30 Most Lucrative Skills You Can Learn Online

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Money is difficult. Everyone needs it, but it’s hard to get and keep it in steady
enough flow to meet your needs. We made this list of the 30 most lucrative skills
you can learn online from the point of view that a new skill to learn puts you in
line for new income streams. That’s not all–certain skills can staunch the flow of
dollars out of your account, which while not lucrative in the classical sense,
serves the same end. If you are looking for skills to learn that can diversify your
income sources, or just change up your career, this list can prove helpful. A few
of these skills to learn can only be followed so far before attendance at a
university is called for. In that case, we have listed online degree programs below
the write up.

Featured Programs

Dynamic Public Speaking Specilization

Introduction to Mathematical Thinking
Disclaimer: Some courses may include an affiliate link. Courses were chosen first
based on the methodology with affiliate links only added after the ranking was
complete.

#1 – Learn to Code and/or IT

The Odin Project is an open source project that pulls from curriculums all across
the web to give you the tools it requires to become an employed web developer,
including a portfolio of projects on Github. The enterprise is named the allfather
of the gods in Norse mythology whose defining characteristic, above all, was
curiosity for new knowledge. If you are curious about a career in computers, this
course promises to take you through to the other (employably skilled) side in about
1000 hours.

#2 – SEO and/or Google Analytics

Take it from me, a lot of people are currently making their living writing for the
internet and anything that you write for the internet needs to be cognizant of
search engine optimization and that is a field that is CONSTANTLY changing. A good
way to stay abreast of best practices as they now stand is to read a blog that
posts daily on the topic. Search Engine Journal is just such a blog. They also run
regular webinars on new topics and sponsor a weekly podcast, the Search Engine
Nerds.

#3 – Better Cover Letter and Resume = Better Job

Lynda.com (run by LinkedIn) is an online course provider that offers 30 days of
free access to their multitude of courses. The particular class we are interested
in is in the Writing Resumes and Cover Letters section. This course is designed for
college graduates, but many of the lessons are useful at other career points. Work
in the class includes a focus on networking and establishing your personal brand.
The course is approximately 90 minutes in videos and is a segment of the larger
“Job Hunting for College Grads” segment.

#4 – Microsoft Excel
An unexpected hurdle in researching online Excel courses was the unhelpful design
of several otherwise seemingly perfectly useful resources. Being confronted with
unranked grids of data while I try to improve my skills to learn about using grids
of data, sets one up for frustration. One site that avoids this pitfall is
Chandoo.org, where the information is beneficially organized and free, at least for
the basics. Paid components are available for those who wish to truly become
“excellent” at Excel.

#5 – Learn Chinese
You already know all the compelling reasons to pick up this language that is spoken
by more than a billion potential clients. Now with Domino Chinese’s flexible
pricing plans starting at just $2 a month, you are that much closer to broadening
your horizons and your customer base. As is typical of contemporary online language
study, Domino Chinese balances video, brief lessons, and live chatting practice,
against the backdrop of a former Chinese television host named Felix who serves as
your language guru.

#6 – Podcasting
Who doesn’t have a podcast idea kicking around in the back of their head? If you
have decided what format of podcast you will be doing, the next step is to obtain
the highest quality equipment that a limited budget (and, all budgets are limited)
can afford. Podcastconsultant.com has a good list of necessary equipment at
multiple price points for each piece of gear. A lot of resources recommend having
at least one co-host, and the more chemistry you have together the better your end
product will be.

#7 – YouTube
A really solid resource for developing a knowledge base of what YouTube is, and how
it can be utilized to put money in your pocket is the Creator Academy at YouTube
itself. It is a series of 31 lessons that start with the basics and branches out
into how to avoid burnout among other topics. The lessons are of course submitted
in YouTube video format coupled with multiple choice questions that help you define
your vision for what you are hoping to gain from this online platform.

#8 – Photography Skills
You got a sweet deal on a nice DSLR on Facebook Marketplace and are ready to get
your side hustle off the ground. Now you just need…some skills to learn. Luckily,
the internet has your back. YouTube is an amazing resource in this department. The
popular website FStoppers expanded into YouTube and both the channel and the
website are a great resource to learn basic skills, and commune with other
shutterbugs. They offer tutorials, equipment reviews, and they have a regular video
feature where photography pros review amateur photos in a helpful manner.

#9 – Technical Writing
Study.com features the online class English 305 which starts with the basics of
technical writing and ends with writing instructions, manuals, and proposals. This
class does not count for college credit, but it can prepare you to access their
paid service of proctored testing for college credit. For $29.99 a month you get
basic access to this course and hundred of others, complete with video lessons,
graded assignments, and the aforementioned testing for college credit.

#10 – PhotoShop
TUTS+ is our choice for the top site to learn the ins and outs of Adobe Photoshop
online for free. They do offer paid content as well, but the freebies offered here
will get you well on your way being Photoshop proficient. With how-to tutorials and
reviews of new effects packages, this site will keep you abreast of best practices
in the field of photo manipulation. With paid access, the site offers complete
courses and ebooks. But there is plenty of free content to keep you busy.

#11 – Project Management

Alison.com offers their content for free, and then if you wish to receive a diploma
at the end of coursework, that costs. Their diploma in project management is a good
beginner’s option for learning the terminology, methodology, and “project life
cycle.” It takes six to ten hours to complete the coursework, and the assessment at
the end is no easy A. In case you do not choose to purchase your diploma, you are
still eligible for Learner Achievement Verification on the site’s dashboard.

#12 – Microsoft Word

LinkedIn offers 30 days free access to their 10k+ classes taught by experts in the
field. They have multiple courses on Microsoft Word that can get you inserting
charts and using macros, no matter which version of Word you are using. After 30
days, access costs $24.99 monthly, with up to a 20% discount for those who pay
annually. LinkedIn helpfully points out that many employers find this a valuable
resource and will reimburse you for expenses in this area.

#13 – Public Speaking

This course offered by the University of Washington through the platform of
Coursera is part of a four course Public Speaking Specialization. Taking about
sixteen hours to complete, the 100% online course offers flexible deadlines to meet
your scheduling needs. The coursework consists of about an hour of lecture per
week, readings, and quizzes. Skills to learn through the class include confidence
and presentation planning. Full access to the course requires paid membership, but
completion of the four course sequence will unlock a specialization that can be
added to your LinkedIn profile or CV.

#14 – Personal Finance

Forget old school budgeting. This task causes most people unwanted stress and
wastes time tracking things that are already tracked if you primarily spend with a
credit or debit card. Current research points to three key things that can help
soothe most money worries. 1) Be aware of what your financial responsibilities are
each month and year. 2) Automate as many bills as possible to minimize missed
payments and also keep you from spending that money before you need it to pay the
bill. 3) Know how much money you have to spend each month (not on expenses or debt
paydown) and STICK TO THAT NUMBER. If you see that your funds for non-essentials
are dwindling faster than the days left in the month, then cut back where you can
and let the savings accrue.

#15 – Mac Skills

If you are looking for Apple IT skills to learn, the company offers online seminars
and tutorials that are geared for the education sector, but often the topics apply
more universally. Registration is required to participate or view archived content,
but access is free. The site also offers the Lion Server Documentation Guide, which
can be a good resource for other Apple concepts as well. As a company, Apple places
special emphasis on the education sector as it grows the user base and gets their
products into wider circulation.

#16 – Human Resources

This free online course from Udemy is about 75 minutes in length and titled
Introduction to Human Resource Management. It is a good place to start for anyone
wanting to go into general business management who is foggy on the purpose and
skill set of the HR department. The special management needs of human resource
departments are also covered. The course comes with a Certificate of Completion.
Tips for effective HR management are the capstone element of this course.

#17 – Microsoft Access

Microsoft Access training for Microsoft.com is a well laid out introduction to
databases, tables, and relationships used in the program. Hint: This course assumes
you know your way around Excel, so you might run over the resources at #4 on this
list if you are not up to speed in that department. The resources offered by
Microsoft are a series of introductory videos and then a series of decision trees
to help you suss out your particular needs from the program.
#18 – Math
Introduction to Mathematical Thinking offered from Stanford University teaches you
to think the way a mathematician thinks. This is an intermediate course that takes
about 3-5 hours per week for a total of 39 hours. You will learn number theory and
logical thinking.

If you are interested in problem solving and “thinking outside-the-box”, the way a
professional mathematician thinks, try this Introduction to Mathematical Thinking.

#19 – Culinary Skills

Learning new culinary skills expands your repertoire of meals you can cook which
makes eating at home more interesting, which can save you money by keeping you out
of restaurants. Ordering a weekly food box (like Hello Fresh of Blue Apron) is a
good way to learn new recipes and automate some of your food spending. Deals for
food boxes abound, and you can easily skip from one meal box company to the next as
the deal prices run out. The Food Box is a good fit for savings as you try new
things, but you should also get input into the system so you aren’t spending money
on food you won’t want to eat.

#20 – Pet Care

Rover is a great resource for finding a little side hustle and getting in some
quality doggo time if you find yourself short on this important natural resource.
The sign up process is quick and you can use their app to track your appointments
and mark your availability on your own terms. The website mentions earnings of up
to $1000 a month and you select which services you want to offer, from in house
dog/cat sitting (the best paying option) to doggy daycare or simple dog walking.

#21 – WordPress
WP101 offers monthly and yearly all-access passes to their coursework on WordPress
and its attendant plugins like Yoast and Jetpack. WordPress was originally just for
blogs, but now can be used for complete websites, stores, and many others. WP101’s
website also offers exclusive discounts for companies offering web hosting and
themes for WordPress. The site also partners with Codeable to provide WordPress
experts for hire, starting at $60 an hour. Which you can take as reinforcement to
how lucrative upping your WordPress game can be.

#22 – Accounting
The Open University offers a plethora of online accounting knowledge that is, in
keeping with their mission, completely free. They start with basics like
introduction to bookkeeping, but branch into specifics like liquidity management.
If you are interested in becoming credentialed in accounting, a more formal program
from a community college or university would be required. But the open university
can get you from basics up to operating speed, and you get a digital badge or
statement of participation for completing their free coursework.

#23 – Credit Score Repair

The first step is to ascertain your position by obtaining all three credit reports
for free from annualcreditreport.com. Check for errors and be prepared to dispute
them with all three credit bureaus. If raising your credit score is your aim, make
a schedule so you can make all payments on time going forward (you can shift
payment dates on borrower websites), and try not to open any new lines of credit
while you focus on paying down your current debt. One counterintuitive thing to try
is to ask the borrower to raise your limit. If you are in good standing, this will
lessen your ratio of credit used and often boost your score a bit.

#24 – PowerPoint
Skillshare.com’s Presentation Design for Smart People class can be accessed for
three months on the site for just 99 cents, according to a current promotion. The
3+ hour course covers narrative arc, the three types of presentations, and
storyboards. The latter half of the class entails graphic design and visual
hierarchy as well as helpful dos and don’ts for fonts and colors. The program
includes one well designed visually pleasing presentation that you will present to
the class.

#25 – Investing
The Investing Classroom at Morningstar.com is offered to holders of a free
membership to the website and provides access to more than a hundred classes on
topics including stocks, funds, bonds, and portfolios. As you pass through the
curriculum, you gain points and once you reach a certain number of points you are
rewarded with a free 60-day membership to Morningstar.com so you can start putting
your new knowledge to work accessing the site’s analyst reports and stock buy and
sell recommendations.

#26 – Digital Marketing

Google Online Marketing Challenge is a program for college students at any level to
gain real world marketing experience assisting a participating nonprofit with their
online ad campaigns. Google provides the teams of 2-5 students with a Google Ad
Grant of up to $10,000 per month to purchase Google ads for the nonprofit. The
students work under a faculty member and ideally build a relationship with the
client and provide a Post-Campaign Analysis at the end of the program.

#27 – Ethical Hacking

The complete ethical hacking bundle sold by BoingBoing is an eight course bundle
that, true to the spirit of Boing Boing’s ethic, requires you pay what you want.
They mean it. Course titles include: “Learn Website Hacking and Penetration Testing
From Scratch,” “From Zero to Hero in Web, Network, and WiFi Hacking,” and “Hack
People Systems and Mobile Devices.” Remember that white hat/ethical hacking is
designed to test and strengthen systems protections and make us savvier consumers
and producers of electronic content.

#28 – Copywriting
Writing of any kind needs to be clear and concise with a strong voice. Copy Hackers
can help you take the prose you construct for pay to the next level. One of its co-
founders, Joanna Wiebe, describes their outlook as not one of crass direct-selling
but of finding each client’s voice that also happens to draw readers and,
potentially, clients. In their introductory page, they offer free ebooks that offer
how to write newsletters that get read and a guide for “Conversion Marketers” to
achieve marketable copy.

#29 – Finance and Economics

If you are of a certain, self-directed mindset and ready take advantage of
sophisticated–and free–course materials in economics from a model research
technical institution, MIT offers dozens of graduate and undergraduate course
elements from Principles of Microeconomics to Microeconomic Theory and Public
Policy to Advanced Macroeconomics. Offered since 2001, currently MIT Open Course
Ware offers access to previously run courses that have run through 2018. These
courses often include supporting texts in PDF, syllabi, clearly-arranged topic
units, exams, and other supplementals. Most courses also have a single-location
site to download all the course materials and links for recorded lectures.

#30 – Keyboarding
If you have made it this far in life on the hunt and peck method alone, a)
congratulations and b) it’s really time you learned the correct method.
Speedtyping.com offers free lessons that get you through the basics and once you
have that down, life should throw you enough practice to keep your skills sharp. If
opportunities with the keyboard do dry up, the site also offers games to keep your
newly learned skills up until they are called upon again. This skill to learn may
not directly add dollars to your pocket in the immediate sense, but it will
(eventually) increase your productivity at work and thereby make you a more
valuable employee, which can lead (down the road) to raises and promotions.