In previous posts we’ve talked about the benefits of being a lifelong learner. But did you know? It’s never been easier to access learning resources online. Here’s a brief sampling of websites that offer everything from quick how-to instructions to full university courses — often free of charge!

• Blinkist. Ever read four books in one day? Blinkist provides 15-minute summaries of non-fiction books on topics such as philosophy, history, economics and many more. If you feel pressed for time — and don’t we all? — this is a great way to get digestible, bite-sized info.

• Codecademy is an online interactive platform that offers free coding classes in 12 different programming languages.

• Coursera works with over 200 top universities throughout the world to offer online courses, including free ones. Each course is like an interactive textbook, with pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects. You can connect with other learners and earn certificates for your studies.

• CreativeLive lets you watch streaming classes for free on topics such as photography and videography, art and design, music and audio, crafts and more. If you want to take a class that’s not live-streaming, you can access it for a small fee.

• Duolingo is a free site that provides instruction in a wide variety of languages. Pick a language and your level of seriousness, then Duolingo establishes and adapts to your proficiency level. As you learn, you simultaneously help translate websites and other documents.

• edX (which started off as a partnership between world-renowned Harvard and MIT professors) and Udacity (specializing in math) also offer college-level courses for free. (Certificates of completion are extra but reasonable.)

• GoSkills offers bite-sized online courses in business and technology. It costs $34/month, but you can do a free seven-day trial.

• Khan Academy is a free learning resource that offers over 4,000 videos on topics ranging from math to science to economics to the arts.

• LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com) offers over 16,000 courses and adds 50 more per week. 

• TED curates all manner of interesting speeches on a diverse array of topics. Lighter than a typical university lecture, the talks are given not only by university professors but by interesting people from all around the world. At about 20 minutes each, they’re great if you’re tight for time.

• Udemy is an open online course provider. Most courses teach skill-based subjects and start at about $20.

• YouTube Learning. Browse through thousands of educational videos on a variety of topics.

Have any favourite lifelong learning resources? Let us know in the Comments section below or contact us directly!