Career Improving Courses You Can Take For Free This Year

The world is changing very fast. The biggest companies in the world aren't ones manufacturing a physical product. They are primarily software companies. Technology companies. Very soon the main difference between third world countries and the developed ones will be access to technology. And the few of us who have prepared ourselves for that future will be like the first generation of university graduates Nigeria produced in the 1950s: opportunities will abound.

image: e-t-e.org

The most valuable skill now is knowledge. Not just knowledge you acquired in your secondary school and university, but a knowledge that is in pace with global trends. A knowledge that is constantly being updated and expanded. 

And in my today's post I will be sharing with you the high quality and career improving courses you can enroll for online freely and offered by the top universities in the world like MIT, Stanford, Harvard, John Hopkins, and Yale University. They provide you international quality education and a real-world valuable skill that will positively impact your career. You can acquire a real world valuable skill in anything you want, from Entrepreneurship to Finance to Programming.

And here are the courses:

1. Innovation for Entrepreneurs: From Idea to Marketplace -- University of Maryland
2. Getting and Cleaning Data -- John Hopkins University
3. Introduction to Classical Music -- Yale University
4. Programming Mobile Applications for Android Handheld Systems: Part 1 -- University of Maryland
5. The Data Scientist’s Toolbox -- John Hopkins University
6. R Programming -- John Hopkins University
7. Grow to Greatness: Smart Growth for Private Businesses, Part II -- University of Virginia
8. Beyond Silicon Valley: Growing Entrepreneurship in Transitioning Economies -- Case Western Reserve University
9. Property and Liability: An Introduction to Law and Economics -- Wesleyan University
10. Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects -- University of California
11. Statistical Inference -- John Hopkins University
12. Hardware Security -- University of Maryland
13. Image and video processing: From Mars to Hollywood with a stop at the hospital -- Duke University
14. Developing Data Products -- John Hopkins University
15. Regression Models -- John Hopkins University
16. Introduction to Finance -- University of Michigan
17. Programming for Everybody (Python) -- University of Michigan
18. Cryptography I -- Stanford University
19. Critical Thinking in Global Challenges -- University of Edinburgh
20. Introduction to Linux -- Linux Foundation
21. Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python -- MIT
22. Entrepreneurship 101: Who is your customer? -- MIT (You will win $1,000 gift if you pass a verified track)
23. Introduction to Computer Science - Harvard University 
24. The Science of Happiness -- UC Berkeley
25. Signals and Systems, Part 1 -- IIT Bombay
26. Innovation and Commercialization -- MIT
27. Economics of Cybersecurity -- Delft University of Technology 
28. Jazz Appreciation -- University of Texas
29. Circuits and Electronics -- MIT
30. Embedded Systems - Shape The World -- University of Texas
31. Introduction to the Music Business --Berklee College
32. International Human Rights -- Université catholique de Louvain 
33. Principles of Written English, Part 2 -- UC Berkeley 
34. Artificial Intelligence -- UC Berkeley 
35. Intro to HTML and CSS -- Udacity
36. JavaScript Basics -- Udacity
37. How to Use Git and GitHub -- Udacity
38. Intro to Java Programming -- Udacity
39. Programming Foundations with Python -- Udacity
40. Developing Android Apps -- Udacity
41. JavaScript Design Patterns -- Udacity
42. Intro to iOS App Development with Swift -- Udacity
43. Data Visualization and D3.js -- Udacity
44. Intro to Machine Learning -- Udacity
45. Intro to Hadoop and MapReduce -- Udacity
46. Web Development -- Udacity
47. How to Build a Startup -- Udacity

Finally, don't feel overwhelmed by the volume of what is out there to learn or be tempted to think that they are not valuable in the real world (or Nigerian world). It's true that the people living as kings now are not the brainiacs or most hardworking or even knowledgeable, it will not always be like this. It used to be like that too in the developed countries, when traders and politicians were the richest and most powerful. 

It is certain that things will change and value will matter. It would be terrible if you are not filthy rich now and then do not position yourself for the future wealth transfer. Don't stack all the odds against yourself, arm yourself with relevant knowledge skills. Prepare for the inevitable future, and you might end up being the new king in the coming season.