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May 18, 2010 6:06 AM   Subscribe

Where can I get free training and/or certifications?

I've always been hungry for knowledge. Lately, I've been taking online independent study classes through the FEMA Emergency Management Institute. They've been a topic of conversation whenever someone sees my resume, and I'm learning a great deal about emergency preparedness and management, which will serve me well once I become a Ham Radio operator, this June.

But I'm looking for more. Sometimes, Brainbench offers free certifications, and I've taken advantage of some of these.

Can anyone point me to some more free (preferably online) training and / or certification? The specific topics are not particularly important.... I try to keep an open mind about practically everything. But, if there's anything you can suggest with regards to technology, business, or emergency management, that would be cool.

Thanks!
posted by fvox13 to Education (8 answers total) 39 users marked this as a favorite
 
Call your local university's agricultural/industry extension office -- they might offer something.
posted by Jacqueline at 6:19 AM on May 18, 2010


Best answer: Microsoft depending on your location!
posted by Gable Oak at 6:54 AM on May 18, 2010


Best answer: Came in to say BrainBench. ITunes U and MIT have lots of courses for free. The cert. is like getting course credit, so not usually free. However, if you take lots of college level courses, you may be able to test out of taking classes, also not usually for free. Many employers pay for education, maybe you could talk an employer into paying for certifications?

Coop. Extension is a great idea. Become a master gardener.

Get a free college education online

Also, talk to the Adult Ed. program in your area. They always want new courses to offer. If you teach classes, it acts like certification, in that employers see that you have mastery of a subject.
posted by theora55 at 6:58 AM on May 18, 2010 [2 favorites]


If you're wanting a more social experience than just learning with downloaded course materials, you might want to get involved in Peer 2 Peer University experiment which teams up a group of peers (and a course leader) to work through existing open source courseware. There's a tentative plan to get some new courses running in August.
posted by pipstar at 8:49 AM on May 18, 2010


Best answer: Absolute comprehensive listing can be found here.
posted by zaxour at 9:13 AM on May 18, 2010


Khan Academy
posted by rhizome at 9:17 AM on May 18, 2010


Response by poster: Great ideas, everyone. Thanks!
posted by fvox13 at 8:53 AM on May 19, 2010


If you are interested in learning languages, http://fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php seems to be a good resource.
posted by beandip at 9:32 AM on May 19, 2010


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