It’s generally a good idea to learn more; whether its passion or interest.  As professionals, we desire learning.  It enables us to further develop our careers, to get that raise or to move up to the next level.  Thankfully for the internet and its wealth of information, there is an information overload these days.  This is good and bad because with all this data, there is definitely a whole bunch of crap.  I’ve found some interesting resources for better learning and higher education for free.

Free Education Resources

I never thought about it until I read this article about Salman Khan, but YouTube is not just for funny clips to share among peers.  Although I’ve seen tutorials on how to use software applications or videos the wife shared with me from make up application to cooking tips; I never thought of YouTube for this.  Interestingly enough, I now think the potential is endless and will search more thoroughly from now on.  You too can do the same.

iTunes is another unexpected find.  If you log onto the Apple iTune’s store and search a subject, there will be podcasts, videos and transcripts on the subject.  Some from individual experts or gurus sharing their knowledge.  Others are actual established institutions offering their courses in audio or video format from their professors.

Another obvious learning tool is using Wikipedia.  Good information but may not always be accurate because after all, it is community driven and some content is subjective.  Nonetheless, it gives you a brief overview on any subject as well as another perspective.  It is likely the gateway to further in-depth research.

In a more traditional approach, universities like MIT have put up courses online from the past so you can actually take part in a course from lectures to exercises.  Not bad if you ask me on the quality of what is available for those that thirst for knowledge.

Finally, when was the last time you stepped foot into your local library?  Probably not in a long time.  Kids have an entirely different experience growing up today.  Still, the local library is one free education resource to take advantage of.  At least in my city, the public library shares a book database that is robust and can deliver and hold a book for me.

Education is everywhere.  Launch a browser and go to Google and type in a question.  You’ll find answers, although, most of the content resources are brief or inaccurate.  But that is just the first step.  With the above mentioned resources, your on your way to learning at a high level for free.

Do you agree that learning is much more accessible and you just need to dedicate the time for it?  Also, there is definitely an overload of information but if you use the right resources, you’ll gain a healthy education and benefit from learning above all else, for free.  Can’t beat that in this economy, right?