With school starting (or starting VERY soon), there’s bound to be a shift in a lot of family’s focus to education! And what better time is there for you to follow suit and jump back in and start learning too!
San Diego offers a bevy of affordable (and often times free) customizable classes for you to take so you can expand your skillset while still working. Below is a list of just some of the resources available to anyone looking to enrich their lives (or maybe their resume) at their own pace.
SD Community Colleges
San Diego’s Community College District or SDCCD is one of San Diego’s best kept secrets. SDCCD is an award-winning set of four community college campuses: there’s SD City College, SD Mesa College, SD Miramar College, and the unique SD College of Continuing Education. The first three colleges on that list are two-year associates degree colleges and are some of the biggest in the state. While the SDCCE is a unique education program built to provide free access to certification and education for any California citizen.
If you’re interested in attending any of these schools click here: https://www.sdccd.edu/
When it comes to resources, one of the most overlooked is SDCCE. SDCCE offers free certification and classes on a variety of subjects, they’re also a friend of SDPEBA. We highly recommend you check out these other articles we’ve put out that go into more detail about what SDCCE has to offer:
Free College Courses and Certification – SDCCE Enrollment is Open Now
Free Classes, Career Training, and Certificates – SDCCE PEBA Talk
Stay Sharp in Retirement with SDCCE’s Emeritus Program
Gale Courses
Through the SD Public Library, you have access to Gale Courses, an online learning center that offers a range of 6-week online courses that deal with anything from Account to Writing! All you need in order to have access is a library card. The classes are divided into how time blocks and they offer sign up dates once a month! Seriously, check this resource out!
https://education.gale.com/l-sddp/
They have classes on: Accounting and Finance; Business; Computer Applications; Design and Composition; Healthcare/Medical; Language Arts; Law/Legal; Personal Development; Teaching and Education; Technology; and Writing/Publishing.
Most classes start September 15th (the next start date is October 13th), but they vary. Sign up today to get started!
Online Apps
When it comes to learning online, its hard not to point out things like Skill Share, Masterclass, and Brilliant. These courses allow you to pay for individual months of learning (or for classes) that are highly specialized. Masterclass often features celebrity educators, whereas Skill Share features professionals sharing their… well… skills. Brilliant on the other hand is about expanding how you think by teaching you complex math and science topics in a digestible quick way.
For the most part these are enrichment-based learning. With them you can learn to draw, write, edit videos or maybe just stretch your brain! Either way, you can’t go wrong with these services (unless you pay for them and never use them… we’ve all been there, so, no shame).