Ever felt that you would actually enjoy your economics class if you didn’t have to turn in homework assignments or cram for exams? Or maybe you’ve never had time to take economics because you always have to cram your class schedule with pre-med requirements. Or you might not be thinking about econ at all; you just want a job after graduation but are worried your History degree won’t stack up to the competition.
Consider this: auditing a college course from the comfort of your living room. With a number of websites, social networks, online games, mobile applications and more at our fingertips (literally), Collegiettes everywhere have the chance to always be learning new subjects and picking up additional skill sets. Not to mention, in today’s competitive job market, some majors are correlated with higher unemployment rates than others, and the hunt isn’t getting any easier. Websites such as Khan Academy, Open Culture and UnCollege offer new alternatives to traditional education. If you’re looking for a more structured option, a number of elite universities across the United States now offer free courses to the public online.
Not only is online education a way to keep your mind sharp, but it’s an inexpensive way to open the door to a new career field. Do you want to pick up a foreign language? Brush up on your sciences? Learn how to code? Check out this quick list of free online lectures and courses offered by universities, from Oxford University to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology:
Art
The Elements of Drawing: Stephen Farthing, Oxford University
Foundations of American Cyber-Culture: UC Berkeley
Introduction to Visual Thinking: UC Berkeley
Business
Entrepreneurship and Business Planning: Mark Juliano, Carnegie Mellon
Introduction to Probability and Statistics for Business: Fletcher Ibser, UC Berkeley
Human Capital: Gary Becker, The University of Chicago
Computer Science
Intensive Introduction to Computer Science: David J. Malan, Harvard University
Computer Graphics: Sukhendu Das, IIT
The Future of the Internet: Ramesh Johari, Stanford
Economics
Introduction to Economics: J. Bradford Delong, UC Berkeley
International Trade: Steven Wood, UC Berkeley
Financial Theory: John Geanakoplos, Yale
Law
Environmental Law and Policy: Bob Infelise, UC Berkeley
Introduction to Copyright Law: Keith Winstein, MIT
Aims and Limits of the Criminal Law: Tamara Lave, UC Berkeley
Psychology
Introduction to Psychology: Paul Bloom, Yale
Buddhist Psychology: Eleanor Rosch, UC Berkeley
Human Emotion: Dacher Keltner, UC Berkely
Don’t see a subject that interests you? Browse through this more extensive list. If you don’t have the time to take add a university course to your schedule but want exercise your intellectual curiosity, check out what this The New York Times blog post recommends for boosting your brain power.
As far as the general education and major requirements that you’re required to take, don’t let them keep you from learning something new! Albert Einstein once said,“The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.” Set aside a couple of hours one day a week to learn something new. Close the Hulu window, log out of Facebook and begin your journey as an online academic today.
Sources:
Ghandi quote (photo): http://riotlainie-qotw.buzznet.com/user/photos/live-if-were-die-tomorrow/?id=59768871
Smart Women Cartoon (photo): http://jerrykatz.net/jokes/funny-work-men-women-quotes-44/
Sunset and shadow (photo): http://tempeaz.usachamber.com/blog/index.php/2011/06/online-training-youre-in-charge/online-learning/