Do something useful with your time stuck at home. Instead of sitting around playing games or watching TV all day long, consider expanding your skill set, both for potential career opportunities and for self-betterment. Here are some popular courses that are genuinely useful in today’s society, unlike most of the stuff we learn in college. Best of all, they’re offered at affordable prices. Check them out.
The 2020 Premium Learn To Code Certification 10-Course Bundle for $39
Over 120 Hours of Learning Material
In this day and age, learning to code is one of the safest ways to job security. There’s no lack of programming jobs, especially in growing tech sectors like here in the San Francisco Bay Area. This online package contains ten courses to get you started, or only $3.90 per course. They include topics on JavaScript, HTML5, CS3, Python, Django 2, Flutter, Dart, and more.
The Complete Python Certification Bootcamp 12-Course Bundle for $34.99
Over 80 Hours of Learning Material
Python is the most popular computer language, so it makes sense to learn this language first. If that’s what you want, then this bundle is for you. You get 85 hours worth of training material divided among 12 courses (or $2.92 per course). This is one of the most popular and best selling courses on StackSocial.
The All-in-One Adobe Creative Cloud Suite Certification Bundle for $34
Over 60 Hours of Learning Material
Proficiency in Adobe apps is basically a requirement for today’s graphic or video professional, but these are also very handy tools for hobbyists who are into photography, video streaming, digital art, and more. This bundle includes 8 courses, or only $4.25 per course and includes topics on Photoshop, Illustrator, Premier, Lightroom, InDesign, and more.
Oculus Quest VR Headset is Back in Stock (Compatible with Half-Life: Alyx)
Half-Life: Alyx is compatible with Oculus Quest, however you’ll need an Oculus Link cable to connect it to a PC. Many generic USB Type C Gen 1 or Gen 2 cables will work like this $18 cable right here. The Oculus Quest has been one of the hottest selling gaming peripherals over the holidays and it’s sold out practically everywhere.
There are many reasons why the Quest is the best VR headset to get right now. It’s completely untethered with no external sensors to set up, it’s powerful enough to play games like Beat Saber (the best VR game of 2019), Vader Immortal, and Pistol Whip, and it’s far less expensive than all the other newer generation VR headsets that have been released. The Oculus Link software which allows you to connect the Quest to a PC using a Type C cable and use it like a regular VR headset powered by your gaming PC.
Sonos One Gen 2 Wireless Speaker with Alexa Built-In for $149 (Sonos One SL for $129)
Adorama is offering the best price we’ve seen on the newest generation Sonos One Gen 2. Think of this as a fully-featured Amazon Echo speaker with superior audio quality. If you want multiple speakers, pair it up with the Sonos One SL, which is the same speaker but without the Alexa functionality. You only need one speaker with Alexa to talk to, and the Sonos One SL is also on sale. The Sonos Beam is also on sale; this is a soundbar that’s better suited as a home theater system. Again, pair it wth Sonos One SL speakers as rear satellites.
The Complete Digital Marketing Super Bundle for $37
Now that almost everyone has taken their business online, ecommerce and online marketing is a booming business. Because it’s still a relatively new as a profession, many colleges don’t offer sufficient education in this field. This bundle offers 57 hours worth of instruction spread across 9 courses, from SEO and Google AdWords to specific case scenarios like Amazon marketing, Facebook ads, and more.
The Ultimate Microsoft Excel Certification Training Bundle for $34
Over 33 Hours of Learning Material
If you’re aiming to be an Excel maestro, then this course is for you. Don’t look down on this seemingly plain app. Excel is one of the most powerful productivity tools your PC has to offer. Some of the most accomplished IGN employees here are Excel mavens. Because there are so many similarities, your knowledge of Excel will give you an advantage with Google Docs and Google Sheets as well. This bundle includes 6 courses, from beginner to expert.
$10.99-$13.99 Unity and Unreal Game Development Online Courses at Udemy
Udemy courses run from $100-$200, but for a limited time several of the most popular online courses on game development and game design are only $11-$14. These course are really, really cheap because they aren’t accredited, meaning you won’t get course credit towards school completion or a certificate, however that does not mean the quality of instruction is any worse. For those of you that don’t need to be accredited, this is a super inexpensive way to get excellent training on topics that will benefit you in tangible ways.
- Online Learning Courses from $10.99 at Udemy
- Complete C# Unity Developer 2D for $10.99
- Unreal Engine C++ Developer for $13.99
Sling Blue Free Trial Extended to 14 Days (Includes CNN, MSNBC, Food Network, HGTV, Cartoon Network, and More)
Normally 7 Days
Keep up with live news updates for free. Sling Blue gives you access to CNN, MSNBC, HLN, and Fox News. You’ll also get access to HGTV, Food Network, A&E, Bravo, TNT, Comedy Central, Cartoon Network, The Discovery Channel, Nick Jr, and more. The Sling Blue service normally costs $30/month but it still might be worth it for all the great shows.
KeepSolid Lifetime VPN Subscription for $39
We’ve seen plenty of deals on 1 year, 2 year, and even 3 year VPN subscriptions, but this deal offers you free VPN subscription forever for a small cost. It’s normally $99 if you purchased directly from KeepSolid’s website. We’ve reviewed KeepSolid VPN and have given it a thumbs up. Like any proper VPN, it offers anonymity while maintaining one of the best networking speeds compared to other VPNs we reviewed. For that reason this is a perfect one to run in the background even while you’re gaming.
Marvel’s The Infinity Gauntlet Digital Comic Collection (Issues #1-#6) for $2.64
Each issue normally sells for $1.99, and even if you were to sign up for ComiXology Unlimited, you would only be able to access issues #1-3 for free. If you thought the Infinity War movies were good, you should read the spectacular source material. You can choose to download the comics to your Kindle or ComiXology app.
ComiXology Free Trial Extended to 60 Days
Normally 30 Days
The 60-day extension (normally $30) has never, ever happened before. ComiXology is Amazon’s digital comic platform and is the largest digital retailer of American comics. The site hosts 20,000 digital comics, graphic novels, and manga from DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, and more. Here’s your chance to access all of it, totally free, for 30 60 days. If you’re an avid comic reader, you might want to consider continuing on afterwards, since it’s only $5.99/month. You can even sign in with your Amazon account.
Massive 12TB External Hard Drive for $179.99
This is a crazy price for more storage than most of us will ever need… yet. The next gen games are going to be huge, especially if they’re going to be stuffed onto 4K discs, so you better get ready now. If it’s more than what you want, the 12TB model is also on sale.
Rayman Legends for PC is Free
The Ubisoft Store is giving away free copies of Rayman Legends as part of today’s deal of the day. This is a classic game that’s easily withstood the test of time (we gave it a 9.5/10).
Free Games with Twitch Prime Membership
Just an FYI, anyone with an Amazon Prime membership also gets a free Twitch Prime. Twitch Prime members get nine PC games for free for January. Scroll down to the “Games with Prime” section to see the games. The list includes Earthlock, Kathy Rain, Turok, Etherborn, and Lightmatter. Scroll down to see the games.
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Eric Song is IGN’s deal curator and spends 25% of his pay on stuff he posts.
Source: IGN.com Daily Deals: Cheap Online Learning Courses to Productively Fill Up Your Time