Whether a housewife or househusband, the means to achieve continuous self-improvement for the homemaker is at hand. The internet has allowed access to the widest variety of courses and one of the biggest trends of our time has been the home-based education and training of those who run the home. With over 90 000 hours of the average workers time spent on the job or at work, it means that this is the same amount of time that homemakers have access to and can use for their own development and training.
It makes perfect sense, as many who stayed home to raise children in the past have simply not had the opportunity to work or train from home. The ability to upskill, new skill and re-skill, do a full degree or learn a hobby to monetize, has shown the value of the booming online education over the last decade. This article will discuss the reasons online study is a great match for the busy homemaker.
Flexibility
Online courses allow for flexibility, either study when you can, or choose a course where the lessons are at a time that suits your lifestyle. It’s a 24/7/365 option and the internet is always open for business. It is this flexibility that makes the online training options so important for those who stay at home to run the home, look after children and family. This flexibility is the most appealing factors of online learning and has been argued to have a positive impact on students overall learning. Flexible learning allows for control and accountability for the students learning as learning at your own pace can alleviate a lot of pressure for the learner.
Variety
There is so much variety on the internet and the choices will surprise and amaze you. There are courses that are entirely automated and presented, managed, and marked by the computer and others where the virtual classroom and campus has been able to provide a holistic learning experience. It all depends on what it is you are looking for the time that you have at your disposal.
Practical ‘how to’s
One of the biggest education sectors online has been the short how-to videos that have helped innumerous people around the world, there are also a great deal of practical training courses that can be taken to learn new skills or hobbies that you can use. This has been one of the fastest ways to learn a new skill and is being used across the board by many homemakers to develop their skills.
Affordability
Studying online is proving to be the most cost-effective way of getting a professional qualification. It is now possible to share information instantaneously with learners and work and teach in real time. This means that learning times can be shortened and as such reduce costs further. Lastly, in terms of the large number of available courses – you can choose one to suit your budget.
The top choices
Content, technical, and creative writing courses are readily available and will build on any personal experience or skills to leave the homemaker in a position to take on part-time work or just write for fun. It’s one of the top choices because you don’t need much to engage and get involved; the ability to write, a laptop and an internet connection.
Care work and nursing courses abound and if nurturing is your thing, then nursing has to be the best online course to take. The demand for nurses is surging and as such it will provide immediate work, when and as you need it. The BSHS course has proven one of the most popular and will allow for the nurturing and care skills to be taken to the next level.
Design, be it interior, architectural, or creative advertising, if you have an artistic flair then a course that allows you to use this and explore where it can go and is a terrific way to make use of your time.
Teaching English courses, if you’re in the states and have English as your first language you can do the TEFl or TESl online courses to enable you to teach others English. It used to be that these teachers were young people who had to travel to the teaching destination and ended up in rural hinterlands of the far east. Times have changed and the internet and virtual learning organizations online will allow for the teaching of English, once qualified from the comfort of your home.
HR, payroll, or business services are trending as the global number of ecommerce concerns increases and all of these businesses look for business support. The courses available online are numerous and varied and range from simple accounting and bookkeeping to the MBA and will all depend on what it is you do and the time you have at your disposal.
Charity fundraising, charity services are on the increase and for a lot of stay-at-home parents, contributing to the bigger picture has always been a key aspect. Many volunteers with a charity and spend time working with charities in their spare time. The ability to help these charities in the best way possible will be about their funding. There are short courses and free webinars as to how you can fundraise for your favorite charity and make their reach and work more successful.
Data science, big data has become the biggest buzz word of our time and it is for this reason that there are such a wide range of data management and related subjects. Cloud technology and IT support are now all related to the ability to collect and use data. The understanding and the skills required to work in this sector will be able to realize a job or opportunity for life as the uses and range of applications for dig data are endless and growing all the time.
IT support, remote IT support, networking and being able to maintain, update and remotely upgrade IT infrastructure is a growing trend. The skills are also reality available online and will set you up for another sustainable job as technology is in all of our homes and is relied ono for most if not all business initiatives.
What to look for: –
The course that you choose must be accredited and recognized by the industry body. Check for past student reviews and ensure that they are genuine before you part with a single cent. These courses should be taught by approved providers, who are frequently audited to ensure that they meet industry accepted standards of teaching the courses they offer. This means that those who study accredited courses should receive the same training.
It is not guaranteed that an accredited course will be superior training, but it is more valuable in the long run. Finishing an accredited training course with a recognized certificate and qualification will allow the learner to use it for work.
MOOCs may be a good starting point, The Massive Online Open Courses that are available may not all provide for an accredited certificate, but they will provide you with a taster of the online courses that area available and will not cost you an arm and a leg. Yes, the end goal is to have an accredited and recognized certificate. But it will be useful to start somewhere, and the MOOCs may be this starting place.
The course must be pitched at the right level. It should not be too theoretical unless you have a background in the field and will cope with this. The courses that are taken by homemakers should be the ones that they are able to complete and then use for a practical purpose.
Possible links to employment for learners. A great number of online courses now also attempt to connect learners to possible employment opportunities. This is primarily done online, so ensure that you have a social or professional profile ready to use once you finish the course.
Include aspects of peer-to-peer learning and allow you to learn as you do. It is the best way to learn for those who may not have been in a classroom for a while and are generally out of the education system. It has been proven that adult learners take more in from those who are like them and as such being able to set up groups for sharing
It is also vital to be able for the homemaker to set up a dedicated space for their learning. Study space and privacy have been the key disadvantages noted by those homemakers who are trying to develop themselves online. Think this through and ensure that you have the right kind of space for your learning adventure.
The similarity in all of these is the fact that the course will allow for remote or flexible work once completed. Furthermore, these are all sectors that are currently trending and where there is a demand for skilled employees. Homemakers also have lot of these skills as the latent, necessary skills required to run the home. It is thus for this reason that they have been included here.