What Free Online Certification Courses Can Help Advance a Career?

If you’re looking to take the next step in your career, you definitely need to buff up your resume. You might also want to consider taking an online certification course. These quick and straightforward courses can help you enhance your current skills, learn new ones, or even dive into an entirely new field. The best part is you can often find career-advancing courses that are offered at no cost. If you’re looking to advance your career, search online for quick free certification courses you can take right at home.

Taking even a simple online course could have a big impact on your career. You might become more eligible for new jobs; you could even develop entirely new skills to add to your resume. And you can do it all in just a few hours. Search online to find fast, free online certification courses that’ll make you even more of an expert in any field.

Check out the following courses, all of which can help you become more marketable and ready for the next step in your career. Best of all, they’re all free and take very little time to complete.

Google Digital Garage: Fundamentals of Digital Marketing

The Fundamentals of Digital Marketing certification course offered by Google Digital Garage gives you the chance to master the basics of digital marketing. It offers an official certification and accreditation by the Interactive Advertising Bureau Europe and the Open University. You’ll learn through 26 different education modules, all of which can be completed at your own pace. The entire course takes about 40 hours. 

By the time you’re finished, you’ll understand the basic principles of digital marketing. Created by Google trainers, you’ll truly be learning from the experts of the online world.

Alison: Fundamentals of Virology

Healthcare is a booming field, and it’s one that always offers a wealth of job opportunities. You can dip your feet into this industry with the Fundamentals of Virology course offered by Alison. Featuring just two modules and 16 different topics, this course takes just three to four hours to complete. 100 percent free, the online modules teach you about the fundamentals of virology, including how viruses attach to, replicate within, and affect cells within the body.

At the end of this healthcare course, you’ll earn a certificate you can add to your resume. That certificate shows that you know how viruses affect human health. 

Coursera: Financial Markets

Here’s an online certification course that’s sure to look impressive on your resume: Financial Markets. Though it might sound simple, the Financial Markets course is offered by Yale University through a partnership with Coursera. Completely free to take, you’ll get an overview of ideas, methods, and institutions that are involved in the world’s financial markets. You’ll also develop financial leadership skills, and you’ll earn a shareable certificate once you’re finished.

Composed of multiple modules, this Yale University course requires between four to six hours of your time per module. You can pace your learning to suit your schedule, working on real-world concepts like securities, insurance, and banking. It’s a great fit for many financial industries.

Oxford Home Study Centre: Customer Services Course

The Customer Services Course offered online by the Oxford Home Study Centre is a fantastic option if you want to improve your customer service skills. It’s an entry-level course, which makes it a great opportunity for those looking to break into the customer service industry. You’ll learn strategies to evaluate customers’ needs, become proficient in high-level customer service, and master everything from customer complaints to staff training to building customer relationships.

Free and relatively quick to complete, this course features five units and takes just 20 hours on your own pace. And there are no requirements to get started, so you can begin the course ASAP.

Alison: Fundraising for the Non-Profit

If you’re interested in working for non-profit organizations – or perhaps already work in this field – you can benefit from the free Fundraising for the Non-Profit course offered online by Alison. Led by Christine Benninger, the former president of the Humane Society Silicon Valley, you’ll learn how to draft financial plans, master fundraising efforts, and help non-profits of all kinds achieve financial success. 

The course and its materials are designed by Stanford University. It’ll take you just one to two hours to complete, and you’ll have your certificate instantly.

Coursera: Machine Learning

There’s one industry that’s growing exponentially every year, and that’s technology. You can join the tech industry without a degree or in-depth knowledge – just get started with the Machine Learning course offered by Coursera. Created and taught by Andrew Ng, an adjunct professor at Stanford University and the co-founder of Coursera, this online certification course gives you the highly valuable skills you need to dive into the programming world.

Throughout this course, you’ll learn effective machine learning techniques, practice implementing your knowledge in real situations, and learn both the theory and practical applications for machine learning. You’ll even get familiar with applying machine learning to problems as they arise.

Hubspot: Certification in Content Marketing

The Certification in Content Marketing Course offered by Hubspot is designed to help you master the basics of content marketing. It includes 14 different lessons, 54 videos, and 11 quizzes to test your knowledge. With this course, you’ll become an effective content marketer with an understanding of how to create content for marketing use, how to repurpose content, and how to use content strategically.

It’s completely free to enroll in this course, and it takes about six and a half hours to complete. You’ll have skills that translate to many different jobs and industries once you’ve mastered the material.

Coursera: Brand Management

The Brand Management: Aligning Business, Brand and Behaviour course offered on Coursera will help anyone become a branding professional in no time at all. Designed by the London Business School, this course includes videos led by branding professionals. Each lesson, or video, helps you learn how to build brands, incorporate human resources practices, consider culture and geography, assess brand health, and assign value to brands. 

This course is proven to give you a boost too. According to Coursera, nearly 50 percent of those who’ve completed the course got a tangible career benefit, like a raise or promotion. You’ll get a certificate you can add to your resume or LinkedIn profile when you’ve completed the video lessons. 

Search Online to Discover Even More Courses

Whether you’re searching for a new job and want to add skills to your resume or you’re looking to earn a promotion or salary increase with new skills, an online certification course can be the perfect way to achieve your goals. Many online courses are even available for free. That means you can easily learn online without spending a single cent – and you’ll get a valuable certification too.

Don’t see courses you can benefit from on this list? Search online to see even more options. You can easily find a wealth of online certification courses – for free – if you take the time to do some searching. From sites like Udemy and Coursera to universities that offer free online programs, there’s something for everyone and every industry. Don’t wait; take steps to launch a new career or gain new skills today.