Distance learning has gained mainstream recognition in the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic, with students, parents, teenagers and the older generation all venturing into the online education field with a renowned zeal and enthusiasm to learn something new. The limited outdoor activities and interactions have made people look for alternate ways to spend their time productively by either getting a new skill or brushing up on their old forgotten ones. Popular categories range from general education to online cooking, guitar, painting and graphic designing classes to name a few. On your quest to making this quarantine time a success story, here are a few platforms to help you get started on a new venture:

Graphic Designing

This form of designing is seen as a core skill that can be useful in both personal and professional settings, depending on what your hobby or work-life demands. Having this skill under your belt will add that little bit of sparkle to your CV and open up an entirely new world of creativity to explore. Popular websites include:

Skillshare: Provides short but in-depth courses centered around graphic designing and is ideal for beginners. It is a free of cost platform for majority of the classes, with a few subscriptions based ones also available.

Alison: Provides an online Visual and Graphic Designing course including a test-based certificate of completion. This is the ideal platform for people already versed in or studying graphic designing and want extra accreditation in the form of certified courses.

Udemy: Best online platform for people looking to develop new skills in the graphic designing field. Also includes a list of top 10 courses that are rated high on the beneficial scale.

Coursera: Though with limited free course options, this platform has a reputation for offering online courses for some notable universities like Yale and Stanford. However, an audit option helps you take free classes online but does not include marking of your work nor any certification at the end of the course.

Canva: This platform is aimed for students wanting to learn graphic designing. Design School for Canva offers resources that are useful for beginners and experienced graphic designers.

Language

An exciting course in itself, with more than 6000 languages spoken in the world, it is safe to say that the options are plenty. Learning a new language is academically beneficial and leads us to explore, understand and appreciate the vibrant culture, history and traditions intertwined with the language.

Duolingo: A well-known language learning platform, that is widely appealing due to its game-like design and features. It is a fun learning platform that caters around the busy schedules of its users by allowing them to squeeze in language learning during lunch breaks and other moments of short span free times.

LingQ: A web-based language learning platform including a community aspect interface through which users can interact and learn different languages. The platform rewards its users for helping in the learning process. LingQ’s database is filled with lessons comprising text documents, followed by audio to perfect your verbal and listening skills.

FluentU: It is an immersive designed learning platform that focuses on the primary need for all language learners. The lessons include real-world videos like music, talk shows, news, movie trailers, etc. to give the users an immersive experience to not just relate but understand the language better.

ELanguageSchool: The platform comprises of 15 languages and focuses on written instructions. It is known for its detailed list of commonly used nouns and verbs.
     
Internet Polygot: While the majority of the online language learning platforms may be in default English setting, Internet Polygot allows its users to learn to and from any language they have available. Example: A Spanish speaker can learn French through Spanish lessons.

Photography

A passionate and adventurous hobby that sheds a new perspective on life for those who practice it. Learn to capture moments and see the world through the lens, sometimes looking at the bigger picture while otherwise focusing on the minute details.

Skillshare: It is a diverse community of online video courses with access to over 24000 classes for a reasonable fee. Skillshare allows free 1-month trial with access to all classes. The focus is on DSLR cameras in different environments to get the perfect shot. Users can take part and submit projects for comparison as well.

Lynda: A professional training platform powered by Linkedin suitable for people passionate about photography and those wanting to become professional photographers. It is another website that offers a free trial period before a subscription is required. Some courses are also designed for budding student photographers to get an insight into the life of a working photographer.

Creativelive: The platform offers a variety of specialized online digital photography courses ranging from basics of camera handling and model poses to specific categories like portraiture.

Basics of Photography: The Complete Guide: This beginners course highlights the basics of photography with an emphasis on camera features, type and settings. The course consists mainly of text type tutorials that are divided into 5 sections, beginning from basics and leading on to photo editing tips.

Bluprint: This course is perfect for all those seeking to capture their artistic hobbies from the perfect angle, like artists, chefs, gardeners to even knitting. The course features nine HD video photography classes, focusing on lighting, exposure, composition, shutter speed, ISO, lenses and aperture.

Music

The options in this field are endless and musical in every sense. Take your pick from a wide variety of musical instruments that pique your interest and get started down the melodious road of music.

Alison: Specializing in nine distinct categories and offering a combined total of 1500 free online courses, this platform lets the user set the pace and offers certificate courses, diploma courses and learning paths.

Udemy: It is a platform aiming to connect teachers to students from all over the world to enhance skills and create more opportunities for learning. This website offers users the option of selecting industry experts to teach the course that interests them. Users that are not sure of what course to start at or take have a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Skillshare: Set to establish and nurture creativity in individuals all around the world, Skillshare offers a wide range of musical categories to choose from. Depending on individual interest and requirement, courses focusing on specific musical instruments to music production and composition are available.

Futurelearn:  Aimed at inspiring users to learn anything and everything they want, Futurelearn is the ideal platform to develop professional skills or venture into a new hobby like music. Offering musical possibilities that range from the primary key learning to lessons taught by expert musicians.

Beauty

A highly acclaimed and successful industry that is ripe for the taking. Learn all the tips and tricks of the beauty world and graduate with newfound confidence while looking fabulous. Perhaps this will be that hidden talent you never knew you had and go on to build on it.

Bobbi Brown Masterclass: A masterclass offered by the beauty mogul herself highlights makeup techniques for different types of faces no matter what look you go for. The course comprises of 19 lessons and touch upon several important topics like skin tone, skin type, most suitable cosmetics and the use of makeup for different age groups.

Skillshare: This online course website offers a variety of makeup courses and brushes up on a list of techniques and tips that are useful for budding make up artists or individuals. The courses include skincare and haircare at-home remedies along with details on the use of different makeup brushes.

Udemy: Another useful and insightful online course website that also includes makeup lessons for professionals and amateurs alike. Users can discover lessons that focus on home remedies, tonics, and makeup to beautify the body. Tutorials also include methods to take care of hair, nails and skin.

Beauty Courses Online: It is the perfect platform for makeup enthusiasts looking to make a career out of their hobby. An experienced instructor teaches the classes with the help of detailed illustrations on individual subjects relating to beauty and makeup or a full beauty course, including 6 topics.

The Beauty Academy: Brush up and polish your make up skills with the informative courses offered by The Beauty Academy. Lessons are taught with video-based tutorials, and users have the option to ask doubts and questions in a one-on-one interactive session with instructors via email.

Art

A colorful and creative field that ignites the passion of a wild or subtly beautiful imagination. Whether it be drawing, painting or molding a masterpiece, art is the language that seeks to express the intangible in a tangible form, from feeling to visualizing, from living to expressing, from experiencing to painting.

Smart Art School: The platform offers live classes for small groups in figure drawing. Smart Art School lessons are headed by industry professionals and artist. The teaching alumni also includes a colorful ensemble of editors, directors and gallery owners who provide assignment critiques and hold Q&As with every student.  

Tuscan Art Academy: This online art learning platform focuses on painting with oils, pastels, acrylic and watercolors through pre-recorded video lessons. Users have to option to choose between self-study or online mentoring where they can ask the tutor questions.

Draw and Paint Online: Classes are conducted by renowned author, artist and tutor Peter Stanyer. The main aim of the course is to cover fundamentals from mark making, tone, color, shape and composition. The classes are scheduled and structured, including practical drawing and painting projects with personal feedback from the tutor himself.

Creature Art Teacher: Tutored by Aaron Blaise, the animator of acclaimed movies like ‘Beauty and the Beast’, ‘Lion King’ and ‘Brother Bear’, the course is centred around charcoal drawing in real-time. The insightful details and commentary in the videos act as the perfect guideline for young and aspiring artists, with informative tips and key points highlighted throughout the verbal and visual experience.

CGMA: Designed to inspire students in the field of animation, games and VFX industries, this online platform through virtual classrooms provides a stable and welcoming network for career development and discussion. With 100 courses taught by over 90 professionals, the initiative aims to perfect drawing basics to tackling challenging projects.

Remember, knowledge is power!