4 eLearning Skills to Master This Summer

4 eLearning Skills to Master This Summer
Summary: Summer is upon us and most of us are enjoying the warm weather, the summer activities and most importantly, the freedom from the strict schedule that school provides. There is no reason to waste these free summer months, though. Here are 4 eLearning skills that you can work on mastering over the summer.

4 eLearning skills that you can work on mastering over the summer

  1. Photoshop (Or generalized photo editing)
    Photo editing is becoming a quick and easy way for freelancers to earn some money. Photographers make their living with basic photo editing skills, and there are some who prefer to outsource their editing work. This leave them free to focus on their art and their craft. Learning how to use Photoshop or free alternatives like GIMP is easy. There are dozens of free online sites that can teach you the basics of photo editing. There are also a number of users on art sites like DeviantArt who offer tutorials for free.Lifehacker has a comprehensive list of free tutorials to help you learn to how to use both the basic and the advanced tools that Photoshop and other similar programs have to offer. Some of them can be learned in an afternoon, while others will take longer to master. Spending a little time learning how to edit or perfect photos can pay off in the long run, in the form of a summer job at a photo studio or in a career as a freelancer (Learn the Basics of Photoshop: The Complete Guide).
  2. Coding
    The world is internet-based. You can no longer avoid that fact. Learning how to code is a great way to work your way into this technology immersed world, and most of the common coding languages are fairly easy to learn. There are hundreds of different programming languages, each with its own uses and applications. If you want to build a website, study HTML/CSS for the visual aspects of the site, and JAVA for the interactive parts. JAVA is currently the most in demand programming language, because of uses in mobile applications, games, and web-based content.If building video games is more to your liking, study C#. Many of the newer game engines, like the Unity engine that is employed in an enormous variety of games, rely on C# for their basic building blocks. Just picking up the C language can be beneficial because it allows you to step very easily into C++ or C# for a variety of applications. codeacademy.com and code.org are just two of the sites that offer a fantastic variety of free lessons that are perfect for everyone from beginners to experienced coders looking for a refresher course.
  3. Touch Typing
    Touch typing is probably one of the most important skills you will ever learn and there are thousands of elearning lessons available online to help you hone your skills and improve your speed and accuracy. The average adult, using a 2-finger hunt and peck typing technique, can type between 20-30 words per minute on familiar material, and less than half that on material that they have yet to learn. With proper touch typing techniques, typists can easily double or triple their words per minute rating, as well as increase their accuracy and efficiency.There are dozens of websites available to help you increase your typing speed and accuracy. If you're looking for basic lesson and beginner's techniques, sites like Ratatype, TyperWeb and other similar pages are perfect. If you're looking for something a little more entertaining, TypeRacer and Typer Shark are unique and exciting games that hone your skills at the same time.
  4. Microsoft Excel
    Microsoft Excel is one of the most versatile programs available through the Microsoft Office Suite. It has been used for more than a decade to perform basic math, calculate profit and loss for a business or company, handle payroll, and calculating interest rates and repayment plans for mortgages and loans.Almost all positions that require computer use will also require that you have at least basic Microsoft Excel skills. Even if you don't plan on using it to get a job, it can be a great tool to help you balance your own budget, keep track of your income, or organize your bills.

These four skills can be some of the most useful things you will ever learn, and all of them can be mastered over a summer.

Originally published on June 27, 2014