Get trained for free: skills, certifications, and where the money is
Get trained. Free training is everywhere.
Certifications do help, but only as far as they help get you a conversation. The depth is what gets you the job. Learn the concepts, not just the lingo. It usually takes an interviewer a question or two to tell whether you learned something or memorized the words for it.
- Free resources
- 14
- Links checked
- Sept 2026
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- The free stuff
Pick one thing and finish it
Look at the postings you want and find the skill that keeps showing up that you don't have yet. Pick one course for it and finish that course before you start another. A half-done list of ten courses doesn't help you in an interview. One finished project you can talk about does.
Use AI to study, not to skip
NotebookLM is free with a Google account. Upload a job posting and your course notes, then ask it for a study guide or a quiz on the parts you'd need in the job. It's a good way to find out what you don't understand yet. Letting AI answer the questions for you is the lingo without the concepts, and it shows.
Free money for training (US)
If you've been laid off or you're looking for work, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) can pay for approved training programs. You don't pay it back. The way in is your local American Job Center: find one here, call, and ask about WIOA training. You can also browse WIOA-eligible programs first.
Coursera isn't free the way it used to be
Lots of older advice says you can audit Coursera courses for free. Since 2025, most courses only let you preview the first module. The free route now is Financial Aid: apply on the course page, write a short answer about why you need it, and wait up to about two weeks. If approved, you get the full course and the certificate. edX still has free audit tracks on most courses, without a certificate, and some audit windows are short.
The free stuff
Start here10
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freeCodeCamp
A full coding curriculum and certifications you earn by building projects, not by watching videos. That's the kind of proof that holds up in an interview.
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Harvard's CS50
Harvard's intro to computer science: every lecture and problem set, free. Hard, and worth it.
The catch: A verified certificate through edX costs money. The course does not.
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LearnFree (formerly GCFGlobal)
Thousands of friendly lessons on computers, Microsoft Office, Google tools, email, math and reading. Great if you need to rebuild the basics first.
The catch: No certificates. Just skills.
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LinkedIn Learning through your library
The whole LinkedIn Learning catalog, free with a library card at many public libraries. This link is Los Angeles Public Library's; search your own library's site for "LinkedIn Learning."
The catch: Only if your library system carries it. Many big ones do.
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Cisco Networking Academy
Free courses in networking, cybersecurity, Python and data, with a digital badge when you finish.
The catch: Some advanced courses are only through partner schools.
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Microsoft Learn
Every Microsoft training path is free, including Azure, Power BI and Excel, plus free Applied Skills badges.
The catch: Official Microsoft certification exams cost money.
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AWS Skill Builder
Hundreds of free cloud courses and badges from Amazon Web Services.
The catch: Practice exams and labs are paid, and so are the certification exams.
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IBM SkillsBuild
Free courses in AI, cybersecurity, data and cloud, with shareable credentials.
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Khan Academy
Math, writing, economics and more, free forever. Good for closing a gap that is blocking a bigger course.
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WIOA training finder
Search training programs that federal WIOA money can pay for, near you.
The catch: You apply through an American Job Center, and eligibility depends on your situation.
Good, with a catch4
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Google Career Certificates
Job-focused certificates in IT support, data analytics, project management, UX and more.
The catch: Paid through Coursera unless you get a scholarship. Google funds scholarships through partners, including some American Job Centers, so ask there.
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Coursera Financial Aid
Full courses and certificates from universities and companies, free if your Financial Aid request is approved.
The catch: You apply course by course and wait up to about two weeks.
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edX audit track
Free access to course videos and materials from universities.
The catch: No certificate, and some courses limit how long you can audit.
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NotebookLM
Upload your notes and a job posting to get study guides, quizzes and audio overviews.
The catch: The free plan has usage limits that reset over time.
Courses I made
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Data to AI
Five-minute lessons on how AI works, starting with the data on your phone. Good if your next job touches AI and you want the concepts, not the buzzwords.
First three modules free, then $2.99 once.
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Product Management
What a product manager does: find a problem, test it, prove people want it, make it pay off. Told through stories from companies you know.
The first three modules are free, then $2.99 once.
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Your Data Rights
A plain-English course on what companies collect about you and what the law lets you do about it. A solid base if privacy or compliance work interests you.
Modules 1 to 4 free, then a one-time unlock.
If the price is a problem, email pettigrewlabllc@gmail.com and I'll send it to you free. No explanation needed.
Questions people ask
Do certifications help you get a job?
They help you get a conversation. What gets you the job is being able to talk about what you did with the skill. Pair a certification with a project.
What is WIOA?
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act is a US federal program that can pay for job training if you qualify, often after a layoff. Start at your local American Job Center.
Are Coursera and edX courses free?
edX mostly still offers a free audit track without a certificate. Coursera now mostly offers only a preview for free, and the full course is free through Financial Aid if you apply and are approved.
What free certifications can I get online?
Cisco Networking Academy, Microsoft Applied Skills, AWS Skill Builder badges, IBM SkillsBuild credentials and freeCodeCamp certifications are all free to earn.