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Magazines > Information Today > November/December 2021

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Information Today
Vol. 38 No. 9 — Nov/Dec 2021
OUTSIDE THE BOX
Insights on Content

Five Sites for Upskilling and Reskilling
by Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig

Plenty of companies have felt safe in allowing employees to return to the office under stringent guidelines. But many of those workers no longer want to return to the workplace, choosing to work from home when possible. When that isn’t an option, a number of people are trying to figure out their next career move. Enter the explosion of professional upskilling (learning new skills at your current job) and reskilling (learning new skills in order to start a different job).

These are not new terms, but what’s different in 2021 is that the opportunities to do either—via your employer and/or on your own—are expanding. Remote work has opened up more possibilities in terms of career paths. And individuals are seeking more flexibility and freedom in their work life. Fast Company recently reported that “the 2019 edition of LinkedIn’s Workforce Learning Report  found that 94% of employees said that employer-provided learning opportunities would entice them to stay longer at a company.  The 2021 edition showed that younger Gen Z employees agreed with the statement that  ‘learning is the key to success in my career.’ ” So where should you begin if you want to—or need to—upskill or reskill? The following are some places to kick off your education.

COURSERA

Coursera boasts more than 4,000 courses in topics such as business analytics and graphic design. Founded in 2012, the global, online learning platform partners with more than 200 leading universities,  including the University of  Michigan,  Yale, Universidad de los Andes, Imperial College London, and my alma mater, Arizona State University. It offers courses at no cost and for a fee, starting at $9.99. They can take from a few hours to a few months to complete, and 2-year and 4-year programs are even offered.

MICROSOFT LEARN

Microsoft Learn offers free, online, interactive trainings for Microsoft products and more. Its goal is to help individuals become technologically proficient in a diverse list of skills and tools, including the most basic for anyone, Microsoft 365.

W3SCHOOLS

W3Schools is an easy-to-use website that focuses on written instruction and coding exercises and is free for anyone to use. If you already have some coding under your belt, there are more advanced boot camps available. W3Schools offers courses for all types of web development, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and SQL.

LINKEDIN LEARNING

An arm of the social networking platform LinkedIn, Linked­In Learning (formerly known as  Lynda.com) offers video-based courses for individuals and teams to learn in-demand job skills via on-demand content. There are more than 16,000 courses in multiple languages. Many courses are free, and the cost of others depends on skill and length.

MASTERCLASS

If you’re looking to up your game from leading experts and celebrities, MasterClass is the program to invest in. Courses (which start at $15 per month) cover business, science and technology, music, food, writing, and more. The popular learning site occasionally offers “buy one, gift one” free membership, so if you are able to catch this deal, you can split the cost with someone.

Links to the Source

Fast Company: “Leaders: Here Are 3 Reasons   It’s Totally Worth Upskilling Your People”
fastcompany.com/90667366/leaders-here-are-3-reasons-its-totally-worth-upskilling-your-people

Coursera
coursera.org

Microsoft Learn
docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn

W3Schools
w3schools.com

LinkedIn Learning
linkedin.com/learning

MasterClass
masterclass.com


Michelle Fitzhugh-CraigMICHELLE FITZHUGH-CRAIG is an award-winning journalist who is the owner of MFC3 Media (mfc3media.com) and CEO and editor in chief of shades Magazine (shadesmagazine.com). She’s president of the Exceptional Women in Publishing’s board of directors and committee chairperson at the National Association of Black Journalists. Fitzhugh-Craig is the mother of four grown children, and she has two grandchildren and one on the way. She lives in Oakland, Calif., with her two daughters and their children. Send your comments about this article to ecletters@infotoday.com or tweet us (@ITINewsBreaks).