10 Eye-Opening Online Courses You Can Take in October 2019

Don’t think lesson plans have to stop when you get out of grade school or college. Learning is a lifetime pursuit, and these 10 online courses from educational hubs like edX, Udemy, and Coursera will help boost your brain power. Check out what’s on tap for virtual enrollees this October.

1. Seeing Through Photographs

There's a big difference between just seeing a photograph and actually understanding what it's trying to say. This course from the Museum of Modern Art is designed to help you understand the techniques and context behind the museum's collection of classic photos.

Sign up on Coursera for free. The optional certificate costs $49.

2. Everyday Parenting: The ABCs of Child Rearing

Wish parenthood came with an instruction manual? This Yale course might be the next best thing. Learn techniques that will make your child take notice of your role as a caregiver and identify parenting habits to avoid.

Sign up on Coursera for free. The optional certificate costs $49.

3. The Science of Well-Being

Can you learn to be happy? Maybe, and maybe not—but what you can learn are ways of identifying and avoiding obstacles that can interfere with a positive attitude. This course from Yale covers thinking habits that can be self-sabotaging as well as mindfulness techniques that can keep you on the right path to emotional satisfaction.

Sign up on Coursera for free. The optional certificate costs $49.

4. Ultimate Photoshop Training: From Beginner to Pro

Ever look at a modified image and wonder how it’s done? Now you can make memes or pursue gigs in graphic design with this tutorial that examines the world of Photoshop. The software will no longer be an intimidating panel of options, but a comprehensive tool to realize your visual goals.

Sign up on Udemy for $26. A certificate of completion is included in the price.

5. How to Remember Every Password

Cyber security can take its toll on users who want to balance having strong passwords with remembering all of them. Learn and use this proven method to develop passwords that are easy to remember but hard to crack.

Sign up on Udemy for $19. A certificate of completion is included in the price.

6. Healthy Cooking Fundamentals

If takeout is getting too expensive, consider this course that can prepare you for a night in the kitchen. You’ll learn how to prepare nutritious dishes that not only taste great, but look great, too.

Sign up on Udemy for $19. A certificate of completion is included in the price.

7. Designing and Creating Skirts

Start your own fashion trends with this course on how to measure, cut, and choose materials for skirts.

Sign up on edX for free. The optional certificate costs $100.

8. The Conquest of Space: Space Exploration and Rocket Science

Learn all about humanity’s quest to venture beyond the stars in this course that covers the history of space exploration and gives a ground-level understanding of the science necessary to blast off.

Sign up on edX for free. The optional certificate costs $50.

9. Public Speaking

Does a microphone and a room full of people seem intimidating? Public speaking is an acquired skill—and like any skill, it benefits greatly from getting the right instructions. Diminish or eliminate your apprehension over public addresses with this course covering preparation and techniques to reduce your fear.

Sign up on edX for free. The optional certificate costs $49.

10. Read Music Fast

If sheets of music have long resembled a foreign language to you, try this technique that will have you fluent in no time.

Sign up on Udemy for $19. A certificate of completion is included in the price.

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