They say it is never too late to pursue your dreams. This is especially true when it comes to career and education. Unfortunately, not all can afford to quit their jobs and go back to school. This can make it difficult to pursue higher studies or certain courses that can enhance skills. Fortunately, there are several free online learning platforms that allow anyone and everyone to be able to have access to good quality learning resources.
Here are some of the best websites for free online education that you can sign up for.
Coursera
Coursera is one of the most popular platforms for taking free online courses. It features classes, both free as well as paid, on a variety of different topics. This platform is currently being used by over 35 million learners that have access to 150 university partners, 2,700 courses, 250 specializations, and four degrees. These courses are curated in partnership with leading universities and organizations from around the world, such as Stanford and Harvard.
edX
edX is a platform that was founded by Harvard and MIT that brings together top-ranked universities. This platform was founded to help eliminate the primary barriers that prevent people from pursuing education, i.e., cost, location, and access. Along with free courses, edX also offers certain specialized courses for a specific fee. The platform can be accessed by interested educators and technologists through Open edX if they wish to assist in developing new educational tools.
Udemy
Udemy is another online learning platform that is quite similar to Coursera in terms of the format of the courses. The unique aspect of this platform is that it allows users to build their own custom courses by compiling individual lessons so that these can be taught online. There are over 100,000 courses in 50 languages on this platform that are taught by 42,000 instructors from around the world.
TED-Ed
TED-Ed is a platform made by TED to help share ideas and knowledge from teachers to students. This award-winning platform has a global network of more than 250,000 teachers that teach several free courses on a variety of categories and themes. The lessons are taught using animated videos and interactive content so as to make them more interesting for the students.
Independent living for seniors is a convenient way to enjoy life without worrying about the daily monotony of managing a home. Most seniors over the age of 55 now prefer staying in houses that require lesser maintenance, and upkeep.
Independent living allows seniors to enjoy their everyday freedom while living in a conducive environment that can give them a sense of community, adequate mental, and physical stimulation, enough social interaction, and more! Most independent living accommodations offer numerous services including pre-packed meals, laundry, housekeeping, transportation, etc. While most independent living for seniors is in the form of fully equipped private apartments, some people may stay in cottages, condominiums, and single-family homes.
Often, people use independent living for seniors interchangeably with assisted living. While both concepts involve seniors, these are significantly different. The major difference being that independent living for seniors is a set up where residents do not require any sort of assistance with their daily activities. If the many senior housing options confuse you, check out some of the popular types of independent living accommodations that are available for seniors.
Senior apartments
This is one of the most common types of independent living option available for seniors. This is a life that people who desire to live amidst the conveniences of a community opt for. These apartments are usually equipped with certain services that make the lives of seniors comfortable, and happy. Some of the common services offered in independent living for seniors include recreational and educational programs, meals services, transportation, etc.
Housing units
Senior residents can either rent or buy these accommodations based on their needs, and budget. Single family homes, cottages, duplexes, townhouses, mobile homes, etc. are some of the housing units that senior communities may offer. Most of these independent housing units are strategically located beside a senior living community.
Subsidized housing
The Department of Housing and Urban Development offers affordable accommodations as a part of independent living for seniors to those who belong to a low-income group. These houses can only be bought by seniors who fit all the criteria entirely. Many seniors wait for several months before getting ownership of their houses as most of these have lengthy waiting lists.
NORC
Naturally occurring retirement community or NORC is the one that has many senior residents but the community was originally not dedicated towards seniors only. These communities are created organically when people age over time. Naturally occurring retirement communities merely have several older people living in a community but these clusters are not created specifically to meet the requirements of seniors.
Several consumers wish to change their cellphone carriers. And there can be many reasons behind it like rising costs, company stagnancy, or declining network quality. But switching cellphone carriers is not as easy as it sounds. Although this might not be true for all, usually there is some or the other hassle involved like losing your number, an added expense for a new phone or pricey contract termination fees. But you can still cleverly switch your cellphone carrier if you calmly assess your situation, so that you can make the best possible decision for yourself in the long run.
Here are some tips that will help you to switch cellphone carriers with minimum inconvenience.
Research
You need to ace your research when it comes to switching. First try and figure out your actual issue with your current carrier. Is it because expensive monthly bills or lousy network or some other specific reason. Then commence looking for a network that has a potential to fulfill all your expected requirements. Shortlist options and then further compare them in areas of costs, coverage zones and plans.
Porting numbers and devices
If you are going to be staying in the same local area you can port your number from one carrier to another. Once you have decided the new carrier you want to switch to, you can contact them. You will have to fill out your essential details and will also have to provide them with your current carrier information. They will then initiate the switching process. Also remember to confirm whether or not the new carrier supports the mobile device you intend to use. You might have to buy a new phone if the carrier doesn’t work with your current device.
Contract
One of the main reasons why consumers don’t switch easily is because they are in a middle of a contract with their current provider. Switching clearly translates to early termination fees which can go up to hundreds of dollars. But this damage can be minimized if your new carrier is willing to buy you out of your contract, so that you can join them.
Your first step is to figure out what is the exact amount of your termination fee. Some carriers will entirely pay off your old contract when you sign up with them. Some might not pay off but instead give you some lucrative deals in terms of cellphone credit.
After you switch you just have to take care of an activation fee which only costs a couple of dollars.
Two words will suffice to convince you to go for an electric option, the next time you decide to buy a car- the environment‘. With changes in global temperature, rising sea levels, unprecedented climatic changes all which are a result of high carbon emissions, alternative energy is the only safe solution.
But there are other reasons why you should opt for an electric and electric ranger vehicle:
Low maintenance and operating cost: With soaring gasoline prices and increased maintenance charges, the cost of using and maintaining an electric vehicle is very little when compared to the other gas guzzlers out on the road. Not only will you save money on fuel, but will also ensure a reduced carbon footprint on your end to a greener cleaner tomorrow.
Affordability: A standard sized family car which can seat four to five comfortably will cost you more than you might be willing to invest for your first vehicle. If you also want all the essential upgrades and a bright paint job, the price will go up. An average family can cost anywhere between $25000 to $35000 depending on the manufacturer and its make and model. But an electric vehicle will cost you somewhere in the range of low $15000 to $20000. Of course, the better electric models will be a bit pricier, but then again they are still cheaper that way.
Financial incentives: In order to encourage people to opt for alternative fuel vehicles, the government offers certain tax rebates and discounts for people who buy electric and electric ranger vehicles. The federal government allows up to $7500 as tax credit for any electric vehicle purchased along with other attractive incentives. This is applicable for lease deals as well, making some of the expensive model prices slashed down by a quarter to the high $20000 range.
Electric cars have evolved and come a long way from those box prototypes that looked like a stiff breeze would tip them over. Today, it has becoming challenging to distinguish a hybrid from an electric ranger owing to its sleek design and features, with just as much power under the hood when compared with its traditional counterparts.
Some of the popular electric models include: