A Roundup of Free Creative Tools and Classes to Keep Your Skills Fresh

Realistically, getting a job right now is not impossible, but it is more challenging than it was two months ago.

If the stress of the moment makes it too hard to focus on a rigorous job search, now is a great time to take advantage of the free offers and courses that will help you keep your skills fresh! You can even learn some new ones. And note that these resources are also available to freelancers in need of premium tools to service their clients.

OFFERS IN THE TOOLBOX.

These companies are supporting the creative community by offering extensive free trials and steep discounts:

• Affinity Designer, a vector graphics editor (free trial and 50% off; offer available until May 20th)
• JIRA and Confluence (free)
• Final Cut Pro X (free for 90 days)
• Adobe Creative Cloud (payment holiday)

TAKING AN ONLINE CLASS IS LIKE GOING TO THE GYM FOR RÉSUMÉS.

When it comes to online courses, Coursera and edX have the most comprehensive class listings around. A bonus is that you can work at your own pace. Some of their free offerings are:

• Graphic Design, including interactive, typography, and fundamentals
• User Experience Design, including Sketch, free trials from Optimal Workshop, and sitemap and wireframe development
• Advertising, including strategy, branding, and digital ad tools like Google Ads, Facebook, etc.
• Marketing, including digital, social media, content, analytics, and SEO
• Programming and web design tools like Python, Java, C++, and HTML
• Project Management

DO WHAT WORKS BEST FOR YOU THIS YEAR.

2020 needn’t be a lost year. Until the crisis ends, we're in suspended animation. Don't feel that you need to break your back applying yourself or that you need to hit arbitrary productivity goals. But if you're looking for some intellectual stimulation that will yield happy returns, then now is an excellent time to learn and keep your skills sharp for when business and hiring pick up pace again.

Warm regards,

Elysian

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