Author: Victoria Rocha, WISE Boston BOD Member
As the daughter of a Phys Ed and Technology teacher, learning is part of my DNA. In observation of successful colleagues and industry leaders, those who embrace a “sponge” like mentality find success and excel in their endeavors. So to the best of my ability, I’ve approached opportunities and challenges with an open mind to embrace change and to absorb new information and material.
However, part of that ongoing learning process happens not only when on the job, but continues on at home. Whether you’re looking for your next gig or enhancing your business acumen while meeting the demands of your day-to-day role, a few spare minutes and occasional hour-long investment in your personal development can take you far.
Myself, and members of the WISE Board of Directors from the Boston chapter, have come together to share some of their trusted learning resources from their collective year’s experience and specialty disciplines.
Morning Brew
A daily newsletter that has gained momentum in subscribers thanks to clever writing and superb curation of stories in the realms of economics, politics, and popular culture happenings. Morning Brew has a few offshoot newsletters that are topic-specific, too. Make this part of your commute or morning brew reading for bite-size learning each day.
Retail Brew
A Morning Brew offshoot newsletter that dives into the world of shopping. Consumer behavior and the evolution of the shopping landscape, including happenings form our favorite brands, are the focus lens of this daily roundup.
Duolingo
In addition to becoming more culturally diverse, learning another language has many cognitive benefits. Spend 5 minutes using the Duolingo app to dust the cobwebs off your high school second language studies, or prep some local lingo before a future trip. Then, add a new language to your professional resume.
Penny Hoarders
Learning to successfully manage your personal finances and budget is a great way to practice a crucial business function. The Penny Hoarders newsletter breaks down foreign subjects into super easy self-help articles. This newsletter is especially helpful for those working freelance or in the gig economy.
General Assembly
Offering courses in-person and online, from 90 minutes to full-time, General Assembly has been a mainstay educational resource in the start-up scene. Check out topics ranging from UX to Social Media and everything in between.
Google Analytics Academy
Google has 90% of search engine market share, making them a great educational resource on search analytics, and of course their own products, which are a vital part of the current day Digital Marketing mix.
edX
Founded by Harvard and MIT, with over 120 institutional partners, edX is offering courses across an array of topics. Some courses are free (called “Audit” status) while others require payment, but paid courses offer practice assignments and a completion certificate, an added bonus for those looking for some resume boosters.
MasterClass
Online courses taught by well-known and celebrity status experts. While on the pricier side, and following a membership model, the courses are beautifully produced and entertaining.
LinkedIn Skill Assessments
Taking some time to brush up your Linkedin profile? For some Linkedin members, you have might have access to the skill assessment feature currently being tested on the platform. This easy and free exercise might lead you to realize you’ve missed a few benefits of those software auto-updates and could use some time brushing up those skills.
Which brings me to...
Software Blogs & Academy Portals
For many of us, our past companies or current companies use a variety of tools, but we don’t always take the time to take advantage of their training resources in their blog or academy portals. Give yourself the extra edge and make your daily tool use more efficient by actually using these helpful resources. A few tools common in the retail and digital marketing areas with great blog content and free Academy areas; Shopify, HubSpot, MarketMuse, etc.
We hope this Learning From Home list has given you a few ideas on how to invest in yourself through easy to access educational resources. Make sure to follow @wiseboston on LinkedIn and social media for other helpful content, and don’t hesitate to reach out to me digitally to share some of your favorite learning from home resources.
About Victoria Rocha
Victoria is the Director of Brand Marketing at '47. Prior, she has held roles at CoachUp, PUMA, and Wayfair. She is a BU undergraduate and also a BU MBA 2022 candidate.