Making sure that we’re keeping up to date with technology and developing digital skills is important in today’s world. Among other things, it helps us to stay connected with loved ones and discover a variety of new and exciting opportunities.
Whether it’s coding, video production, or getting to grips with social media – digital skills can be used to boost your CV, start a business, or simply have some fun.
But deciding on what digital skills we’d like to learn can often be difficult, as can finding helpful resources that’ll allow us to do so from the comfort of our home.
With this in mind, we’ve come up with eight very different digital skills that you can learn from home, along with a few suggestions on how to get started.
And, if you’d like to start learning today, you can find over 210,000 online courses on the Udemy website.
1. General office skills
These days, most companies expect employees to be familiar with standard office tools like Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. But if you’ve never had to use them before, it can be tricky to know where to start.
There are hundreds of free online courses promising to take you from a novice to an expert in a few hours – so which are the most worthwhile?
How to get started
If you want to improve your general IT skills to increase your chances of finding a job or advancing your career, it might be a good idea to get a Microsoft Office certification. This means you’ll be able to prove your expertise in Excel, Outlook, Word, and other Microsoft Office applications on your CV or LinkedIn profile.
A Microsoft Office certification is a great way to let a potential employer know that you’re tech-savvy. And because today’s world is an increasingly digital one, you’ll probably find many reasons to use your new skills in your personal life too – whether it’s writing a novel or building a budget spreadsheet.
If it’s just Microsoft Word you’re looking to improve in, LinkedIn offers 30 days of free access to their classes – and there are several first-rate Word courses that’ll soon have you writing, editing, and designing documents like a pro.
Or, if you’re happy to pay a little, Udemy offers lots of useful courses, including this Microsoft Word course.
If you want to learn how to use Microsoft Excel, you could have a look at this free 3.5-hour online course from the Corporate Finance Institute. Or, if you want to really get into how it works, there’s a great 12-hour course that’s also free from TrumpExcel. It comprises of 26 different modules where you’ll learn all the tips, tricks, functions, and formulas that you need to become an Excel expert.
For PowerPoint, there’s a helpful free course available on Udemy. Mastering Microsoft PowerPoint Made Easy Training Tutorial is a course that’ll help you get familiar with the PowerPoint environment, learn how to create basic presentations, and apply animation.
And, if you want to become proficient in all areas of Microsoft Office, check out this course from Coursera.
2. Photo editing
Today, being able to take beautiful photos is only one part of creating great images. Editing, enhancing, and manipulating digital images is a key part of photography. These skills can turn an average photo into an astounding one.
It’s something that once you’ve mastered, you’ll probably use far more than you might expect. After all, who hasn’t wanted to remove red eyes from an otherwise lovely family photo?
On a professional level, photo editing allows you to enrich a presentation and improve website images (as well as add another skill to your CV). It’s also just a fun way to express yourself and enjoy some quiet time.
How to get started
Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom are some of the most popular photo editing software used by professionals and amateurs alike. While they can be complex tools, that’s only because they have so many great features.
You can trial Adobe Photoshop for a week for free to see whether it’s right for you. If you like it, you might want to take one of their courses, which can teach you how to lighten a photo, add a logo, or completely overhaul an image. It’s also worth checking out Adobe’s short Photoshop tutorials, which are free.
Sites like YouTube and PSD Stack also have lots of free tutorials to help you get to grips with learning how to use Photoshop.
If you decide that you’re serious about improving your photo editing skills or thinking about pursuing a career in photography, you might benefit from a more in-depth course.
The Adobe Lightroom CC Photo Editing: Your Lightroom Masterclass is one of the best-rated photo editing courses, and it teaches you all the essentials. From fixing basic issues like exposure and white balance to using sharpening and noise reduction, the course aims to take you from total novice to expert in 10.5 hours of video tutorials.
If you just want to have some fun editing your photos online without having to commit to a full membership at any point, you could also try out Pixlr X. Pixlr X has established itself as one of the best free photo editing softwares out there. It allows you to edit an image’s colour and saturation, get rid of unwanted features with a touch-up tool, and adjust the white balance.
Pixlr X has a number of free tutorials on their YouTube channel that can help you get the most out of this software.
3. Coding
In simple terms, the practice of coding involves writing in a language that a computer understands. Being able to understand and use a language that tells a computer to follow a set of instructions brings huge potential.
The ability could lead to you developing a mobile phone app, starting a new company, or even landing a role as a software engineer or IT specialist.
It’s true that coding can seem like a skill that requires a background in IT and/or computer science, but this isn’t the case. Anyone can learn to code at any time and many master the basics by teaching themselves at home.
For insight into what the learning experience is actually like, listen to this BBC interview about a whole family who learnt to code during the first Covid-19 lockdown.
How to get started
If you’re new to coding, why not follow in the footsteps of over 45 million people and take a course with CodeAcademy?
CodeAcademy offers free classes and also paid memberships where you can take advantage of expert guidance from coding teachers, get stuck into projects, and receive support from other students. There are courses that cover all sorts of programming languages – from HTML and CSS to JavaScript.
Alternatively, head over to The Odin Project (named after the Norse god whose trademark was a thirst for new knowledge). This open-source project promises to turn coding amateurs into coding experts.
4. Copywriting
Copywriting may not instantly spring to mind when you think of digital skills, but every great site requires decent copy – and in the world of digital marketing, “content will always be king”.
There are plenty of reasons to improve your copywriting skills, and you certainly don’t have to be an established writer to take a class or course. Whether you want to spruce up your CV, write compelling copy for your website, or simply add another string to your bow, copywriting is a useful skill to have.
How to get started
The internet is jam-packed full of helpful resources for budding copywriters – and, luckily, many are free.
If you’re a beginner, LinkedIn offers a great course exploring the different ways that you can use copy to promote a product or service. LinkedIn Training instructor, Ian Lurie, will teach you how to write in a way that tells your story, sells your product or service, and promotes your brand.
Combining online lectures, exercises, quizzes, and assignments, this course will guide you through the process of writing and editing a draft, how to best use typography, and how to print and compare copy online.
If you’re committed to improving your copywriting skills, and perhaps even thinking of pursuing it professionally, there are several top-rated copywriting courses available on Udemy.
If you hope to put your skills towards boosting your business, check out Udemy’s The Complete Copywriting Course, which promises to let you in on secrets from the world’s best copywriters and teach you the sales psychology needed to grow a business. Or, if you have more of a general desire to learn copywriting, the New Skills Academy’s Copywriting Masterclass might be for you.
5. Design
Let’s say you’ve built a website and written the copy. What does the site need next? Good design, of course. The importance of design cannot be underestimated. In fact, 94% of first impressions of a website are design-related.
The ability to design digitally can also be just as helpful in your personal life as it can professionally. For example, you can just as easily use these skills to design invitations for a party that you’re planning.
How to get started
If you’re just starting out, have a look at this list of 16 free design eBooks on LinkedIn.
Covering topics like logo design, finding inspiration, and choosing a font, there’s a book out there for whatever type of design you want to learn about. And, because all the books are free and in eBook format, there’s nothing to stop you from downloading and reading all 16 if you want to.
If you’d prefer a course or workshop, why not head over to Skillshare? It offers a great range of free design courses – particularly recommended are Graphic Design Basics and Demystifying Graphic Design: How Posters Work.
6. Video production
Whether you’ve always dreamed of making your own films, would like to use video to promote your business, or just want to shoot family videos that look professional, video production can be a fun and useful skill to have.
There’s a lot involved in the video production process. You’ll need to figure out which editing programme you want to use, which camera is the best fit and whether to use lighting and audio equipment.
How to get started
Creative Cow is a great free resource to check out when you’re getting started. Here, you can find a list of video tutorials that’ll help you learn the basics of video production software, including Adobe, Apple, and Sony. A big perk of Creative Cow is its forum community, where you can connect with other budding filmmakers and video editors to ask questions, give advice, and swap tips.
For more in-depth tutorials, Skillshare’s Video Production: The Complete Course is perfect for beginners. By signing up for their free trial, you can watch it at no cost. It takes you through the ideation process, provides a thorough introduction to equipment, shows you what makes a good video, and teaches you how to compose and expose your shots.
Udemy also has a great selection of video production courses, whether you want to use your new skills for video marketing or to make beautiful and inspiring films.
7. Digital marketing
Digital marketing (which encompasses search engine marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, and so on) is one of the most useful skills to have in today’s job market.
Whether you use it to promote the book you’re working on, help your business to gain visibility, or give your job applications a serious boost, everyone can benefit from having a better understanding of digital marketing.
How to get started
If you’re interested in learning digital marketing to help your business or career, why not get certified in the fundamentals of digital marketing with Google’s free course? It includes 26 that are specially created by Google trainers – and all are chock full of helpful exercises and practical examples.
Getting certified can improve your CV as it proves you have a good understanding of the main concepts of digital marketing.
If there are specific areas of digital marketing that you want to explore, have a look at this list of 17 free courses compiled by marketing data site Ahrefs. There are courses in SEO (search engine optimisation), email marketing, social marketing, and advertising – to name a few.
With the courses created and taught by digital marketing giants like HubSpot, Buffer, and Moz, you’ll be learning from the best. Plus, since they’re all free, there’s no limit to how many you can try.
8. Social media
Whether you use it or not, it’s impossible to minimise the impact and influence of social media. In fact, globally, there are over five billion active social media users, and it has fast become the main source of information and communication between content creators and consumers.
Being able to use and understand social media platforms is a skill that can be learnt like any other. It can benefit us professionally – and, of course, in our personal lives too.
For some quick tips on how to video call your friends and family, check out our handy guide.
How to get started
If you’re new to social media, the free Social Media Quickstarter course from Constant Contact is a good way to kick off your learning. Covering the main social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, the course offers a thorough guide to building a presence on each platform and how to best utilise them.
The free Accenture Digital Skills: Social Media course on Future Learn is also excellent if you want to learn how to use social media for business. It’s free – as are these 12 social media marketing courses.
Additional resources that you may find helpful...
- Microsoft’s Digital Skills Hub aims to give people a personalised pathway so they can develop their skills in an increasingly digital world.
- Learn My Way offers free, bite-sized resources so that you can either spend a few minutes or a few hours developing your skills. It’s great for those looking to learn digital skills at an introductory level.
You can learn everything from how to get to grips with your computer and/or smart device to how to use public services online. - Create a professional online presence with Future Learn’s free course. It’ll encourage you to consider whether your social media presence reflects who you are and to think about how you can build your online presence to boost your employability.
- This course from Future Learn will show you how to create great online content. It’s designed to help you to learn the best practice for communicating effectively online by considering tone, style, and format.
Final thoughts...
Developing digital skills takes dedication and enthusiasm, but the benefits can be huge. Whether that’s helping you to make a career change, find an exciting new job, or simply stay connected with loved ones.
If you want to develop your skills but haven’t found anything above that takes your fancy, why not head over to the learning section of our website?
If you’re looking to learn or develop some non-digital-related skills from home, check out our articles; 12 new skills you can learn from home and 9 creative skills that you can learn from home. These are jam-packed with ideas for learning – so why not have a read and see if inspiration strikes?
Are you learning a new digital skill? Have you been inspired by any of the ideas above? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!