There was a time when education used to be restricted to universities, colleges and institutes. If someone wanted to study for some other online courses, then it was a challenging proposition in most cases. On the other hand, it is also necessary to keep in mind that even after people embark on their professional careers, they are often inclined to keep improving their skills and the best way of doing is by studying new courses specific to their needs.

For many years, there were no easy solutions to this and people simply chose to forget about it altogether since it was no practically possible in many cases.

However, the internet has opened up a world of opportunities and now people can study for relevant courses online. Plenty of new companies have come into existence over the course of the past decade or so and students are now spoilt for choice. The companies, which operated their own websites for online courses, offer a wide variety of courses starting from courses that last a few hours to those which can last for a far longer period.

These websites have made it possible for people to keep improving their skills and learn new things without any trouble at all. That being said, due to the wide variety of options, it is also important for people to make a choice after having a look at all the possible and available options. Earlier all online education websites used to be similar but not certain websites serve a particular segment of the market and that has created many more opportunities for potential students. Here is a closer look at some of the websites offering online courses and how they can help you in your quest for further knowledge.

1. Skillshare

Over the past years, Skillshare has emerged as one of the most significant websites for online courses and that has become possible because the company decided to specialize in a particular niche. It should be noted that some of the world’s leading universities and corporations are already in this space.

As a result, an online education website needs to ensure that it stands out one way or another. Skillshare has made its name as the website to go to for people who are looking for online courses in the creative field.

The wide range of online courses, made up of video lectures, provides students with the ways in which they can pick up requisite creative skills. That being said, it should be noted that ‘creative’ courses indicate a pretty wide range of courses and also includes tutorials on learning how to operate certain creative space-specific software applications.

On the other hand, Skillshare also offers any user the option to design a course and teach it to users on the platform. Since the quality control protocols at Skillshare are quite strong, it is unlikely that a course with poor study materials is going to be offered.

2. Udemy

Another hugely popular website for online courses is Udemy, which has managed to garner a massive following over the course of the past few years. The website offers a wide range of courses that can help professionals in upgrading their skills in many fields and on top of that, there is the availability of some fun courses as well.

However, it is due to the plethora of courses leading to a potential improvement in professional skills that Udemy has now become so popular. There are in excess of 100000 courses on the website and there is something on offer for everyone. However, in this regard, it is also necessary to note that in order to offer so many courses Udemy allows anyone to come up with his or her own course.

While this may sound like a democratic process, it is necessary to note that many experts have claimed that the user-generated courses are not always up to the mark. On the other hand, there are some gems to be found on user-generated content as well. Subjects like ‘how to play video games’ or ‘how to cut trees’ are unlikely to be found on other platforms.

Overall, Udemy has proven to be an excellent platform for those who are looking for upgrading their skills and over the years, the website has proven to be an outstanding resource.

3. Coursera

Coursera is among the biggest outfits in the business when it comes to online education and over the years, the company has managed to build up an excellent reputation. This is the place to be if one wants courses for enhancing professional skills or full-time degree.

In addition to that, there are certification courses available on Coursera as well that can help significantly in the professional lives of individuals. Over the years, Coursera has helped thousands of people with online courses and is currently regarded as one of the most reliable names in the business. There are a lot of free courses that one can go for on Coursera but if a student is looking for a certification or a qualification, then there are courses with fees involved.

A degree can cost as much as $15,000 or more and on the other hand, a MasterTrack Certificate at the completion of a course costs upwards of $2000. Students could do well to take a closer look at the website.

4. Google Courses

Considering the massive demand for online courses worldwide, it was perhaps only a matter of time before tech giant Google came up with its own online course platform. It is known as Google Courses and offers a wide variety of courses to anyone anywhere in the world.

There are courses which might be of the duration of only three hours but there are other courses that might last for months. Google Courses offers plenty of free courses and most of them are tailored with the modern demands. Such highly useful courses like ‘starting an online business’ are available for free on the platform.

On the other hand, there are courses for which the website charges a fee as well. The coronavirus pandemic and associated lockdowns have allowed millions of people to upgrade their skills, perhaps while they sit around at home. Google Courses is an outstanding resource that people could consider making use of if they want to learn new things or upgrade their skills as professionals.

5. Unacademy

As everyone knows, the online education market has become quite big and companies are looking for ways in which they can find their niche in the market. In India, competitive exams for jobs have spawned a massive private coaching industry but up until the emergence of Unacademy, there was no effective online resource for the same.

The company started off as an educational YouTube channel back in 2010. Still, in recent years it has built its own website and offers study materials to its students for preparing for some of the toughest competitive exams in India.

It provides the study materials for bank entrance exams, civil services entrance tests and other competitive exams that take place in India throughout the year. If you are looking to appear for those exams, then you could consider visiting the Unacademy website.

6. Byju’s

Another Indian online education service that has grown rapidly over the past few years is that of Byju’s. The company is not involved in providing online courses but instead, it is engaged in providing students from Class 1 to Class 12 in the Indian school system with educational content. It operates a model that is common to many online platforms nowadays.

For the first fortnight following registration, content is made available for free and once that period is over, users are charged. However, in addition to providing educational content to school students, Byju’s also provides training courses for students who are appearing for competitive exams for engineering, medical, business management and civil services.

In addition to that, those who are looking to appear for international aptitude tests like GMAT and GRA can also find high-quality study materials on the Byju’s website. At this point, Byju’s is regarded as one of the most popular education technology startups in India.

7. Upgrad

Last but certainly not the least, it is also necessary to take a look at the latest entrant into the thriving online education space in India, Upgrad. Unlike most of the other offerings listed here, Upgrad is involved in providing its users with courses that can lead to specialisations and eventually a job. Some of the disciplines in higher education that Upgrad is involved in are digital marketing, product management and data analytics among others.

These are all highly sought after courses and there is significant demand for such trained professionals in many industries. In addition to that, Upgrad also offers employers the opportunity to hire people who manage to get certifications from the outfit. The website offers both free online courses as well as paid ones and could well be one to look out for.