Online classes all Indian professionals must take!

Why does India continue to be a developing country? How can individuals help in the country’s growth? This is a topic that has been debated many times in the past. The experts point at the loopholes in India’s education system as the primary reason behind India’s slow growth. To change this, a lot of work needs to be done, especially at the primary and the K-12 level.

It is true that much of our formal education revolves around teaching the basics. Even though Indian schools and colleges are excellent in many aspects, our academic curriculum doesn’t prepare a professional to succeed and thrive in his career. To say the least, the formal education in India is always a few steps behind the global industry, especially when it comes to management and technology.

Acquiring skills like Microsoft Excel, digital marketing, analytical development, communication, money management and taxation, just to name a few, can help you become a well-rounded, successful person. Unfortunately, including these skills at the school level seems a long shot now. So what can you, as an individual, do to develop the required skills to enhance your career?

Here is a list of five online courses that an Indian professional must take to give an edge to his/her career:

1. Digital Skills

In this era, where pretty much everything, starting from your social media accounts to businesses and even money management, has gone digital, learning a few skills, such as digital marketing, social media management, web analytics and others , will help you take your business or career to new heights.

Here is a list of top 5 online classes for developing digital management and marketing skills:

• Digigyan
• Simplilearn
• Talent Edge
• Digital Vidya
• Online Marketing Institute (OMI)

1. Soft Skills

Soft skills training offer a plethora of benefits to one’s career. The ability to communicate efficiently with co-workers, senior management, customers and even a friend, can increase collaborative outcomes for an individual. There are many online classes that offer elaborate training in soft skills, covering each and every aspect of your communication to ensure enhanced performance and self-confidence.

A list of top 5 online classes for developing soft skills:

• SkillDom
• com
• Skillsoft
• WizIQ
• E-learningserv

1. MS Office

From analytics to infographics and report management, name any activity that a professional is required to perform in an office environment on a daily basis, and MS Office would be the platform to complete the task. Even Google Drive uses the functions of MS Office to create documents and spreadsheets. If you still find yourself struggling to put up formulas in the spreadsheets or creating graphs in your presentations, taking a crash course on MS Office online can instantly improve your productivity at work.

The top 5 online classes for learning MS Office:

• New Horizons
• com (a LinkedIn company)
• Seek Learning
• Go Skills
• Webucator

1. Data Analytics

Of course, you have solved many problems at the school and college level that judge your analytical thinking, but how many of those actually helped you develop the skill to analyse big data and chart out solutions? Career options like big data scientist, data architects and data developer, are on the rise and this seems to be the right time to develop your analytical skills.

Top 5 online classes for Data Analytics:

• Simplilearn
• EDX
• Upgrad
• Jigswaacademy
• AIMA

1. Quality and Project Management

Quality and Project management is an integral component of businesses and organisations, where one needs to follow certain techniques and strategies to accomplish the project within the timelines, without compromising on the quality. This is the skill only a few possess, primarily those with B-school degrees. But the fact is that with proper training and efforts, you can acquire such skills and turn around the wheels of your career.

Here are 5 online classes you could turn to:

• com
• Simplilearn
• com
• AIQM
• QualityGurus

Special Note: All of these online digital academies offer free sessions and counselling to help you pick the right course for the advancement of your career. The course duration vary between three months to one year, depending on the level of expertise.

Where there’s a will, there’s certainly a way. Even if your academic curriculum has not helped you pick up these skills, it is never too late to start. There are a lot of online and offline courses that can help you keep your skills updated as per the changing industry trends. Understand your set of skills and keep adding more to it to stay in the competition.

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)