I’m a big advocate of lifelong learning. I am taking a python course currently on Udemy, but have a few more courses in the pipeline for the year. I want to get better with Excel (pivot points, charts, etc.), digital marketing, and data science. These are all on Udemy and are available for a small fee. I got all these courses with 10+ hours of content for about 40 USD. These courses will keep me busy for a while and provide me with the skills necessary to act in my new position in my religious organization for the State of Michigan.
I can’t stress how important it is to remain up-to-date with technology. My parents struggle with most of this, and frankly, so do many in their generation. Most of us in my generation learned technology as part of our jobs. We had to learn it because we needed these technologies to compete in the marketplace. Simple things like searching the Internet, using an email service, an online calendar, or a cloud-based storage system (Google Drive, One Drive, or iCloud). These things are so simple to me, but a mystery to those who have never used them. The world will continue to progress and leave these folks behind more and more.
Now, more than ever, it is important to learn technologies like ZOOM, Skype, or other video chat service. Because of lockdowns, schools and businesses particularly have had to use these types of systems to teach students and interact with their clients. They are also so cool to use to stay in touch with friends and family. My wife and I either Facetime or use ZOOM when she needs help with paperwork or something in AZ.
So keep learning. It is fun, it keeps you engaged, and will give you capabilities you may need in the future, as our societies become more “digital”. It’s also really fun to engage with people all over the world and make new friends. I have friends all over the states, friends in Europe, Australia, and even Indonesia. These technologies have shrunk our planet and give us access to other cultures. This helps us understand why other countries do what they do.
If you’ve never used services like Udemy or Coursera, feel free to ask questions in the comments section. I’d be happy to connect with you directly and help you out. I am not affiliated with any of these educational companies—I’m just willing to give you a helping hand in case you need help. These services are terrific and provide me with the ability to learn all kinds of things that I either find interesting or need to know to do something I want.
Here are some links for your use, should you take this up for yourself:
https://www.udemy.com/
https://www.khanacademy.org/
https://www.edx.org/
https://www.coursera.org/
These are some top online educational sites I have used and recommend. Most of them are absolutely free (except Udemy) and will require you to pay if you want a certificate of completion to use for college credit or employment purposes (Coursera and EdX). Udemy charges a fee for all its courses, but these are typically around 9.99 USD, if you are patient and wait for many of their sales events, which literally happen monthly.
Well, that’s it for today. I hope all you have a terrific Thursday.
Until next time…
Dave
