So you want to learn to play an instrument but can’t afford private lessons? Do you think knowing how to code is a vital asset in the 21st century but are a little hesitant on taking that first step? You like reading, but your favorite books are well over your price range? Well, then you’re at the right place, my friend!

Oh yes! The internet! Yes, you heard me right. With a little bit of discipline and dedication, the internet can take one to infinity and beyond (!), and yet we always tend to forget its most practical advantage: the free access to knowledge!

Here at AIESEC, we are BIG on self-improvement. Self-improvement is in our ethos and we religiously advocate developing useful skills not only to enrich our lives but also to make a contribution to society. Hence, today I will be presenting you with 3 skills you can easily learn by yourself using the internet!

Learn a Musical Instrument 🎺 🎶

Playing music has countless benefits. I know for a fact that with the onset of the pandemic, a lot of people were hit by a newly found inspiration to pick up that random instrument they have been wanting to learn to play for so long, and you know what? You can do so for FREE, without paying for lessons.

Guitar 🎸

The day I moved to my room in Vienna, I found a guitar lying in one of the dusty corners of my room. I asked my roommates whose guitar it was and they told me the previous owner had left it for the next person that moves in. I was beyond shook. Before I knew it I was learning guitar from JustinGuitar on YouTube.

It’s been three years since then and learning guitar for FREE from YouTube changed my perspective on paid courses completely. Today, I can play my favorite songs with ease and I enjoy every second of it!

It would be a shame to tell you guys so much, and not share where I learned guitar from.

So, here is JustinGuitar’s Beginner Guitar Course on YouTube!

 

Listen to him carefully, do everything he tells you and before you know it, you’ll be able to play your favorite songs (I actually got emotional writing this, I am so so thankful for that guys).

Today, his website is an even better platform to learn on. Unfortunately, I didn’t know about his website when I first started, but better late than never!

Piano 🎹

I don’t play the piano but I had found this really nice beginner course a while back and I had saved it, so here it is!

and one more!

 

That’ll be all for the piano lovers out there. Now we’ll move on to a super underrated instrument that costs a lot to buy but somehow there is YouTube course on it to learn it for free!

Drums 🥁

As a self-taught guitarist, I eventually learned that my timing pretty much sucked, so I decided to improve my sense of rhythm by learning the drums, but as a student living on a budget, there was no way I could pay for a full set of drums. So I did my research and found another savior of the people!

 

Yes, drumming without drums exists! I’ve tried it. It works out just fine!

Okay, that’ll be all for the music section. Let’s move onto skills that will make us easy money!

Learn to Code👨‍💻

COVID-19 has profoundly accelerated the transition to a more digitalized world. A quick google search shows that the most in-demand jobs in today’s world require you to know how to code. This only means that there will be more demand for coders in the future. Even in social sciences, a programming language in your CV puts you miles ahead of every other applicant. Oh, I almost forgot; coding also fosters the skill of being solution-oriented which AIESEC puts great emphasis on.

The first suggestion I have is to take the world-famous lecture by David Malan. If you have some money to spare, you can also get a certificate from Harvard upon completing it, but that is not necessary.

Now this post will only feature two programming languages, but don’t forget that there are many more that might suit you better.

Python 🐍

Python is generally known for its simple design and its relatively faster learning curve, especially for complete beginners. It is by far the most popular programming language amongst all the big tech companies and surprisingly, it is also extremely popular among social scientists as Python comes in very handy in data interpretation and statistical analysis. Here are two popular websites that teach it: edx.org and learnpython.com.

C++ 🕶️

If you’ve ever thought creating smartphone applications or videos is cool, then this is the language you want to learn. C++ has been around for a while, proving its flexibility even with the significant changes to the tech world over the years. Although it is a harder language to learn, you really reap what you sow: learncpp.com.

 

Read free books! 📚

I recently discovered an online library called Project Gutenberg. If you haven’t already heard about it (I haven’t either until now, but it is actually quite popular!), it is an online platform that creates e-books of works not protected by the US copyright law. You can find so many free e-books, including all the popular classics and works of the great philosophers. Something I’ve also noticed is that I read much faster when reading on a digital device, rather than on paper. You might want to check if that’s the case for you as well.

Conclusion 🔚

Alright folks, now you have no reasons to procrastinate during the next lockdown at your hometown. I’ve presented you with 3 areas where you can exploit the advantage of having internet access and 3 areas that will make self-improvement fun. Now go and check them all out and enjoy!

 

Written by Suleyman Inaltekin