Are you looking for free online courses to help you launch a home-based career or business? Then, keep reading for a huge list of resources!
When I started my work at home search, I had no clue what I wanted to do.
What’s funny is I knew all the things I didn’t want to do, like work in the nursing field, talk on the phone, or any occupation with a set schedule. And from the emails that I receive daily, this is a common theme among individuals who want to work from home.
If you’re ready to make money from home, but you’re not sure which direction to take, or you want to switch careers, there is a solution. There are many free courses, guides, e-books, and resources to help you take the guesswork out of this question.
Best of all, these courses are 100% online, so you don’t have to worry about taking time away from your family.
Are you ready to find your dream work at home career path?
Here are 25 of the best FREE online courses and resources to help you grow and find a new remote career.
1. Free: Become a Booked Out Virtual Assistant (VA)
If you’re detail-oriented and would like to help business owners stay on top of their daily to-do lists, then sign up for Abbey Ashley’s free virtual assistant training, Become a Booked Out Virtual Assistant. Abbey started her VA business back in 2013 and was able to double her corporate job income in just 30 days while she was on maternity leave – pretty impressive!
When you sign up, you’ll learn:
- How you can quickly earn $100K annually working as a virtual assistant
- What paying clients are searching for in a VA
- How to find real clients who are waiting for your services
- Sign up here for this free webinar
2. Free Data Analytics Course
Would you like to break into the high-paying tech field? If so, this free data analytics course will give you an overview of how to break into the data analytics field. And no, you don’t need a college degree!
In Charlotte Chaze’s free course, you’ll learn:
- The best free resources to learn data analytics fast
- How to create a portfolio to showcase your projects
- A resume template for this high-paying tech job
- LinkedIn tips so you can land your first data analytics job
- Data analyst salary guide so you know how much money to ask for
- Sign up here for this free online course
3. Start and Grow a Thriving Dog Treat Bakery
Do you love dogs? Do you enjoy baking? Then perhaps starting a dog treat business from home is your calling! In Kristin’s free training workshop, you’ll learn about the pet industry, selling dog treats online and in-person, how to price your treats, how to earn $500 to $1,000 per month, and so much more!
To sign up for this free training, click on the purple Free Training Workshop button to get started!
4. How to Start and Run a Digital Tax Business
If you’re mathematically-natured and detail-oriented, perhaps starting and running a digital tax business from home is your calling.
In this free tax business workshop from Ben Robinson, you’ll learn:
- How much money you can make running a tax business
- What the work is like
- Who qualifies to own a tax business
- What it takes to be successful in this industry
- What tools and tech software are needed
- How to get clients (even as an introvert)
- Sign up here for this free workshop
5. How to Become a Bookkeeper
Want to make $60 or more an hour working from home as a bookkeeper? The Bookkeepers offers a free 3-part online training series that tells you the characteristics of good bookkeepers, income potential, costs to get started, how to market your business, and the next steps for getting started as a virtual bookkeeper.
6. How to Become a Voice Actor
Have you been told that you have a pleasant voice? Does recording radio commercials and audiobooks sound appealing? If so, check out voice artist and trainer Julie Eickhoff’s free mini-course.
This free mini-course will give you an inside peek into the world of voice acting, covering topics like:
- What voice-over work entails
- The background you need to be successful
- Skills you’ll need to learn
- How to get work
- How much money you can earn
- Equipment requirements
- How to learn everything you need to know
- Sign up here for this free mini-course
7. Pinterest Virtual Assistant Business
If you love browsing Pinterest, you can make good money starting a Pinterest virtual assistant business from home! In this free training workshop taught by Kristin Larsen, you’ll learn nine services you can offer as a Pinterest virtual assistant, what to charge for your services, and how to land your first client.
8. How to Start a General Proofreading Business
Do grammar and spelling errors drive you crazy? Do you constantly correct people’s texts and Facebook posts? Then Caitlin Pyle’s free workshop is for you!
In this free 76-minute proofreading workshop, you’ll learn:
- Five signs proofreading is the perfect career for you
- How proofreading can be your ticket to freedom and financial security
- Easy ways to attract proofreading clients
- Sign up here for this free workshop
9. Start a Profitable Reselling Business
Are you great at finding hidden gems at garage sales and flea markets? Then, your passion for visiting yard sales and second-hand stores turns into a profitable reselling business. Rob and Melissa Stephenson earn six figures a year reselling flea market finds online, and now they are teaching others how to do the same.
In their free 75-minute workshop, you’ll learn:
- Five signs reselling items is the perfect fit for you
- How reselling can be your ticket to freedom and financial security
- Three insider secrets that will help you grow your flipping profits
10. Earn Money Selling Printables Online
You’ve read stories about people creating and selling printables on Etsy, but how do you get started, and can you really make money with this side hustle? Business partners Julie Berninger and Cody Berman both make money selling printables online, and they’ve taught 10,000 students how to do the same.
In this free workshop, you’ll learn:
- What kind of printables should I sell to make money?
- What are some good printable ideas?
- What do I need to start an Etsy shop?
- How much does it cost to get started?
- How can I make sure my Etsy shop is a success and not a flop?
- Sign up here for this free workshop
11. General Transcription Foundations: Free Workshop
You’ve heard about transcription work (transcribing audio files into text), but what exactly does this work entail? In this free mini-course, veteran transcriber Janet Shaughnessy explains the industry, how much you can earn as a transcriber, where to find clients, and what you need to start. She also includes nine signs that transcription is not a good fit for you. She also talks about medical transcription in this interview — be sure to read if you were considering that occupation!
12. I Love Print-On-Demand
In this free course, Jessica Roop shares her expertise on how she earns $500 to $1,500 selling print-on-demand (POD) products from home. She covers why this business model is amazing for aspiring side hustlers and 17 hot POD products you can sell to make money from home! If designing T-shirts, mugs, tote bags, and more sounds like a fun way to make money, sign up for this free guide here.
13. Pretty Focused – Food Photographer
If you love cooking food and taking photos, check out this free training from Melodee Lynn. In this free course that contains four modules, you’ll learn everything you need to know about becoming a food photographer for bloggers. Topics covered include:
- Why bloggers hire photographers
- The demand for these professionals
- How much food photographers can earn
- What the work is like
- What type of equipment you’ll need
- How to set up your home studio
- And more!
You don’t need to be a professional photographer to get started. This course is perfect for beginners! You can sign up for this free training here.
14. TEFL Hero
If you’d like a remote job as an ESL (English as a Second Language) tutor, you’ll need to get your TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification. TEFL Hero offers a free 40-hour certification that includes four modules, 32 lessons, five assessments, and an instant certificate of completion.
15. How to Become a Successful Amazon Influencer
In this free eBook from Jessica Larrew, you’ll learn how to make money from Amazon reviewing products you already own. Including the things you’ll need to get started publishing videos, how to get approved for the Amazon influencer program, and how to create videos that generate sales.
More Free Online Learning Courses and Educational Resources
16. Grow with Google
Grow with Google is a non-profit program offering free online courses, certifications, and live training in digital marketing, career development, and data. Many of the courses include certificates of completion once you’re done and pass the end exam. Formats include online self-paced courses, and others are live webinars.
Some of their popular courses include:
- Learn the fundamentals of digital marketing and help grow your business or career
- Learn how to write a CV, prepare for interviews, and land that next job
- Get an introduction to code, find out how it works, what it can do, and how it can benefit you
17. Alison
Alison is an online learning platform where you can take 5,000 courses and diploma programs for free! They also have paid premium options that remove advertisements, offer discounts on certifications, provide attestation letters, and access to paid courses. With Alison, you can take free courses in IT, sales and marketing, health, management, engineering, teaching, academics, and more! They even have a mobile app for Android and iOS devices so you can participate in courses on your phone.
18. LinkedIn Learning
Formerly called Lynda, LinkedIn Learning hosts over 21,000 online courses and learning paths taught by industry experts. The main concentrations are project management, business, design, web development, photography, cloud computing, and marketing. With LinkedIn Learning, you’re able to access as many classes as you’d like for a monthly fee of $34.99. But they let you test the waters free for 30 days. When you sign-up for a free trial, you’ll have to enter your credit card number, so be sure to mark your calendar so you can cancel your trial (unless you’d like to keep it). Otherwise, your credit card will automatically be billed.
19. OpenCourseWare
OpenCourseWare sites are free classes offered by educational institutions and universities like MIT, Harvard University, and Stanford that can be accessed online from anywhere in the world. The goal is to make learning available to everyone regardless of income or location.
While you won’t receive a college degree or certification for taking these courses, you can boost your skills and knowledge right from the comfort of your home.
Some sites that offer free OpenCourseWare are Khan Academy, Caltech, the University of Michigan, and the University of Pennsylvania.
20. Skillshare
Skillshare is an online learning community that hosts over 25,000 online classes on a variety of topics. Course categories include animation, design, illustration, lifestyle, photography, business, writing, entrepreneurship, social media, and more! With Skillshare, you can create a custom curriculum explicitly based on your needs and passions, and best of all, it’s budget-friendly – only $32 a month (or $168 annually) for as many courses as you want to consume! You can get a free 30-day trial using this link, or you can explore all of their free classes here.
21. Udemy
Another place to search for free online courses is Udemy. Many online instructors offer complimentary classes in HTML, business, IT, personal development, design, marketing, and lots more. I’ve never tried Udemy, but their website boasts more than 10,000 free courses, and all you need to do is search for the keyword free. They also offer a free 7-day trial on their Personal Plan Membership; after that, it’s $20.00 a month.
Some of their free online courses include:
- Web Design for Web Developers: Build Beautiful Websites!
- Useful Excel for Beginners
- Introduction To Python Programming
- Javascript Essentials
22. Coursera
Coursera is an online learning platform that has partnered with over 275 leading companies and universities like Duke, Stanford, Google, and Facebook to prepare you for an in-demand career.
Through Coursera, you can obtain an online degree, certification, find a new career, or advance your current career. Coursera has many different options for joining, and depending on your goals; you can take courses for free or join one of their affordable training options.
- Gain New Knowledge: 2,700+ free courses
- Learn New Job Skills: Starts at $9.99
- Specializations: $49 a month
- Professional Certificates: $49 a month
- Coursera Plus (7,000 courses): $59 a month
- Master Track Certificates: Starts at $2,000
- Degree Programs: Starts at $9,000
Some of their course subjects and degrees include data science, business, computer science, IT, personal development, language learning, math, social sciences, and many others.
23. Meta Blueprint for Business
If you want to work as a social media manager or you need to enhance your social media marketing skills, Meta for Business offers free online classes for Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp. Courses are self-guided and include such topics as:
- Prepare to bring your business online
- Attract an audience
- Improve your creative strategy
- Enhance your ads in Ads Manager
Some courses even include a free online certificate, which is great to add to your resume and LinkedIn profile.
24. IBM Training – Free Digital Training
Whether you want to gain new skills, earn credentials, or switch careers, IBM Training can help you achieve your goals with its free online training. They offer free courses in automation, business operations, cloud, data, AI, IT infrastructure, security, and supply chain. Courses range from 30 minutes to four hours in length, and once you pass your quiz with an 80, you’ll receive a certificate of completion. IBM also offers more robust training programs that you can purchase an annual subscription to participate in.
25. Free Coding Courses With Codeacademy
If you want to work in the tech industry, explore Codeacademy. They have a wide variety of free courses in AI, coding, analytics, development, web design, and more! With their basic training courses, you’ll get access to training materials, community support, and resources. When you upgrade to their Plus Plan, you’ll get access to their full catalog of online courses, skill paths, projects, and certificates of completion for $34.99 a month or $17.49 a month if you choose their annual plan.
Conclusion
So there you have it—a massive list of free online courses and resources to help you launch and grow your work at home career. No matter what path you want to take—join the remote workforce and earn a full-time income, start your own business, or launch a part-time side hustle—this list has something for everybody. Sign up with as many as you like and see which occupations and career paths best fit your unique skills, passions, and situation!
Which ones sound interesting to you? Do you know of another free course that should be on the list? Drop me a note below. I’d love to hear about it.
Originally published January 16, 2017. Content updated in August 2024.