7 Best Career Development Courses Online

Here are the best career development courses online to help you reach the next level of your career aspirations, regardless of what industry you’re in.

Not to be depressing, but it's estimated that as humans we spend roughly one third of our lives at work.

That's 90,000 hours over the course of a lifetime.

Since it plays such a major role in your life, you likely want to make your time at work count, which includes making it as productive and stress-free as possible.

With this in mind, here are the best career development courses to help you reach your work-related goals.

These courses will help you clarify exactly what you want out of your career, and how to chart out a path to get there.

You'll also learn to develop the crucial skills that you need to be successful at work, such as business communication, personal networking, job search and interviewing skills, and much more!

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What are the Best Career Development Courses?

Here are the best career development courses online to help you successfully navigate your career:

1. Career Success Specialization (University of California, Irvine)

This popular course series by the University of California is designed to help you develop the essential skills needed to improve your employability and advancement in today’s dynamic workforce.

In the course, you will learn to:

Apply management principles and problem-solving skills

Communicate with co-workers and produce clear and concise writing

Manage your time and plan projects effectively

Understand finance and use winning negotiation strategies

Additionally, this career development course concludes with a Capstone project that enables you to integrate and apply the skills you gain to your personal experience, giving you a way to communicate your value to potential employers.

Program Syllabus:

Course 1: Project Management: The Basics for Success

Course 2: Work Smarter, Not Harder: Time Management for Personal & Professional Productivity

Course 3: Finance for Non-Financial Professionals

Course 4: Communication in the 21st Century Workplace

Course 5: High-Impact Business Writing

Course 6: The Art of Negotiation

Course 7: Fundamentals of Management

Course 8: Effective Problem-Solving and Decision-Making

Course 9: Essentials of Entrepreneurship: Thinking & Action

Course 10: Career Success Project

As you can see, this online program is quite comprehensive. The modules will help you hone a variety of critical workplace skills, whether you're looking to manage your time and energy more efficiently, or improve your communication and interactions with others.

Key course features:

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion.

100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible Schedule

Set and maintain flexible deadlines.

Beginner Level

No prior experience required.

Approx. 11 months to complete

Suggested 1 hour/week.

=> Enroll in the Career Success Specialization course online here.

2. Successful Career Development (University System of Georgia)

Successful Career Development is a course on Coursera that provides expert support and resources to help you build the habits and attitudes you need to perform effectively in the job market.

This course takes a very individualized approach to help you prepare for success in your chosen career, whether you're a well-seasoned professional, a management trainee, or a service level employee.

In the course, you will:

Identify a mentor to add value to your career

Analyze your relationships and develop a practical approach for engaging your LinkedIn network

Differentiate between networking and networking with intention

Discover the most effective ways to ask for help from your peer or professional group

Evaluate the best methods of adjusting your career path at various stages of life

Course Syllabus:

Week 1: Career Habitudes

Week 2: Finding a Mentor

Week 3: NetWeaving: Networking with Intention

Week 4: Practical LinkedIn

Week 5: Building Authentic Relationships

Week 6: Asking for Help

Week 7: Adjusting the Career Plan

Key course features:

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance with your schedule.

Beginner Level

Approx. 20 hours to complete.

=> Enroll in the Successful Career Development online course here.

3. Career Hacking Course - 2021 (Udemy)

Career Hacking is a bestselling career development course on Udemy that shows you how to speed up your job search and gain access to positions that you would usually consider to be out of your reach.

This course is taught by experienced instructors at Eazl, an online business school whose courseware is used by top-tier organizations like Harvard, Tesla, Lyft, the World Bank, and many others.

Sadly, most of us were never properly taught how to job hunt in school. We were pretty much just thrown in a highly competitive job market and left to survive on our own.

What would it be like to have a killer resume, an extraordinary LinkedIn profile, phenomenal interview skills, and a strong network of professional contacts?

That's what this course is designed to help you achieve. You will discover how to:

Prepare a keyword-rich, targeted resume that gets outstanding results in your job search

Present yourself powerfully on LinkedIn and discover other online personal networking techniques

Interview competently and persuasively in your job search while still being yourself

Create career opportunities during your job search using traditional and non-traditional methods

Build relevant professional and personal networks as a foundation for future advancement

Set the stage for a rewarding career filled with personal success and contentment

Make a career change by framing your past experiences for future roles

This course is short and engaging - it should only take you two or three evenings tops to unlock the above skills.

Moreover, if you actually implement these strategies, it could lead to increased pay, new opportunities, and greater control over your career, which could easily translate into tens of thousands of dollars of value!

Key course features:

5.5 hours on-demand video
11 articles
81 downloadable resources
Full lifetime access
Access on mobile and TV
Assignments
Certificate of completion

=> Enroll in the Career Hacking 2021 online course here.

4. Build Your Network and a Dream Career (CreativeLive)

Build Your Network and a Dream Career is an immersive career development course offered on CreativeLive, the world's largest live streaming education platform.

The class instructor is J. Kelley Hoey, a networking expert and author who was named by Forbes as “1 of 5 Women Changing the World of VC/Entrepreneurship”.

In this course, Kelly encourages learners to rethink their views on networking and provides a comprehensive roadmap for building a powerful network that yields real results.

You'll learn how to:

Reach out to people with confidence

Know what you want and where you’re going

Map out your linear or nonlinear journey

Navigate career crossroads and passionately pursue uncharted paths

Find high-quality connections in every aspect of your life

Act with generosity in your business relationships

Be intentional about your networking

It's all too easy to relegate networking to the bottom of your to-do list, perhaps waiting until a career emergency arises before you even start thinking about it.

However, this course will show you how to make networking a priority, so you can develop strong, authentic relationships and create a network that opens up exciting career opportunities.

Key course features:

17 Video lessons in HD
4h 31m of class content
Exclusive bonus content
Lifetime access, anywhere, anytime
Streaming and offline access on desktop and mobile
Offline sync with our iPhone & iPad apps
100% satisfaction guarantee

=> Enroll in the Build Your Network and a Dream Career course here.

5. Interviewing and Resume Writing in English (University of Maryland)

This specialization course by the University of Maryland focuses on two specific skills that you need to advance in your professional career - interviewing and resume writing.

Whether you're looking to level up your current career, change careers, or even get started in the world of work, this course will help you develop sophisticated communication skills that will set you apart.

In the course, you'll discover strategies to help you:

Prepare for a successful job search, by engaging in self-research and research of the job market and industries of interest

Strengthen your interview skills by recognizing what hiring managers are looking for

Increase your confidence in interview by preparing for the types of tough questions today's premier companies use

Present yourself in the best possible way, by preparing a polished resume, cover letter and supporting business documents

Program Syllabus:

Course 1: Interview Research and Preparation

Course 2: Successful Interviewing

Course 3: Advanced Interviewing Techniques

Course 4: Writing Winning Resumes and Cover Letters

Course 5: How to Land the Job You Want (Capstone Project)

This online program incorporates an effective feedback loop. As you progress through the course, you'll have opportunities to practice your interviewing skills with other job-seekers from around the world, so you can learn from experience and gain more confidence.

Key course features:

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible Schedule

Set and maintain flexible deadlines.

Intermediate Level

Some related experience required.

Approximately 7 months to complete

Suggested pace of 4 hours/week.

=> Enroll in the Interviewing and Resume Writing in English course here.

6. Soft Skills: The 11 Essential Career Soft Skills (Udemy)

Learning about how to enhance and apply soft skills is a vital part of career development.

These are skills traits and characteristics aren't necessarily taught in schools, yet they are very much needed to survive and thrive in the modern work world.

In this Udemy course, keynote speaker and coach TJ Walker guides you on the path to developing the essential soft skills that boost your value and impact, both personally and professionally.

You will learn how to:

Become a stronger communicator

Appear professional to co-workers and bosses of all ages

Avoid common career blunders that often end careers

Manage expectations for bosses and colleagues

Position yourself for promotions

Make technology your asset, even if you are afraid of technology

Avoid the Not My Job Syndrome

Develop EQ to Match Your IQ

Develop leadership qualities

This soft skills course is designed to be completed in just one or two lunch breaks. This way, you can use your free time to be productive and learn new skills, rather than getting caught up in empty distractions.

Key course features:

31 hours on-demand video
3 articles
3 downloadable resources
Full lifetime access
Access on mobile and TV
Certificate of completion

=> Enroll in the 11 Essential Career Soft Skills online course here.

7. Career Brand Management Specialization (The State University of New York)

When it comes to the role you play in an organization, it's important to realize that you're more than just an individual...you're a brand.

This comprehensive online course shows you how to use branding and strategic management techniques to differentiate yourself from others in a competitive job environment.

First, you will learn to deploy analytical skills in building your career brand. Then you will create a self-management information system to organize your skills and identify ways to increase your human capital.

Program Syllabus:

Course 1: Strategic Career Self-Management

Course 2: Career Brand Development and Self-Coaching

Course 3: Strategic Self-Marketing and Personal Branding

Course 4: Career Total Fitness Annual Retreat

Every week, you will practice career branding techniques in a custom-built, individual Career Development Lab.

Finally, to wrap up the course and demonstrate your knowledge, you will participate in a training-style Capstone Project where you will create evidence-based portfolios, professional development plans and self-marketing public profiles.

Key course features:

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion.

100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible Schedule

Set and maintain flexible deadlines.

Beginner Level

No prior experience required.

Approximately 5 months to complete

Suggested pace of 3 hours/week.

=> Enroll in the Career Brand Management online course here.

Final Thoughts

Creating a meaningful and enjoyable career requires a proactive approach.

As shown above, the best career development courses won't just give you generic advice: they'll show you how to identify your own individual career goals and guide you in the process of achieving them.

The information that's conveyed in these courses will help you take control of your professional life, so you can carve out the outcome that's most aligned with your personal values.

Happy learning!