution for your problem without having the right knowledge. So if you’re looking to learn how to better select AI solutions for your business needs, take this intermediate-level online AI course on LinkedIn.

Your teacher for this online course will be Doug Rose, the founder of Doug Enterprises LLC who has a master’s degree in information management. Doug provides coaching services to Fortune 500 companies, helping them leverage data sets and AI to best tackle problems in a variety of ways.

In this 1 ½-hour-long online AI course, you will learn how AI can provide smart and effective solutions for automating customer service, managing logistics and inventory, and making better sales and demand predictions. You will also cover major AI platforms like hour TensorFlow, and much more.

If you’re a new or premium user on LinkedIn, you can take this online course for free and get a certificate of completion at the end!

• Intermediate level
• 1 ½ hour long
• Taught by an experienced Fortune 500 coach
• Certificate of completion
• Free access for new/premium LinkedIn users

Activate 1-Month FREE Trial

7. Artificial Intelligence A-Z: Learn How To Build An AI (Udemy)

If you’re a complete beginner with little knowledge of programming and want to break into AI, this beginner-level online AI course on Udemy is the best choice for you. Taken by more than 144,000 students, this bestselling online course will quickly get you building your own AI applications.

In this online course, you will be instructed by Hadelin de Ponteves, Kirill Eremenko, and Luka Anicin. The trio is experienced AI engineers and entrepreneurs who have published a large number of online courses on Udemy, teaching more than 1 million students.

Through 16 ½ hours of on-demand video lessons, you will dive into the field of AI by going over topics like decision-making, making virtual self-driving cars, building solutions for real-world problems, deep convolutional q-learning, and convolutional neural networks, making AI that can beat games, and much more.

With full lifetime access, you can go through any part of this online course whenever you feel that your concepts are getting rusty – even if you’re 80!

• Beginner level
• 16 ½ hours long
• Taught by trio of experienced AI engineers
• Certificate of completion
• Full lifetime access

Visit Udemy.com

8. Digital Skills: Artificial Intelligence (FutureLearn)

For those of you who are worried about the impact of AI on workplaces and how it will change the way you work, this beginner-level online AI course on FutureLearn is a perfect choice. Taken by over 63,000 students, this online course will help you prepare for an AI-driven future of work.

Instructors for this online course will be provided to you by Accenture, an online digital skills e-learning company that helps people start a business or get a job. Accenture carefully selects professionals who have relevant real-world experience to develop its online courses.

Over a course of 3 weeks in this online AI course, you will explore the history of AI and understand how it is already becoming part of workplaces and changing how people work. You will learn about upcoming trends, the skills needed to work with AI, and much more.

You can take this online AI course for free on FutureLearn, and get a free digital upgrade by Accenture to get tests that check your knowledge and a certificate of completion!

• Beginner level
• 3 weeks long with 2 hours of study per week
• Taught by instructors from Accenture
• Free access
• Certificate of completion

Visit FutureLearn.com

9. Professional Certificate in Applied AI (edX)

Next on my list is a comprehensive 6-course online AI program on edX that has been developed by IBM. This intermediate-level online professional certificate will make you capable of building your own AI solutions using IBM’s AI services without having a solid background in programming.

Your instructors for this online course will be a team of elite-level data scientists and machine learning engineers from IBM, ranging from computer science Ph.D.’s to experienced software engineers.

Through 9 months of intense learning with 4-9 hours of effort per week, you will gain solid foundational knowledge of AI and will learn how to build various applications like domain-specific chatbots, image classifiers, speech-enabled virtual assistants, and much more.

This is an ideal program for anyone who is serious about switching over to a career in AI and making it big in this exciting field!

• An intermediate-level program consisting of 6 courses
• 9 months long with 4-9 hours of effort needed per week
• Taught by experts from IBM
• Certificate of completion
• Self-paced learning

10. Artificial Intelligence: The Big Picture of AI (Pluralsight)

If you’re looking for an online course that will give you a primer on how AI is changing our lives and how to prepare for the future, take this beginner-level online AI course on Pluralsight. The introductory online course has received a rating of 5 stars from 134 students who took it.

In this online course, you will be taught by Matthew Renze, a data science course industry expert with more than 17 years of professional experience. Matthew has been consulting for tech startups and Fortune 500 companies, helping them implement AI solutions.

In this 1 ¼ hours long online AI course, you will first go through the history of AI before learning about the state-of-the-art of AI, going over topics like deep learning, reinforcement learning, how to train, build, and deploy AI tools, what is the future of AI, and much more.

Start a free 10-day trial of Pluralsight and use this time to complete this online course along with hundreds of others of your choice!

• Beginner level
• 1 ¼ hours long
• Taught by data science expert
• Free 10-day trial of Pluralsight
• Certificate of completion

11. Professional Certificate in Foundations of AI (edX)

Developed by AI engineers from IBM, this online AI professional certificate consisting of 3 skill-building online courses is perfect for anyone who wants to start a career in this field with strong foundations. These beginner-level online courses are perfect for people with no coding experience.

As for your instructors, Rav Ahuja and Antonio Cangiano will be teaching you in this online course. Rav is the AI and data science program director and Antonio is an experienced software developer at IBM.

Over a course of 4 months (with 3-6 hours of weekly effort), you will master the basics of AI by understanding its applications and key concepts, learn about IBM’s Watson API and all its use cases, how to build a chatbot without coding a single line, and much more.

Because these online courses are self-paced, you will have no pressure to adhere to stringent deadlines – you can complete everything at your own pace!

• Beginner level professional certificate consisting of 3 courses
• 4 months long with 3-6 hours of weekly effort
• Taught by AI and data science experts from IBM
• Certificate of completion
• Self-paced learning

12. Artificial Intelligence: Strategies for Leading Business Transformation (Kellogg Executive Education)

Nowadays, it is necessary for business leaders tasked with charting the future paths of their companies to know how AI should be integrated into their workplace and central business. So if you’re one such leader, get enrolled in this premium and beginner-level online AI course.

Mohanbir Sawhney, the associate dean for digital innovation at the Kellogg Executive Education center, will be teaching you in this online AI course. Professor Sawhney is the McCormick Foundation chair of technology and a renowned scholar and speaker.

In this 2 months long online learning course, you will learn about the 50+ use cases of AI describing how it has created value for companies in multiple sectors, how key industries are integrating it into their business models, use proprietary AI frameworks, study real-world examples, and much more.

By the end of this online AI course, you will have the skills and tools needed to drive real change through AI adoption in your organization!

• Beginner level
• 2 months long with 4-6 hours of weekly studying
• Taught by renowned global scholar
• Certificate of completion
• Ideal for business leaders

Visit Kellogg.northwestern.edu

13. Artificial Intelligence: Distinguishing Between Fact and Fiction (FutureLearn)

People who are not familiar with the reality of AI often ascribe unrealistic expectations about the potential of AI. If you find yourself in a similar situation, you should definitely get enrolled in this beginner-level online AI course on FutureLearn that will help you tell fact from fiction.

Your instructor for this online course will be Mark Elshaw, a lecturer at the Coventry University in the U.K. Mark is an AI enthusiast and performs research in AI topics like neural networks, biology-inspired computing, data analysis, visualization, and neural networks.

Through 2 weeks of light studying (3 hours per week), you will be introduced to the roots of AI and how it was developed. You will dive deep into human intelligence and its various features, learn about Asimov’s laws that govern intelligence, understand the reality of AI, and much more.

The best part is that you can access this online AI course on FutureLearn for free and gain a whole lot of knowledge about an exciting wave that has captured the world!

• Beginner level
• 2 weeks long with 3 weekly effort hours
• Taught by AI researcher from Coventry University
• Free access to course contents

Visit FutureLearn.com

14. Microsoft Azure AI Engineer: Deploying AI Solutions in Microsoft Azure (Pluralsight)

Next on my list is a beginner-level online AI course on Pluralsight that is perfect for AI engineers who want to learn how to deploy their models through Microsoft’s Azure service. This online course will enable you to create value-added and holistic solutions to benefit your company.

In this online course, you will be taught by James Bannan, an IT consultant with 18+ years of professional experience who is based in Melbourne, Australia. James has developed an expertise in helping his clients make the most of Microsoft Azure.

In 2 ¼ hours of video lessons, you will take a thorough tour through the world of Microsoft Azure by going over topics like the basic nature of AI solutions, the right computing services needed to build a solution, deploying a container-based solution, and much more.

If you’ve never used Pluralsight before, this online course is an excellent opportunity to take their free 10-day trial and complete as many online courses as you can!

• Beginner level
• 2 ¼ hours long
• Taught by IT consultant with 18+ years of experience
• Certificate of completion
• Free 10-day trial of Pluralsight

15. AI Foundations for Everyone Specialization (Coursera)

If you haven’t ever written a single line of code in your life and want to get yourself up to speed with the rapidly-advancing world of AI, this 3-course online AI specialization on Coursera is the right choice for you. More than 8,000 students have taken this beginner-level specialization.

As for your instructor, Rav Ahuja and Antonio Cangiano will be teaching you in this online course. Rav and Antonio are AI experts at IBM and have taught more than 500,000 students combined through 15+ online courses on Coursera.

Over a course of 3 months in this online AI specialization, you will go through 3 online courses that will introduce you to the foundational technologies of AI like deep learning, teach you how to use IBM’s Watson API, show you how to make AI-powered chatbots without coding, and much more.

With Coursera’s financial aid option, you can take the 3 online courses in this specialization for free if you are unable to afford the full fees, and get a certificate of completion at the end!

• Beginner level specialization consisting of 3 courses
• 3 months long with 2 hours of weekly effort
• Taught by AI experts from IBM
• Certificate of completion
• Financial aid available

16. Using AI to Gain a Competitive Edge for your Customer Experience (CX) (FutureLearn)

The final entry on my list is a beginner-level online AI course on FutureLearn that is ideal for professionals who want to leverage AI to improve the customer experience for their companies. The course has been developed by BIMA, a digital and tech community.

Jaimie Patel, the VP of marketing science at Critical Mass, will be teaching you in this online course. Jaimie has more than 15 years of professional experience as a data scientist and specializes in helping her clients improve their customer experience services.

In this 2 week long online AI course, you will go over basic AI topics like the history of AI, important methods used in AI, how to leverage AI to track customer experience metrics, and derive useful insights from it, which platforms help optimize the journey, and much more.

As part of this premium online AI course, you will receive a certificate of completion along with loads of articles, peer reviews, and quizzes!

• Beginner level
• 2 weeks long with 2 hours of study per week
• Taught by data scientist with 15+ years of experience
• Certificate of completion

Visit FutureLearn.com

PyTorch has quickly catapulted itself to global popularity because of its deep integration with the Python programming language and its efficient and intuitive nature, especially compared to Numpy and Tensor. So if you want to break into machine learning on the back of PyTorch, you’ve come to the right place!

In this article, I have gathered all the best online PyTorch courses in 2020 that will make you a confident deep learning practitioner in this Facebook-developed framework. You will learn how to build computational graphs on the fly, train on large datasets, leverage the cloud, and much more.

These online modules to use PyTorch basics include a ton of info including:

• Event-driven architecture
• CNNs (image classification) and RNNs
• Natural language processing and transformer models
• Deep learning for NLP
• PyTorch activation functions
• Backpropagation
• Batch normalization
• Dropout functions
• Building simple GANs
• Much more!

You will get certificates of completion in most of these online courses, so you’ll have something to put a stamp of credibility on your newly acquired skills. Let’s get started!

Top 10 Best Online PyTorch Courses & Classes

1. PyTorch Essential Training: Deep Learning (LinkedIn Learning)

One of the benefits of PyTorch is how it can easily train networks on the GPU instead of the CPU. If you want to get a solid overview of the capabilities of PyTorch and leverage GPU training, get enrolled in this intermediate-level online PyTorch course on LinkedIn right away.

In this online course, you will be taught by Jonathan Fernandes. Jonathan has a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the National University of Singapore and serves as the machine learning product manager at DXC Technology.

Through 1 hour of bite-sized video lessons, you will learn the basics of building convolutional neural networks in PyTorch with topics like training a network, testing on a dataset, using tensors, defining loss functions, utilizing optimizers and autograd, GPU/CPU usage, and much more.

If you are a new or premium user on LinkedIn, you can take this online course for free, and earn a certificate of completion once you’re done with it!

• Intermediate level
• 1 hour long
• Taught by senior machine learning engineer
• Certificate of completion
• Free access for new/premium LinkedIn users

2. Foundations of PyTorch (Pluralsight)

PyTorch has paved the way when it comes to building dynamic computational graphs that make prototyping a lot faster. So if you want to experience the thrill of dynamic graphs while learning PyTorch, you should check out this beginner-level online PyTorch course on Pluralsight.

As for your instructor, Janani Ravi will be teaching you in this online course. Janani has a master’s degree in computer science from Stanford, after which she spent over 7 years working at Google. She was a proud member of the team that developed Google Docs as a collaborative framework.

In this 3 hours long online PyTorch course, Janani will take you through the deep learning frameworks of neural networks before showing you how to implement them using PyTorch. You will learn to make computational graphs, use tensors and variables, apply autograd, and much more.

You can take a free 10-day trial of Pluralsight and gain access to this online course along with hundreds of others – complete as much as you can in 10 days!

• Beginner level
• 3 hours long
• Taught by Stanford graduate and Google engineer
• Free 10-day trial of Pluralsight
• Certificate of completion

3. Transfer Learning for Images Using PyTorch: Essential Training (LinkedIn Learning)

Transfer learning has made it possible for deep learning models to generalize to other problems and datasets, and PyTorch API has excellent functionalities to leverage it. So take this intermediate-level online PyTorch course on LinkedIn if you want to get deeper into the world of transfer learning.

Jonathan Fernandes, a senior machine learning engineer, will be teaching you in this online course. Jonathan has an undergraduate degree in computer science from the National University of Singapore, and has published a wide range of courses on machine learning (like #2 in this list).

Over a course of 1 hour, you will dive into the world of transfer learning using PyTorch. As long as you have some background in coding and neural networks, you’ll enjoy going through topics like building fixed feature extractors, fine-tuning ConvNets, varying learning rates, and much more.

At the end of this online course, you will get a certificate of completion that you can share with your network if you want to attract potential employment opportunities in this exciting field!

• Intermediate level
• 1 hour long
• Taught by highly experienced machine learning engineer and tutor
• Certificate of completion
• Free access for new/premium LinkedIn users

4. PyTorch for Deep Learning with Python Bootcamp (Udemy)

Next on my list is a comprehensive online PyTorch course on Udemy that will make you a deep learning expert in PyTorch. This beginner-level online course has been taken by over 10,000 students and has received an average rating of 4.6 stars.

Your teacher for this online course will be Jose Portilla, the head of data science at Pierian Data, Inc. Jose is a top Udemy instructor who has taught over 2 million students through his 31 published courses, earning more than 660,000 reviews with an average rating of 4.6.

In this massive 17 hours long online course, Jose will start by teaching you basic machine learning theory before taking you into a guided tour of PyTorch initialization, showing you how to make recurrent neural networks, build image classifiers, leverage the power of convolutions, and much more.

Don’t worry if you find that your knowledge is getting rusty down the road – with full lifetime access, you can always come back to review the course contents, even after 50 years!

• Beginner level
• 17 hours long
• Taught by experienced data scientist and top Udemy instructor
• Certificate of completion
• Full lifetime access

5. Deep Learning with Python and PyTorch (edX)

If you’re looking for an in-depth online PyTorch course that will give you loads of hands-on practice and teach you state-of-the-art technologies, then this online course on edX is for you. Take this intermediate-level online course to become an expert at deep learning using PyTorch.

In this online course, you will be instructed by Joseph Santarcangelo. Joseph has a Ph.D. in electrical engineering and is currently employed at IBM as a data scientist. Joseph is highly experienced as a researcher in computer vision, gradient descent, and machine learning.

You will spend 6 weeks to complete this online course if you put in 2-4 hours every week. During this period, you will learn about classification, deep neural networks, computer vision, dimensionality reduction, various kinds of auto-encoders, and much more.

Although you can access the course contents for free, you can add a verified certificate of completion to your profile at the end of this online course for a small fee!

• Intermediate level
• 6 weeks long with 2-4 effort hours per week
• Taught by Ph.D. data scientist from IBM
• Certificate of completion
• Free auditing of course contents

Visit edX.org

6. Practical Deep Learning with PyTorch (Udemy)

To get better at PyTorch, you must practice a lot of PyTorch. This is the philosophy behind the training models and algorithms of this intermediate-level online PyTorch course on Udemy that has been taken by close to 6,000 students. This is the perfect choice for people who prefer practical hands-on learning instead of long lectures.

As for your instructor, Ritchie Ng will be teaching you in this online course. Ritchie is the instructor behind Deep Learning Wizard, an online repository that seeks to help people learn from the deep learning library. He is an NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute instructor.

In this 6 ½ hours long online course, you will start with the fundamentals of PyTorch like matrices and variables, before going on to more advanced topics like linear and logistic regression, feed-forward, convolutional, and recurrent networks, long short-term memory networks, and much more.

Once you’re done with this online course, you will find it quite natural and instinctive to code up a neural network of your choice in no time!

• Intermediate level
• 6 ½ hours long
• Taught by instructor from NVIDIA Artificial intelligence/Deep Learning Institute
• Certificate of completion
• Full lifetime access

7. Deep Neural Networks with PyTorch (Coursera)

Part of IBM’s AI Engineering Professional Certificate on Coursera is this comprehensive online PyTorch course that has been taken by over 17,000 students. This intermediate-level online course will make you a confident and experienced deep learning practitioner who uses PyTorch.

Joseph Santarcangelo, a data scientist from IBM, will be teaching you in this online course. Joseph has a Ph.D. in electrical engineering and deep research interests in machine learning. He has published 8 courses on Coursera, teaching close to 400,000 students from around the world.

Through 31 hours of intense video lectures and practice labs, you will become comfortable with building neural networks and training them in PyTorch. You will build a foundation with linear regression and then move to topics like logistic and soft-max regression, and much more.

With Coursera, you can apply for financial aid if you can’t afford the full fees for this online course – and complete it for free!

• Intermediate level
• 31 hours long
• Taught by Ph.D. data scientist from IBM
• Certificate of completion
• Financial aid available

8. Building Your First PyTorch Solution (Pluralsight)

If you’re intimidated by all the online courses that require you to have some knowledge beforehand, this beginner-level online PyTorch course on Pluralsight is the perfect choice for you. These modules will start you with PyTorch from scratch and help you get comfortable with the basics.

Your instructor for this online PyTorch course will be Janani Ravi, a master’s graduate from Stanford who has over 7 years of experience working for Google. Janani was one of the Google engineers who built the Google Docs collaborative editing framework.

In this 2 ½ hours long online course, you will get started with PyTorch by first learning how to install it using pip and conda parameters on your own machine, set up the integration with the GPU, and then building your first linear and logistic regression network, and much more.

By the end of this online PyTorch course, you will have enough hands-on practice to start tackling larger challenges and problems!

• Beginner level (great for new learners with no prerequisites)
• 2 ½ hours long
• Taught by experienced Google Engineer
• Certificate of completion
• Free 10-day trial

Visit Pluralsight.com

9. Intro to Machine Learning with PyTorch (Udacity)

Next on my list is a hands-on and career-driven online PyTorch course on Udacity that aims to make you capable of practicing machine learning using PyTorch and launch your own career. As part of this ‘nanodegree’, you will be working on real-world industry projects from experts.

You will be provided with instructors for this online course by Udacity itself. The team of instructors consists of senior machine learning engineers and data scientists who have master’s and Ph.D. degrees from some of the top universities in the world.

Over a course of 3 months (with 10 hours of studying per week), you will go through an in-depth program that will teach you how to implement supervised learning, deep learning, and unsupervised learning in the PyTorch framework, all the while building exciting and hands-on projects.

As part of this package, you will have technical mentor support to help you with your learning problems, and a personal career coach to get your PyTorch career up and running!

• Intermediate level
• 3 months long with 10 hours of studying per week
• Taught by team of experienced machine learning engineers
• Certificate of completion
• Scholarships/discounts available
• Personal career coach/technical mentorship services

10. PyTorch Tutorials (Official PyTorch website)

The final entry on my list is the online resource repository developed by the team behind PyTorch itself. This is an ideal resource for people who do not need very structured learning and can chart their own paths as they build their projects and get better at PyTorch.

Technical experts from the PyTorch team have worked together to build this online repository of tutorials and information. Since this is coming from the developers of PyTorch themselves, you can be sure that nothing will go uncovered or unaddressed.

In this online collection, you will find videos and articles that will help you get started (like the 60-minute blitz) with PyTorch and understand all the functions it can perform. You will also find a categorized section where you can locate the material on topics like image/text/audio, and much more.

You will come across a lot of ‘recipes’ and code examples that you can use directly in your own projects to accomplish your goals if you prefer PyTorch over TensorFlow!

• Beginner/intermediate/advanced level
• Online collection of resources
• Developed by the team behind PyTorch
• Categorized articles on various topics
• Code recipes and examples

Visit Pytorch.org

Want more programming and computer science content? Check out our other articles to help find the best path for you!

• Top 18+ Best Free Online Python Courses & Certificates
• 2024‘s Top 15 High-Value Online JavaScript Courses
• Learn How To Program For Machine Learning With 2022‘s Top 11 Best Online TensorFlow Courses

If you are looking to enroll or take Coursera courses for free in 2024 you’re in the right place!

What is Coursera? It is an online platform that offers 1000’s MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses.) This massive course catalog can help students further their learning on a range of topics, including financial markets, data science, social media, web development, public health, and many more.

Coursera partners with over 200 companies and universities to bring online learning opportunities to students hungry for new skills.  Deeply engaging content creates an excellent learning experience for students.

Many of Coursera’s courses offer learners an opportunity to audit the course for free

So if you follow along with this guide, I will show you how to enroll/audit in Coursera courses for no cost at all. This is a game-changer for beginners and advanced students looking to take online courses. 

For those looking for specialty courses (these consist of multiple courses in one place) and certificates, I also have you covered! Let’s get started!

Popular Free Courses

Sometimes when we hear that something is offered for “free” we worry that we get what we pay for. Great news, at Coursera, that is not the case. Coursera offers a range of great courses from top universities… all for free.

Just a few examples:

• Machine Learning, Stanford University
• Algorithms, Part I, Princeton University
• The Science of Well Being, Yale University
• Introductory Human Physiology, Duke University
• SQL for Data Science, University of California Davis
• Introduction to Philosophy: University of Edinburgh
• Introduction to Personal Branding University of Virginia
• Successful Negotiation: Essential Strategies and Skills, University of Michigan

How To Take Coursera Courses For Free In 2024

1. Go To Coursera.org & Create An Account

First things first is to head over to Coursera.org and create a free account. This is an essential step as this will allow us to start enrolling in courses for free.

Surprisingly, the signup process is incredibly simple and only takes about 30 seconds. All you need to insert is your name, email address, and password.

There are also options to create an account with Facebook, Google, or Apple.

2. Search For Your Desired Course

Now that we have our free account and are signed in, we can now go and search 1,000’s of courses that are available on Coursera.

What are you interested in learning? Deep learning? Project management? Chances are you will find what you are looking for to improve your personal development!

For this example, I am interested in learning PHP fundamentals, so I will simply search for this query and see what courses are available.

From this search along, there are over 80 courses relating to PHP, which can all be taken for free! Interested in something else like python or something else? You will find what you are interested in anything computer science-related. Coursera contains classes in our Top 17 Free Best Online PHP Courses & Certificates, so it is worth looking into!

Using the Coursera search algorithm, you will also be able to see the recommended skill level, amount of students, star rating, amount of reviews, the university/college, and the type of course.

Now, depending on the type of course you want to enroll in (see below), there are two different methods of enrolling in free online courses.

• “Course” (Keep following along)
• “Specialization” (Skip to step 6)
• “Professional Certificate” (Skip to step 6)

In short, a “Course” is just a single Course, while both “Specialization” and “Professional certificates” consist of multiple courses taught together.

If you want to enroll in a single course, pick your desired option. For those who want to take the other options, skip to step 6.

3. Click “Enroll For Free”

Once you have selected a course, you will then be directed to the landing page where you can learn more information about the selected course.

If you are happy to continue with your pick, simply click on “Enroll For Free”.

4. Click “Audit The Single Course”

Once you have clicked on “Enroll For Free”, you will then be directed to a 7-day free trial which Coursera will want you to choose.

However…. Completely ignore this!

If you look just below that section, there will be a small blue link which will be labeled “Audit This Single Course”, which is another way of saying “Take This Course For Free”.

So to start any of these popular free courses, simply click on this link!

Another thing to note is that Coursera does like to change the placement of these frequently, so you may have to keep your eyes out for it as its position changes from month to month.

Above are some other examples of where you may be able to find the “Audit This Single Course” link when on this page.

5. Welcome To Your Free Coursera Course!

If all has gone well, you will now have full access to the Coursera course, including all videos, syllabus, course resources, and discussion forums.

One thing to note is that when auditing a course, you, unfortunately, won’t receive a certificate of completion or have access to the tests.

But as this course is completely free, this is a small price (or in this case, no price ????) to pay. As long as you learn the course content and can apply it, that is all that matters. You can also still insert this to a resume and CV once you have completed all the lessons.

6. How To Get Specialization/Professional Certificates Courses For Free

Ok, so if you are wanting to enroll in either the Specialization or Professional Certificates courses, I also have you covered!

Once you have picked your desired option, you will be welcomed to the course information page. From here, you DON’T want to click on “Enroll For Free” as this will not allow you to audit/view the course for free.

Instead, hover your mouse over the section that says “Course Series,” which is located above the button (this is better to do on desktop).

Once you have done this, you will see all the individual courses that are included in either the Specialization or Professional Certificates courses.

Now, take note of these courses as you can actually enroll in each of those courses separately and for free.

So all you have to do now is go and search for each of those classes and follow steps 3 and 4 to audit/enroll in each course separately.

The only downside to this is that there is no certificate of completion or access to the grading system. However, you still do get access to all individual courses, videos, resources, and community for free!

7. How To Get a Free Certificate With Coursera

If you are adamant about receiving a free certificate of completion with your Coursera courses, there really is only one way to do this, and that is to apply for financial aid.

So if you can not afford to pay for the certificate or are unemployed, then this is a worthwhile option to try for your well-being.

To start this process, you will have to click on the desired course you want a certificate in. From there, click on “Financial aid available” > “Continue to the application”.

From here, you will be prompted to accept the below terms and conditions and also write “I agree to the terms above”.

Once you are on to the application form, you will have to fill out various areas, including your educational background, annual income, employment status, and how much you can afford to pay.

Below this, you will be asked various other questions on why you are applying, how this financial aid can help you, and your personal situation.

For more information on this, I would recommend watching this video as it has some great tips from someone who has been successfully accepted for financial aid from Coursera.

For more information, you can also see my guide on getting Udemy courses for free.

F.A.Q.

Below are some frequently asked questions that students ask when enrolling in or pursuing a Coursera course.

What Is Audit Course On Coursera?

Essentially, auditing a course on Coursera gives students the benefit of viewing all course materials, including videos, resources, and access to the community for free. However, the audit option does not provide access to the grading system or a certificate of completion.

Can You Still Audit Courses On Coursera?

Yes. Coursera still does provide the option for students to audit their courses. This option can be found on the enrollment page > Enroll in this Course > Audit this course. Following these prompts will give complete access to the course minus the grading and certificate.

Can I Coursera For Free?

Yes. Coursera provides an “audit” that allows users to enroll in courses for free and get access to all course material, videos, and access to the student discussion board. Unfortunately, this option does not include a free certificate or access to grades.

Do I Have To Pay For Each Course On Coursera?

If you want a certificate of completion and grading from the tests on Coursera, users will have to pay a monthly or one-time fee. However, users can also “audit” courses that unlock all class material that can be accessed for free, which comes without a certificate.

Conclusion

Enrolling in Coursera courses for free is surprisingly straightforward and unlocks 1,000s of courses. With courses offered by Stanford University, John Hopkins University, University of Edinburgh, and University of London, Coursera is an amazing tool to further your learning! Whether you are interested in classes on Google Cloud fundamentals, Amazon Web Services, Healthcare Analytics, or something else… Coursera has you covered! 

Simply create a Coursera.org account > search for your desired course > select “Enroll in the course” > and select “Audit this course”. By following these steps, users can enroll in Coursera courses free of charge.

Python has become increasingly popular in 2024 due to its versatility and dominance in areas like AI, machine learning, robotics, computing, and research.

So if you are looking to dive into any of those fields and make a career for yourself using Python, you’ve come to the right place!

After much research, I have compiled a list of the best free online Python courses and certificates in 2024 that will teach all you need to know about Python.

Also, with many of these online courses, you will be learning from industry experts, working with hands-on projects, and getting certificates of completion in most cases. So let’s begin!

TOP PICKS FOR FREE ONLINE PYTHON COURSES
Recommended	Skillshare: Python 3 - A Beginner’s Guide to Python Programming Beginner level 7 ½ hours long Taught by software developer	Try This for Free →
Degree Program	Udacity: Learn Intermediate Python 2 months long (estimated 10 hours/week) Technical mentor support & career services Financial aid available	Learn More →
Top Rated	LinkedIn Learning: Python Essential Training Beginner level 4 ¾ hours long Taught by veteran industry expert	Try This for Free →
Industry Bootcamp	edX: Professional Certificate in Python Data Science – IBM Beginner-to-advanced 5 courses Taught by elite data scientists from IBM	Learn More →
For Beginners	Udemy: Introduction to Python Programming Beginner level 4 ½ hours long Certificate of completion	Learn More →

Top 18+ Best Free Online Python Courses, Classes & Certificates 2024

1. Python 3: A Beginner’s Guide to Python Programming (Skillshare)

First on my list is an outstanding beginner-level course that will teach you the foundations of Python so you can start tackling bigger challenges in no time. Over 15,000 students are already enrolled in this course so it comes highly rated.

Your instructor for this online class will be Tony Staunton, who is an entrepreneur, software developer, who has earned several awards from his various products and startups.

In this 7 ½ hour-long course broken down into 129 lessons, you will learn a number of fundamental Python 3 topics including variables, lists, input/output, dictionaries, conditionals, loops, functions, classes, files, errors handling, and much more. There are also 7 class projects where you can implement your new skills in an actionable way.

Currently, you can get one 1-month of Skillshare Premium for free if you are a new user, and benefit from a collaborative environment where learners share their own projects and learn from each other! Overall, hands down one of the best free online Python courses!

Strengths of this online course:

• Beginner level
• 7 ½ hours long
• Taught by software developer
• 1-month Skillshare premium for new users
• Collaborative learning environment

Activate FREE Skillshare Trial

2. Learn Intermediate Python (Udacity)

If you already have a basic understanding of Python, then this intermediate-level Nanodegree program from Udacity might be perfect for you. You’ll complete this course with the ability to harness the advanced capabilities of Python and optimize complex applications such as data mining and object classification.

According to Udacity and their industry partners who hire from this program, successful completion means you’ll leave with a ” portfolio that demonstrates your ability to apply practitioner-level Python skills on the job”. You’ll also become proficient in key concepts like object-based design, code extension, and developing systems at scale.

Your instructors for this program are Sam Redmond and Gabriel Ruttner.

• Sam is the co-founder of Hedron Vision and holds a BS in Math and MS in Computer Science from Stanford, where he created CS 41: The Python Programming Language and lectured for four years.
• Gabe is the CTO at FeatherDocs and has built cloud-based machine learning and natural language processing services for early stage tech companies. He holds technical degrees from Cornell University and Stony Brook University.

Strengths of this online course:

• Intermediate Nanodegree Program with Certificate of completion
• 2 months long (estimated 10 hours/week)
• Hands-on projects led by veteran industry expert
• Technical mentor support & career services
• Financial aid available

3. Python Essential Training (LinkedIn Learning)

Employees at Google, Yahoo, and IBM use Python as their language of choice to write efficient and effective scripts. So if you are looking to follow in their footsteps and learn how to create well-designed scripts and maintain ongoing projects, this LinkedIn Learning course is an invaluable resource.

As for your instructor, you will be taught by Bill Weinman, an expert in Python who has been programming for more than three decades and has built his own consultancy/computer manufacturing company.

Through this beginner-level online course comprising of 4 ¾ hours of video lessons, you will learn everything from Python’s basic anatomy, conditionals, operators, loops, functions, and more advanced topics such as classes, exceptions, input/output, and many more.

You can access this online Python course for free if you are a new user on LinkedIn Learning and also get a verified certificate of completion at the end to showcase your newly acquired skills!

Strengths of this online course:

• Beginner level
• 4 ¾ hours long
• Taught by veteran industry expert
• Free access for new users
• Certificate of completion

Visit LinkedIn.com

4. Professional Certificate in Python Data Science – IBM (edX)

Whether you have just entered the job market or are looking to upgrade your data science career, this Python certification by IBM comprising of 5 progressive courses will make your career and promotion ready in the domain of Python Data Science.

You will have a 5-member team of elite data scientists from IBM taking you through the courses and teaching you everything: Joseph Santarcangelo, Ph.D., Alex Aklson, Ph.D., Linda Liu, Sourav Mazumder, and Saeed Aghabozorgi, Ph.D.

During the estimated 6 months that it will take you to complete the courses, you will get the opportunity to understand the language and how it is favorable for data science, practice data science using IBM’s Jupyter notebooks, learn to use the libraries pandas and NumPy, build data visualizations using matplotlib, folium, and seaborn, build machine learning models and solve real-life problems.

You will have the flexibility to learn completely at your own pace, and will become a certified data science practitioner at the end!

Strengths of this online course:

• Beginner-to-advanced
• 5 courses
• Taught by elite data scientists from IBM
• Estimated time to complete: 6 months
• Data science oriented
• Professional certification

5. Python 3: Programming in Python for Beginners (Skillshare)

For those of you without any prior programming knowledge at all, this beginner-level Python course offers the right amount of beginner lessons balanced with practical exercises to get you comfortable with writing programs in Python.

Arkadiusz Włodarczyk, a professional teacher and programmer with over 10 years of experience, will be taking you through the course contents. His teaching style is also extremely easy to follow, even for complete beginners.

Over the span of 11 ¼ hours of content broken into 73 online video lessons, you will learn to import basic Python libraries, write functions, manipulate strings, handle files, make a mini-game, install external packages, and operations to name a few.

Students can also benefit from a community of 5500+ students, 21 class projects, and the ability to talk directly with the instructor. There is also a 1-month free trial available for new users looking to learn Python online.

Strengths of this online course:

• Beginner level
• 11 ¼ hours long
• Professional teacher and programmer
• A community of 5500+ students
• Free 1 month of Skillshare premium for new users

Activate FREE Skillshare Trial

6. Introduction to Python Programming (Udemy)

If you are someone who is interested in entering the world of Python programming/software development for writing your own scripts and functions. This Udemy course, which has over 520,000 students enrolled, might be the right fit for you.

For this online Python course, you will be taught by Avinash Jain, a sophomore at UC Berkeley studying Computer Science and Electrical Engineering who is also the founder and CEO of TheCodex.me. So for up-to-date lessons and teachings from an industry-leading expert, you can’t go wrong.

In this 4 ½ hours long beginner-level course, you will be taught all the basics of Python from variables, operations, functions, loops, and conditionals. There are also some additional lessons on more advanced topics such as exceptions, object-oriented programing, inheritance, and file-handling.

Also included in this Udemy course is a verified certificate of completion (for a small fee), class projects, resources, the ability to download lessons, and the option to learn on mobile devices. Overall, this is one of the best free online Python courses in 2024!

Strengths of this online course:

• Beginner level
• 4 ½ hours long
• Taught by the founder of an online educational platform
• 30-day money-back guarantee by Udemy
• Certificate of completion

Visit Udemy.com

7. Programming for Everybody – Getting Started With Python (Coursera)

First in a five-course specialization on Coursera titled ‘Programming for Everybody’ is a beginner-level online course specifically tailored for the Python programming language.

Charles Russell Severance will be teaching you in this course who is a  Professor at the University Of Michigan School Of Information, and a top instructor on Coursera who has more than 2 million students.

For those looking to learn from a leading expert from one of the top universities in America, this is an outstanding opportunity.

Over a span of 19 hours, Dr. Charles will teach you how to set up Python on your computer and write your first program, store, retrieve, and calculate information using variables, be able to work with the basics of the programming language and implement functions/loops to name a few.

Currently, there is a 7-day free trial available for those wanting to take this online course which also provides a printable certificate of completion. Overall, this is a comprehensive online Python course taught by one of the leading experts in the field.

Strengths of this online course:

• Beginner level
• 19 hours long
• First in 5-part specialization
• Taught by author of book ‘Python for Everybody’
• Financial aid available
• Certificate of completion

8. Python Quick Start (LinkedIn Learning)

You may have an idea for a project or application in mind and received a suggestion that you should implement it using Python. To find out if Python really is the best language for your needs, this short 1 ½ hour-long introduction to Python should help you make that decision.

Your instructor for this course is Lavanya Vijayan, who is part of the Coder School in Berkeley and has also been a First Code Academy instructor. Lavanya has also contributed to two programming courses at the University of California Berkeley including Introduction to Data Science.

In this beginner-level class, you will be first taught about the background of Python itself, what makes it a good option for various tasks, and then you will move on to programming basics such as types of data, variables, functions, lists, conditionals, loops, recursive functions, and much more.

If you are a new LinkedIn Learning user, you can access the course contents for free and earn a verified certificate of completion when using the 1-month free trial.

Strengths of this online course:

• Beginner level
• 1 ½ hour long
• Experienced instructor
• Free access for new LinkedIn users
• Certificate of completion

Visit LinkedIn.com

9. Python in 90 Minutes (Skillshare)

For those who want to learn the basics of Python, and are short on time, this 90-minute beginner-level course on the fundamentals of Python is a great introduction.

As for your tutor, you will be led by Max S., a self-taught programmer who is proficient in multiple programming languages such as C, C++, and Python, and has been working as a Senior Data Scientist for the past few years.

In the 1 ½ hours that it will take you to complete the course, you will learn all the basics of Python which consist of variables, data types, comments, lists, Booleans, loops, conditionals, functions, modules, indentations, arithmetic operations, and many more.

Students can also further enhance their learning by interacting with the 2400+ students who are also taking the course. There is also a 1-month free trial that new users can take advantage of!

Strengths of this online course:

• Beginner level
• 1 ½ hour long
• Self-taught programmer
• 1 Month free trial of Skillshare premium
• A community of 2400+ students

Activate FREE Skillshare Trial

10. Python for Absolute Beginners! (Udemy)

Just as the title suggests, you should get yourself enrolled in this beginner-level Python course on Udemy if you are an absolute beginner and have no prior experience of programming in any language whatsoever. Join the community of 50,000+ students who have already enrolled in this course.

You will be instructed in this course by two skilled professionals: Joseph Delgadillo, a best-selling instructor with over 870,000 students on Udemy and an average rating of 4.2; and Nick Germaine, a Canadian software engineer with an average rating of 4.2 and over 720,000 students.

Through 2 ¼ hours of video lessons, you will learn a wide range of topics including how to install Python, how to run the scripts in a terminal, how to set up the PyCharm IDE, how to work with numbers, strings, and other data types, and implement functions, arguments, loops and much more.

You will have the opportunity to consolidate your learning by applying the skills you acquire in a final project, and earn a certificate of completion!

Strengths of this online course:

• Beginner level
• 2 ¼ hours long
• Top-rated instructors
• Certificate of completion
• Final project

Visit Udemy.com

11. Grow Your Python Skills (Pluralsight)

Next on my list is a one-stop-shop on Pluralsight for all things Python, and if you are serious about climbing the ladder of Python programming and becoming an advanced developer, you should definitely head over to this collection of 27 courses that will make you into an expert.

Instructors for these courses are recruited by Pluralsight itself, which selects the top educators and professionals from around the world so you can be sure that the learning process will be seamless and full of hands-on practice.

In the 27 courses that span a total of 57 hours, you will be taught everything from the very basics including variables, loops, functions, conditionals, operators, and object-oriented programming, to more advanced topics like code organization best practices, full-stack web development, and much more.

With Pluralsight, you will have the option to take a free 10-day trial to audit the content, and benefit from the experience of the instructors by staying up to date with the latest industry trends!

Strengths of this online course:

• Beginner/intermediate/advanced
• 27 courses with total of 57 hours of lessons
• Taught by top industry experts
• Free 10-day trial
• Flexible timeline

12. Introduction to Python (DataCamp)

If you have decided to learn Python so that you can get started with data analytics and carve out a career for yourself in the data science domain, then this DataCamp course is the perfect fit for you. The course has had close to 2.5 million participants including employees of top companies like Intel, EA Sports, and Roche.

Your instructor for this course will be Hugo Bowne-Anderson, an educator, writer, podcaster, and data scientist at DataCamp who is the host of DataFramed, the official podcast of DataCamp.

Through 4 hours of video lessons and 57 exercises, you will first learn all the basics of programming with Python including writing a simple script and understanding the data types.

You will then move on to working with lists, functions, and packages, before diving into NumPy, a Python library built for practicing data science.

If you are part of a team, you can benefit from DataCamp’s premium membership plans for teams that are much cheaper than those for single users!

Strengths of this online course:

• Beginner-to-intermediate
• 4 hours long
• Taught by expert data scientist
• Data science-oriented
• Learn NumPy

Visit Datacamp.com

13. Learn Python 3 (Codecademy)

If you want to join the league of employees from top companies like Google, Facebook, NASA, and IBM who consolidated their Python skills online, then you should consider getting yourself enrolled in this course by Codecademy and join more than 45 million people who are learning and upgrading their skills.

Codecademy recruits educators to teach you who have a solid understanding of the subject matter and a deep passion for teaching, so you can rest assured that the question of having quality instructors for this course has already been taken care of.

In this 25 hours long beginner-level course, you will start with basics like syntax, functions, control flow, lists, loops, and strings, and then move on to more advanced topics like modules, dictionaries, files, classes, and function arguments.

Join this course if you want to work on several real-world projects that will really put your skills to the test and make a Python expert out of you!

Strengths of this online course:

• Beginner level
• 25 hours long
• Top-quality instructors
• Hands-on learning with multiple real-world projects

Visit Codeacademy.com

14. Using Python for Automation (LinkedIn Learning)

The ability to automate menial, boring and repetitive tasks has become quite sought-after in modern workplaces. So if you want to learn how to automate at will using Python and a couple of useful libraries (Beautiful Soup and Selenium), this is the right course for you. Join a community of over 40,000 other learners and become a master in the art of time-saving.

As for your instructor, you will be taught by Sam Pettus, an expert Python developer who has considerable experience consulting for various businesses and helping them raise the efficiency of their processes through automation.

Over the course of an hour in this advanced-level course, you will learn a lot of topics related to automation, including reading and writing files, organizing directories, using Beautiful Soup for web scraping, automating web browsing with Selenium, automating with APIS, creating API requests, linking API calls, and much more.

With LinkedIn, you can access the course for free if you are a new user and earn a certificate of completion at the end to share with your professional network!

Strengths of this online course:

• Advanced level
• 1 hour long
• Taught by an expert developer
• Free access for new users
• Certificate of completion

Visit LinkedIn.com

15. Python for Data Science Essential Training Part 1 (LinkedIn Learning)

Next on my list is a Python course on LinkedIn that is geared towards helping students learn the essentials of data science and utilize these skills in their workplace to make productive use of data. This intermediate-level course has over 54,000 students enrolled.

You will be instructed in this course by Lillian Pierson, P.E., who is a sought-after expert in the field of big data and data science and has authored several books, including the well-known Data Science for Dummies.

In this 6 hour long course, Lillian will be teaching you a wide range of data science topics, including filtering and selecting data, visualizing data using best practices, performing basic linear algebra, multivariate analysis, natural language processing, collaborative analytics, and much more.

You will have the opportunity to work on a project to bring all of your knowledge together and earn a certificate of completion at the end!

Strengths of this online course:

• Intermediate level
• 6 hours long
• Taught by published data scientist
• Data science-oriented
• Certificate of completion

Visit LinkedIn.com

16. Python Core and Advanced (Udemy)

This course is perfect for those of you who have had some experience of programming in Python at some point in your career but have gone out of practice and need to fill gaps in your knowledge. If that is you, this beginner-to-advanced course on Udemy is the perfect way for you to refresh and consolidate your skills.

Bharath Thippireddy, a best-selling instructor on LinkedIn with more than 300,000 students and 25 courses in various areas of technology and programming, will be your instructor for this course. He has an average rating of 4.4 stars given to him by over 44,000 students.

Through this 8 ½ hour-long course, Bharath will teach you an incredible breadth of topics, including writing your first program, using logic, conditionals, and loops, watching the input and output functions in action, getting deep into object-oriented programming, understanding inheritance and interfaces, using abstract classes, handling exceptions, and much more.

Although you can access the course contents for free, you can pay a nominal fee and get a verified certificate of completion and instructor Q&A service! Overall, this is one of the best free online Python courses.

Strengths of this online course:

• Beginner-to-advanced
• 8 ½ hours long
• Best-selling instructor
• Free access to course contents
• Certificate of completion

Visit Udemy.com

17. Python from Beginner to Intermediate in 30 min (Udemy)

If you are looking for a course that will in a very short amount of time take you from a complete beginner with no knowledge of programming to someone comfortable with the basics and ready to dive into advanced topics, this Udemy offering is the perfect choice for you.

Your teacher for this course will be Gautam Devaraj, a web application developer who has more than 4 years of experience in the information security field and over 3 years of experience teaching online. Gautam has 75,000+ students on Udemy and a rating of 4.1 stars.

In this 1 ½ hour-long beginner-level online course, you will learn all the basics of the Python programming language that will enable you to efficiently program in Python, understand all the aspects of the language such as syntax, variables, and functions, and become comfortable enough on the basics to start learning more advanced topics.

You can take advantage of free access to learning material by enrolling in the free version of the course, or buy the course for a nominal fee and get a verified certificate!

Strengths of this online course:

• Beginner level
• 1 ½ hour long
• Taught by an experienced developer
• Free access to course contents
• Certificate of completion

Visit Udemy.com

18. Google’s Python Class (Google)

This ‘course’ is straight out of the vaults of Google – it has been used previously as a quick 2-day crash course in Python for Google employees who have a little bit of programming knowledge and need to get comfortable with writing code in Python. This is the perfect choice for you if you want to get learn at a rapid pace without missing out on hands-on practice.

Nick Parlante will be your instructor for this course. He works in Stanford’s CS department as a lecturer, recently teaching classes on object-oriented systems and internet technologies. He is also working in the engEDU group at Google.

Through 8 hours of video lessons and 5 challenging assignments, you will be introduced to all the basics of programming in Python, including strings, lists, sorting, dictionaries, files, regular expressions, utilities, and much more.

You can benefit from data files, solutions, and written support material that come along with this course, which is absolutely free to complete!

Strengths of this online course:

• Beginner level
• 8 hours long
• 5 challenging assignments
• Taught by Stanford lecturer
• Free access

Visit Developers.google.com

Final Thoughts

If you’re in the process of becoming a digital nomad, have a look and see what jobs are best suited for your new big data skills. And for two other useful, easy to lean languages, check out our course reviews on JavaScript and SQL. 

We hoped you found these online Python course reviews helpful. If you think we missed anything, drop it in the comments below.

Finally, if you’d prefer to get some Python help from a pro, have a look at some of the gigs offered on Fiverr. They are perfect for short-term, fast turnaround projects or to try out a new provider before signing up long-term. I’ve had great success with them on my business personally. Here are a few to get you started.