“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” 

Nelson Mandella 

Not only can education change the whole world, but you can use it to change your own world!

As a teacher, I am a big fan of education – but it doesn’t have to stop at school. Lifelong learning is fantastic for many reasons:

• You can learn new skills which enhance your knowledge and help you get that promotion.  That promotion can mean more money and financial security
• You can try out a new area that you’re interested in, get a taste for it, gain a qualification in it and then change your career
• Courses in areas like photography, gardening and writing can allow you to turn your hobby into a new career
• You could start your own business making use of bookkeeping or marketing courses
• Learning new things is great for keeping you young and enthusiastic about life

Free online courses are a growing market and many colleges and universities now offer them. You could take a short course ranging from 30 minutes to a few hours work, or take certified courses including  National 5s, Highers, Degrees, Post Grad Masters and even PHDs.

Lots of small businesses and individuals also offer courses.  Many of these are also free, with paid options available too.  I have loads of free resources as well as paid courses, which get excellent reviews. 

The rise of platforms such as Ruzuku, Kajabi and Thinkfic means that anyone with knowledge can write and offer their own online courses. If you have a subject that you are knowledgable about, then why not think about writing your own course?

If you have a particular topic in mind, then just google it!

If you’re not sure what you want to study, then you could browse the following:

• The Open University, founded in 1969, offers a huge range of courses from Introduction to Social Work to Parenting to Understanding Spoken Spanish to Leadership
• There are also a range of free Open University courses especially for teachers and student teachers 
• MOOCS – Massive Open Online Courses – these are thousands of free online courses in areas such as Management, Business, Engineering, Life Sciences and Programming
• Future Learn – here you can access a broad range of courses from various top universities including Programming, Cyber Security, Construction Project Management and Gender Representation in the Media

There is a huge variety of courses and something for everyone, so why not set yourself the challenge of learning something new in 2021?

It could just be the start of something exciting!