How the world is changing and learning

Old school learning
Gone are the days of having to spend a few nights a week at TAFE, when you wanted to learn something new, or having to do sessions with a “professional” in your area of interest.

Today, the worlds of personal and professional development are literally in your own pocket.

The open learning environment has made access to ‘becoming smarter and wiser’ far easier in your spare time, so long as you have access to the internet.

So, here is a challenge to all: learn something new every day

It doesn’t have to be directly related to your career. It could be as easy as, for example, how to clean and freshen your pillow in three simple steps.

To help you along your journey to being a happier and more productive person, I have listed 20 amazing places to start when you want to learn something new:

1. Lynda: Over 4,000 courses in business, technology and creative skills.
2. Hackaday: Learn new skills and facts with bite-sized hacks delivered daily.
3. MindTools: A place to learn leadership skills.
4. Codecademy: Learn Java, PHP, Python, and more from this reputable online coding school.
5. Big Think: Read articles and watch videos featuring expert “Big Thinkers”.
6. Craftsy: Learn a fun, new skill from expert instructors in cooking, knitting, sewing, cake decorating, and more.
7. Guides.co: A massive collection of online guides on just about every topic imaginable.
8. Lifehacker: The name says it all.
9. Udacity: Learn coding at the free online university.
10. TED Ed: The iconic TED brand brings you lessons worth sharing.
11. ITunes U:  Yale, Harvard, and other top universities share lecture podcasts.
12. One Month: Commit to learning a new skill over a period of one month with daily work.
13. Khan Academy: One of the biggest and best-known gamified online learning platforms.
14. Yousician: Who said when you learn something new it has to be work-related?
15. Squareknot: Get creative with other creatives.
16. Memrise: Get smarter and expand your vocabulary.
17. Spreeder: How cool would it be to be able to speed read?
18. Cook Smarts: Learn basic to advanced food prep and cooking techniques.
19. Make: Learn how to do that DIY project you’ve had your eye on.
20. Instructables: A place that lets you explore, document, and share your DIY creations.

There’s no reason you can’t learn something new every day, whether it’s a work skill, a fun new hobby, or even a language!