In-Demand Information Technology (IT) Courses
The IT (Information Technology) industry is a good spot for job opportunities and was ranked as one of the most in-demand around the world. There are many free IT online courses offered today, which can deliver the basics and a much broader range of topics such as Cloud Computing, Network Security, Programming and many more. At one time, those people who are passionate on learning goes to universities and colleges. But in today’s era, Internet plays a major role that offers learning initiatives and assists the new generation of ITs to succeed.
There are many websites, universities, and institutions that offer the best online information technology courses through an OpenCourseWare or OCW projects. An OCW is the course lessons made by the universities and were published for free through the Internet. It started in the late 1990s and later became a worldwide means of bringing informative and educational materials. Basic ITs are often available for free, as well as more specialized courses that consist of other IT issues. However, the use of those materials or enrolling in online short courses in Information Technology will not result in a college credit. Students who wished to earn a degree through online courses with college credit option can enroll to those courses that charge an amount of money, which is usually lower than the cost when you go to a college campus.
Taking an Information Technology online training courses can be useful for learning about the different areas of a computer such as a system analysis, application development, and health informatics. But the core idea of studying Information Technology is to learn how to organize and store data in a proper way, by utilizing several telecommunication systems. When you take online courses on Information Technology, you’ll be able to learn how to secure your computer network so no one can access your saved data, design Information Technology applications needed for a certain business and learn how the information is transmitted and shared through computer networks.
There are many different online courses on Information Technology available for free and paid. Below are the lists of e-learning provider and universities that offer some in-demand free Information Technology courses:
Alison was founded in the year 2007 by Mike Feerick, a serial entrepreneur. It’s an e-learning provider, which can be found in Galway, Ireland. The majority of users or learners are located in India and they are considered as one of the biggest MOOC (Massive Open Online Course Provider) outside America.
Some of the IT Courses offered by Alison:
This course is a free self-certifiable, which will introduce you to the Information Technology literacy. It covers all the basic computing concepts and will give you the knowledge about the essentials of computing in our everyday life. It also teaches the basic applications of Microsoft Office and training on typing.
Web Designing is very in-demand these days, as everyone is always looking for ways to create their own. Alison offers free online Diploma for Web Design course and this is designed for both novice and intermediate web designer. This course is all-inclusive that will elevate your knowledge in web development tools and techniques.
This free online course will define why managers should understand the major role of Information Technology in the structure of the contemporary business. A manager will become successful if he has an excellent understanding of the functions, effects, and capabilities of the technology that he should implement.
To qualify for the Alison Diploma or certificate, one must complete the entire modules and should score 80% or more in the course assessments.
edX:
EdX is a provider of MOOC or Massive Open Online Course Provider. They offer online courses worldwide at no charge. They are in partnership with leading universities across the world including Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard University, Berkeley University of California, Columbia University, Australian National University, Boston University and a lot more. EdX was developed as open-source software.
Some of the IT Courses offered by edX:
This is the course that will introduce you to Computer Science through the programming language called Scratch, which was developed by MIT. This will help you in creating interactive games, animated images and more, with some simple drag and drop interface.
This course is an introduction to Computer Science, where you can learn how to design algorithms; what does the computer circuits represent data; designing, implementing, documenting and testing skills and how you can solve computational errors. It also teaches the basics of Python Programming.
This course will introduce you to the world of Information Technology and learn the basics of information systems. It will also assist you in passing the examination on CLEP Information Systems and Computer Applications.
Udacity also offers MOOC, but this is a for-profit educational organization that offers vocational and university-style courses. They are in partnership with Georgia Institute of Technology, San Jose State University, etc.
IT Courses offered:
This course is an introduction to Computer Programming course. You will learn how to build your own web applications, Python and the basics of Computer Science while building your very own search engine and social network.
This course will teach you to add code to the applications on your mobile phone that runs Android and will send the data to the Google Analytics. It also covers how to utilize the Google Tag Manager and will send the updates details to your application without redeploying the APK file. It is part of the Google Play Services that includes several Google APIs. One can become an Android Developer after taking this course.
This free IT course doesn’t follow the normal flow of other courses in the Internet. Knowing the syntax won’t allow you to create a webpage from a design. One should know where and how to make the task and assume that they are already a front-end developer. Taking this course will teach you to understand page layout and utilize the HTML and CSS.
The Cisco Networking Academy is a global education scheme by the Cisco Systems, which provides networking programs such as the Cisco CCNA security online course and CCNP courses. CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) and the CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional) were both IT certifications from Cisco that aims to prepare the learners on the certification exams and other computer-related courses.
- CCNA:
Holding a CCNA Security certification will help the learners in developing a security infrastructure, identify vulnerabilities or possible threats to networks and reduce the security threats.
Courses offered under CCNA:
This course is the gateway to entry-level IT and networking jobs. Learners will be able to know the networking fundamentals in this 70-hour course. The curriculum consists of Introduction to Networks, Connecting Networks, Routing and Switching Essentials and Scaling Networks.
This course will prepare you to implement, design and support security for devices that are networked together. This course will be helpful in developing a security in infrastructure, in identifying the vulnerabilities and threats to the networks and lessen the security threats.
The CCNA 200-120 online course will cover all the thing a learner needs in preparing for the 200-120 certification exam. Learners will be able to understand networking, the uses of routers and switches and also the dynamic routing. It also prepares the learners in Layer 2 technology and the different configurations like VLANs, STP, EtherChannel, VTP and more.
Courses offered under CCNP:
This course will build knowledge and experiences to the learners in planning, implementing, verifying and troubleshooting the local and wide area enterprise networks. The curriculum consists of CCNP Routing and Switching ROUTE, CCNP Routing and Switching SWITCH and CCNP Routing and Switching TSHOOT.
CompTIA: (Link: )
CompTIA or Computer Technology Industry Association is a non-profit trade association and the provider of professional certificates to the IT industry. These certifications include CompTIA’s A+, Network+ and Security+, which was accredited by the American National Standards Institute.
- A+ covers topics about various technologies and operating systems from different vendors like Microsoft, Novell, Apple, and Linux.
- Network+ covers topics about network hardware, troubleshooting, and installation, connections, LAN Protocols, WAN and software. This certificate will allow the learners to pursue Cisco and Microsoft certifications.
- Security+ covers topics about computer security such as access control and cryptography, as well as risk management and disaster recovery for business.
While Information Technology is playing a significant role in the society today, people who have computer skills are always in demand. The vacancies for IT professionals are at a high. However, one needs to acquire a proper IT certification. Becoming certified will prove that you have the necessary skills to succeed.