Advanced High-Income Skills You Can Learn Online For Free

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Why Learn Advanced Skills Online
• High Income Skills You Can Learn Online
  • Programming & Coding
  • Data Science & AI
  • Marketing & Business Strategy
  • Design
• Tips for Learning Effectively Online
• Conclusion

Introduction

Advanced skills are abilities that require deep knowledge, expertise, and often tertiary education to acquire. These skills, such as programming, data science, and graphic design, are highly valued in the job market. Professionals who possess them can command high salaries at top companies.

Historically, people learned complex abilities like these by getting formal degrees in college and university programs. However, the internet and online education platforms have provided the public with access to such advanced skills for free.

Through resources like online courses, tutorials, and forums, anyone can now gain expertise in specialized, technical disciplines without paying thousands in tuition fees. This enables more people to learn lucrative abilities, empowering them to qualify for high-income job opportunities.

This article will explore some of the most profitable advanced skills you can learn online, as well as how to leverage these digital resources effectively.

Why Learn Advanced Skills Online

Here are some of the top reasons why learning advanced abilities through online mediums is highly advantageous:

Save Money on Formal Education

College degrees often require students to complete 120+ credit hours and many semesters of courses, racking up tens of thousands in tuition fees. By tapping into the abundance of free online learning materials, individuals gain expertise at little to no cost. Rather than graduate with debt, they can pursue skills independently to elevate their careers. This opens opportunities to more people regardless of their financial situation.

Learn at Your Own Pace

Online learning platforms allow users to digest content and build skills at their own pace, without restrictive class schedules. If a concept is confusing, they can spend more time reviewing the source material instead of the lecturer moving to the next topic prematurely. This flexibility makes it easier for people to achieve mastery based on their personal learning abilities.

Access to Top Professors and Industry Experts

Skilled professionals who teach online courses come from prestigious institutions like MIT, Harvard, UC Berkeley, and global technology leaders like Google. This gives the public valuable opportunities to learn from these experts – access that would normally be restricted to degree-seeking college students. The insights and methods used are thus based on current real-world practices.

Gain Credentials through Certificates

Completing comprehensive online programs in skills like data science and coding often makes participants eligible for respected industry certificates. These add credibility to their abilities, helping them qualify for jobs. Some credentials include IBM Data Science Certification, Google IT Support Certificate, and Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA).

Now that we’ve covered the main advantages of learning premium skills through internet mediums, let’s explore some high income opportunities you can pursue.

High Income Skills You Can Learn Online

Here are a few advanced abilities that are lucrative to employ professionals which you can build expertise in through online resources:

Programming & Coding

Examples: Python, JavaScript, Java, C#, Swift

Computer programming and coding serves as the backbone of our digital economy. Those who are fluent in languages like Python and JavaScript are highly sought after to develop software, websites, mobile apps and other technology solutions.

There is an entire ecosystem of free online programming courses offered by education platforms like:

• Coursera: Backed by big tech companies and top universities, it offers beginner to advanced courses in multiple languages. These teach both the syntax and real-world application through projects.
• edX: Founded by MIT and Harvard, edX has extensive interactive programming courses specialized for various skill levels and uses.
• Udemy: This online learning marketplace contains thousands of video-based coding courses by expert instructors. While quality varies, top-rated programs are quite comprehensive.

In addition to courses, there are infinite tutorials, documentation, blogs and videos across YouTube and niche sites to learn coding concepts. Platforms like LeetCode and HackerRank also let coders practice skills by solving real programming challenges.

By consistently consuming these materials and building personal projects, virtually anyone can attain job-ready programming abilities without formal computer science degrees. Some respected industry certifications to consider are:

• Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
• Oracle Certified Professional, Java SE 17 Developer
• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

The median salary of software developers in the US is currently $110,000 per year.

Data Science & AI

Examples: Machine learning, data mining, data visualization, neural networks, natural language processing

Data science applies advanced analytics and algorithms to big data to uncover insights and trends. These insights then inform business strategy and decisions through predictive modeling. It is one of the hottest skills due to mainstream adoption of artificial intelligence and automation.

Reputable platforms like Kaggle allow aspiring data scientists to get hands-on practice by competing in machine learning competitions using real-world datasets. They can develop models, receive feedback and build their portfolios. Fast.ai created by a University of San Francisco professor offers cutting edge practical deep learning courses for free.

There are also numerous online programs focused specifically on sub-domains like neural networks, cybersecurity analytics and NLP:

• Coursera DeepLearning Specialization: A 5-course series by deeplearning.ai instructor Andrew Ng that covers building and applying neural networks across domains like computer vision, NLP, audio processing and more.
• edX Cybersecurity MicroMasters: A graduate-level microcredential program covering cybersecurity analytics, network security, software security and more. It prepares learners for advanced cyber roles.
• Udemy Natural Language Processing Masterclass: A bestselling course using Python NLTK library to process and extract insights from unstructured text data.

In addition to online content, platforms like Kaggle and TensorFlow provide rich documentation, case studies and tools like notebooks to practice data science workflows from ETL to modeling and reporting.

Certifications in this field signal competence to employers. Some options are:

• IBM Data Science Professional Certificate
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate
• SAS Certified Data Scientist Using SAS 9

The average data scientist earns $117,345 per year in the United States. The field is projected to grow by nearly 40% over the next decade.

Marketing & Business Strategy

Examples: Digital marketing, growth strategy, product management, innovation

Savvy professionals who understand how to sell and promote products strategically are pivotal for business growth. With so much commerce occurring online, digital marketing skills are especially crucial for customer acquisition and expansion into new markets.

Here are some reputable platforms offering free education in various marketing and strategic capabilities:

• HubSpot Academy: Certification courses across context areas like email marketing, SEO, social media and content creation. Used by over 150,000 professionals so far.
• Google Analytics Academy: Get certified directly by Google in leveraging their analytics platform and data to drive business decisions and ROI.
• Google Garage: Short video courses on digital skills like web analytics, online advertising, growth marketing and more by Google.
• Khan Academy: Nonprofit platform containing courses on traditional business disciplines like economics, accounting and entrepreneurship.

These will familiarize you with both strategic frameworks and practical digital tools to excel in marketing and business development roles.

Certifications to boost hireability include:

• Facebook Certified Digital Marketing Associate
• HubSpot Inbound Marketing Certification
• Google Ads Certification

The average digital marketing manager earns approximately $85,000 per year. With the shift to remote work and ecommerce, these experts drive immense value.

Design

Examples: Graphic design, UI/UX design, video editing

Visual design skills like graphic, web and mobile design bring ideas to life through rich interfaces and media. As such creatives are always in high demand, especially those with user experience (UX) expertise.

Here are some leading online learning platforms to build design capabilities:

• Skillshare: Subscription site with thousands of design courses at various levels taught by industry experts. Covers fundamentals to nuanced tools across visual domains.
• Photoshop and Figma tutorials on YouTube: Step-by-step video guidance on using leading visual design tools from basics to pro techniques like animations and 3D modeling.
• Interaction Design Foundation: Nonprofit offering UX and human-computer interaction courses for beginners to advanced practitioners.

Using these resources to create compelling portfolio projects is key for aspiring designers.

While formal accreditation is less common compared to something like coding, respected certifications include:

• Adobe Certified Professional Certificates
• Google UX Design Professional Certificate

Strong designers can make between $70,000 to $100,000 per year or more at top technology and creative companies.

This covers a sample of the most lucrative and emerging skills you can attain to level up into high salary echelons without needing college degrees. Let’s wrap up with some tips on effectively absorbing these materials.

Tips for Learning Effectively Online

To truly internalize advanced concepts and workflows through online self-education, remember these tips:

Stay Motivated and Consistent

Without classroom environments and defined schedules, it’s easy to procrastinate on online learning plans. Set milestones and devote a fixed time daily to consume materials and practice skills. Join online communities relating to what you’re learning for camaraderie.

Absorb Through Multiple Mediums

We each have different learning styles. Consume program curriculum through videos, live sessions, documentation and interactive tools. This multimodal absorption solidifies comprehension. Read textbooks and blogs to supplement.

Build Projects and Apply Skills

Theory alone isn’t enough – you must build real personal projects like apps and analysis reports to problem-solve and cement abilities. This proves capabilities to yourself and employers.

Earn Certifications & Showcase Work

Get accredited through reputable certificate programs. Compiling finished projects and credentials into a professional portfolio website qualifies you for opportunities.

Conclusion

In summary, the digital era has enabled anyone to attain advanced expertise in specialized disciplines without needing expensive college degrees. These skills, such as coding, data science, marketing and design unlock high income potential and next generation opportunities.

Leverage the abundance of free online courses, tutorials, and communities to self-educate. Consume materials through diverse mediums, stay consistent in your learning, build projects and get certified. This will empower you to qualify for lucrative roles based purely on merit and ability rather than formal pedigree.

Now is the time to invest in yourself and let online learning rocket fuel your career.