10+ ways to up-skill while living on the road

Oct 5

After a strange last year, many of us are itchy for a change. Maybe you’re feeling stuck in a rut, want to up your earning potential, or make yourself stand out from the competition.

Now is the perfect time to learn a new trade or up-skill in the work you're already doing. There's no shortage of platforms and e-course providers online. And as it's all done digitally, you can log on and learn from anywhere in the world.

Here are our picks of the best online courses you can do while living on the road as a digital nomad.

The best online courses to learn new skills

Coding

Programming is the future, I think we can all agree on that.

Knowing how to code — even at a basic level — can open so many doors for you, especially as a freelancer or digital nomad. It can be a tough thing to learn for some people, but once you crack it, it’s an invaluable skill.

Start out with a beginner course like this Python one. It’s completely free and introduces fundamental programming concepts that form the foundation for future coding education.

Graphic design

Feeling creative or artsy, but not sure how to turn your passion into a skill? Then this is the course for you.

CalArts offers a four-part course, teaching the fundamental skills required for professional graphic design, including historical context, typography and image-making. It’s a great jumping-off point for working as a designer and furthering your education with more in-depth courses.

Software basics

You’re probably using Google Docs and Microsoft Excel for basic tasks already. But there are hundreds of useful features built into these programs that you probably know nothing about.

Taking a course to become an Excel expert will look great on the resume. It’ll also save you so much time while making spreadsheets for yourself and your employers. Udemy also has a ton of different Office Productivity courses to browse — so find something that works for you!

The best online courses for business management

Dropshipping

It’s a little confusing to wrap your head around at first, but many digital nomads are using dropshipping to make extra income on the side.

Dropshipping is basically online retail, but rather than selling to customers directly, you take on the role of a third-party conduit. Simply connect interested buyers and available suppliers — and keep a cut of the profit!

Using platforms like Shopify and Aliexpress, dropshippers have been able to make an impressive income without any prior selling experience. This course is a great intro to get you started.

Content marketing

Content marketing skills help boost your online presence and grow your business. Then you can take what you’ve learned and sell it as a service to other clients, too.

Even if you know the basics — which most of us do — there’s a lot more to SEO under the hood. There are endless courses to choose from, but we love this masterclass that covers everything you need: content creation, promotion, copywriting, SEO, email marketing, and more.

Finance

Working with numbers comes naturally to some people, while others really struggle. But whether you’re comfortable with it or not, finance and accounting are essential for all businesses — big and small.

A simple ‘introduction to finance’ course can give a much-needed confidence boost when managing your books. The Wharton School at UPenn — one of the most well-known business schools in the world — offers a program that walks beginners through the fundamentals of finance, all the way through to investment and financial accounting.

The best online courses for personal skills

iPhone photography

As a digital nomad, you’re probably spending a lot of time exploring new places and seeing some damn cool things. And it's so much easier to walk around with your iPhone in your pocket, than a bulky DSLR camera across your chest.

While it’s pretty easy to take good shots on a phone at the click of a button, you can also level up your skills with a course in iPhone photography. You’ll learn about lighting, composition and which settings work best (and look incredible on Instagram!).

Resume writing

It’s important to have a well-written freelancer resume. When you’re applying for jobs or projects, you literally have to sell yourself to potential employers with just one page of text.

The good news is, there are some great, short, courses that’ll get your resume ready to go.

If you’re looking for something a bit more substantial, we love this intensive ‘career hacking’ course which covers resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn, networking, and job interview skills.

Go get it!

The best online courses in health and wellness

Meditation

Once you’re familiar with it, meditation is an asset you’ll carry around for life.

If you’re struggling to find ‘me time’ as a digital nomad, you’re not alone. When your workspace is a coffee shop and you’re bunking in a shared house, it all easily gets a bit too much. That’s where meditation becomes essential, to avoid you burning out.

Head online, and you’ll find a wide range of courses to help you master meditation, depending on what you respond to. For example, practical meditation is a good, no-nonsense technique for anxiety, while other courses focus on yoga techniques for contemplation and better self-awareness.

Happiness and productivity

Have you heard of the course, ‘The Science of Well-Being’? It’s based on the psychology of happiness class at Yale — and is the most popular class ever taught in the university's 317-year history.

Over 19 hours of online content, you’ll learn how to quantitatively increase your own happiness while building more productive habits. It’s free to audit, or $49 if you want a certificate.