26 resources for lifelong learners
Whether you want to learn how to play the piano or become a marketing buff, there’s an app for that.
Learning doesn’t end with your degree. Albert Einstein once said “intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.” Lifelong learning is the ongoing, self-motivated pursuit of knowledge. A commitment to continual learning will make you a better conversationalist, leader and citizen.
The internet has democratized knowledge, granting us access to resources that were once relegated to libraries, museums and classrooms. Whether you want to learn how to play the piano or become a marketing buff, there’s an app for that. Next time you’re stuck at the DMV, rather than mindlessly scrolling through your Instagram feed, you could be brushing up on your Spanish or learning to code your own website. Below are our favorite websites and apps for lifelong learners:
Practical Courses
1. Coursera Choose from hundreds of online courses on everything from negotiation tactics to analyzing big data. Classes are free, as long as you don’t need a certificate of completion.
2. EdX An online higher education platform with less variety but more rigor than Coursera. If you’re looking for challenging online courses with interactive exercises, EdX is for you.
3. Open Sesame Open-sourced courses designed for entrepreneurs. Coursera and EdX offer courses from more prestigious institutions, but Open Sesame provides far more options for native Spanish speakers.
4. CourseBuffet Not sure which online class to take? CourseBuffet lets you find and compare free online courses across platforms.
5. Coursmos On the go? The Coursmos app offers bite-sized, user-created micro-courses.
6. Degreed This lifelong learning platform lets you track and curate learning materials from thousands of platforms, like Coursera, Audible and DuoLingo. You select your learning goals, and Degreed suggests content to steer you in the right direction.
7. Guides.co Expert created how-to’s on a range of topics with a focus on entrepreneurship. Learn “how to get media coverage” or “how to raise $10,000 on kickstarter” with simple, step-wise instructions.
8. Highbrow This email subscription service brings bite-sized courses straight to your inbox every morning. All courses are 10 days long and are broken down into 5-minute lessons to make sure you can read them with your morning coffee. With courses like “Patent basics for Innovators and Decision Makers” and “How to Sleep Better,” there’s something for everyone.
9. Cerego This tool uses insights from neuroscience to help you learn and retain your content more effectively. Cerego adapts to your progress, using an algorithm to calculate what concepts you need to review and when.
10. MIT Open CourseWare A catalogue of free courses and learning resources from MIT’s archive.
11. Social Enterprise Alliance’s Knowledge Center sources practical guidance, toolkits, articles and other resources from social impact leaders. All pieces are selected with the social entrepreneur in mind.
Data and Coding
12. Data Camp Coding, data manipulation and data analysis — learn by doing at Data Camp.
13. Code School Learn how to code online with practical exercises that will have you building your own website in no time.
14. Lrn Learn code from your phone, with courses and interactive quizzes on HTML, CSS, Python, Ruby and Javascript.
Language learning
15. Memrise This app makes learning fun with interactive games. You choose your own courses, so if you want a basic primer, opt to learn the 300 most common words in French. If you want something more obscure, you can learn the words for every type of fish in Spanish.
16. DuoLingo While Memrise allows you to choose from a variety of courses, DuoLingo offers a more streamlined language learning experience. You’ll work through vocabulary and grammar classes in a progressive sequence.
17. Drops A beautifully designed app that lets you practice your language for five minutes a day.
For Fun
18. InstaNerd Random tidbits of information in digital flashcard format. True to its name, it’s like Instagram for nerds.
19. Curiosity This app delivers 5 interesting topics daily, designed to spark your curiosity.
20. Flowkey Want to learn how to play the piano? Flowkey teaches you your favorite songs and provides interactive feedback on your performance.
21. CreativeLive Free creative courses from leading experts.
22. Skillshare Take or teach classes on hand lettering, logo design, watercoloring and all things creative.
23. BrainPump Short videos that offer primers on the psychology of depression, Apple’s corporate culture, the science of negotiation and more.
For Inspiration
24. Ted Ideas Ted-like essays on creativity, leadership, innovation and global issues.
25. Podcasts like NPR’s Hidden Brain, Freakonomics and How Stuff Works break down scientific concepts, review the latest research and apply it to everyday life.
26. Follow your favorite thought leaders on Medium or Twitter.
What are your favorite sources for lifelong learning? Let us know in the comments below.
