8 free online courses to grow your tech skills

The cost of learning just got cheaper. CIO.com tracked down these eight free ways to grow your technology skill set.

Free Online Tech Courses
At one time, universities and colleges were institutes of higher learning for those who were passionate about acquiring knowledge. Today, education discussions tend to to center around how much individuals can make with their degree. Thanks to the Internet there are still places that offer open learning initiatives designed to help a new generation of technologists succeed.

If money was the only thing holding you back from learning more about technology, we've got good news for you. There are many places offering free online tech training that while may not be degree/certificate driven can still give you a leg up on the competition.

While many of the courses listed here offer either a certificate or credit for a fee, they also all are free for those who just want to learn about technology or add a new skill to their "toolbox."

Introduction to Linux
Have you always wanted to learn more about Linux but never had the extra cash to inveset. This course offered through edX might be just what you're looking for. The Linux Foundation partnered with edX to offer this free Introduction to the Linux that covers familiarity with the graphical interface and command line as well as a look at all the major Linux distributions. The course gives an over view of the day to day working environment of a Linux administrator and covers pertinent tools and skills.

The designers of the course estimate that a total of 40- 60 hours of study are required to accurately cover the material. Students have the option of auditing the course, at no cost. You get access to course materials, tests, assignments and activities. Those who audit and complete the course will receive a certificate of achievement, but for those wanting to add it as a bullet point on their resume there is a verified certificate available for a fee.

Google Analytics Academy
With the proliferation of the Web, online shopping and social media marketing, competition for organic search traffic has gone through the roof. Understanding your website's analytics can help you make better data-based decisions while at the same time improving the customer experience. Google knows this and would love for you to use its product, Google Analytics. So much so that they've created this online learning center that offers courses to help you better use the hidden data located within your site.

Building Mobile Experiences
Another MIT offering through edX, Building Mobile Experiences, looks at the foundation for building mobile experiences. Mobile app traffic accounted for 55 percent of Web usage, surpassing desktop to become the dominant percentage of internet traffic, illustrating the need for today's developer to become acquainted with the process, design and skills necessary to build the next "big thing."

Based on a poplar MIT class that's been taught since 2006, Building Mobile Experiences' primary focus explores the analysis of mobile user behavior and the implementation of those findings in the design process. The course length is 12 weeks and requires roughly 10-12 weeks of study per week. While there is some code writing required, the bulk of the course will be designing and evaluating what a "unique mobile experience" is.

Students can pay to receive a verified certificate of achievement or audit the course for free and receive and Honor Code Certificate.

Microsoft Virtual Academy
Microsoft Virtual Academy offers a host of courses on mainly -- you guessed it -- Microsoft products. They offer courses on everything from game to cloud to app development and many more. There is no cost to participate but you must use a Microsoft account and create an MVA profile. Once you're logged in you can take courses or attend live events as well as build a learning plan and track progress towards your goals.

Udacity
Udacity got its start when Stanford University starting offering free computer classes in 2011. In April 2014, it boasted more than 1.6 million users. Its free tech offerings include HTML , Python, Intro to Data Science and many more. In fact, Google recently partnered with Udacity to bring Android development to the masses. Individuals who access the courses for free get access to course materials, like instructor videos and project instructions.

Alison
Alison offers an array of free online technical courses covering everything from, building an online business, to C programming to several flavors of Adobe training. One of their more popular tech courses is, ABC IT - Computer Training Suite which teaches users the basics of computing.

Altogether the e-learning provider reports more than 3 million have used its solutions to get educated and they offer more than 600 courses. They have roughly 106 technology courses available in their Digital Literacy and Skills section.

Design and Development of Educational Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology offers a course entitled, Design and Development of Educational Technology via Edx, a service offering interactive online classes and MOOCs from some of the world's most distinguished universities. The course runs six week and requires 4-6 hours of study each week. The course itself covers the evolution of educational technologies and how it's being used en masse.

Enrollment for the most recent ended October 8th and the course will run for 6 weeks. It's unclear at this time whether it will run again before 2015.

Harvard's CS50 Computer Science
Harvard offers this introduction to computer science. Those who participate will get a foundation in basic coding and learn aspects of C programming, HTML, CSS, JavaScript and SQL. This is a great, free way for individuals who want to learn to code to get their wish. You can enroll for Harvard credit or earn a certificate of achievement for a fee. You can also audit the course for free. Those who audit the course and achieve a satisfactory level of work will receive an Honor Code certificate.

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CCIE Collaboration Jobs in USA

Cisco is a name that is a renowned and acknowledged all around the world and a CCIE certified person enjoys the status of qualified professional even at international level. US is a great place where there are a lot of job opportunities in the world of information technology. Yet these jobs require a highly well-informed and accomplished person.

The world of information technology is advancing, more and more certifications and diplomas are being released by the IT giants and companies are looking for certified individuals. The Companies in the IT field would prefer hiring people who are certified and highly well-informed.

People who are CCIE Collaboration certified are in high demand all over the world especially in the US. Hence, as the days pass, certifications are becoming more and more necessary to find the appropriate job. The CCIE Voice certification was the previous version of the Collaboration certification. However, now it stands expired, and collaboration certification has taken its place.

Once you are CCIE certified you will have boundless job opportunities with great salary packages. After being Cisco certified your value increases and you become qualified for many job positions. Some of the jobs that are available in US for a CCIE collaboration certified individual are

Voice Technologies Administrator
Voice Technologies Engineer
Voice Technologies Manager

Many companies prefer the CCIE certification because of it recognition all over the world. It’s an expert level certification which validates that the candidate is competent and capable enough to perform the job tasks that are assigned to him such as implementing, troubleshooting, and configuring the Cisco Voice and unified solutions. Many of the Networking Professionals prefer getting the CCIE Collaboration certification as it’s in high demand and you can get good and highly paid jobs. Once you get a job your future ahead of you is secure and bright as well.

The salary for CCIE Collaboration Certified expert ranges from US$:90000 to 120,000 based on the level of expertise.

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Cisco CCNA Routing and Switching Jobs in USA 2014

Cisco is the leader in networking technologies and has introduced remarkable professional certifications to enhance competencies of the professionals. Cisco’s CCNA is one of its most popular certifications in networking technologies.

The professionals having attained the CCNA certification, are equipped with the requisite capabilities to handle the networking platforms while working with networking devices like switches, hubs and routers etc.
The information technology is advancing at very fast pace. Engineers and experts joining this field will be able to perform to the greater satisfaction of thier employers if they do have excelled their competence through the professionals certifications like Cisco CCNA.

Cisco’s CCNA is the certification which is equally popular among st the serving professionals and the employees. So it is very much important for the experts who are dealing with LAN and WAN typologies that they must pass the Cico certification course to avail their CCNA credential.
The IT professionals having passed the course for CCNA, would have better chances of getting good CCNA jobs in USA.

The professionals having achieved Cisco CCNA certification would be better placed to find CCNA Jobs in USA to start their professorial career as:-

• An expert in CCNA networking typologies
• An engineer in the senior networking systems of CCNA
• An IT manager in different fields
• An assistant for systems and networks
• An system engineer in different IT fields
• An engineer for voice frequencies
• An administrator of security systems

The above mentioned jobs are available in USA for IT professionals who have earned the CCNA certification. It is a known fact that the field of information technology is moving at very fast pace and it is the need of every IT professional to keep himself abreast about latest developments and innovations.
The professionals with CCNA certification, got better CCNA jobs in USA than the candidate shaving no such credentials. The average expected salary for the professional having CCNA certification would be around $95,000.

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640-864 Designing for Cisco Internetwork Solutions Exam (DESGN) v2.1

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QUESTION 1
According to Cisco, which four improvements are the main benefits of the PPDIOO lifecycle
approach to network design? (Choose four.)

A. Faster ROI
B. Improved business agility
C. Increased network availability
D. Faster access to applications and services
E. Lower total cost of network ownership
F. Better implementation team engagement

Answer: B,C,D,E

Explanation:
The PPDIOO life cycle provides four main benefits:
+ It improves business agility by establishing business requirements and technology strategies.
+ It increases network availability by producing a sound network design and validating the network
operation.
+ It speeds access to applications and services by improving availability, reliability, security,
scalability, and performance.
+ It lowers the total cost of ownership by validating technology requirements and planning for
infrastructure changes and resource requirements.
(Reference: Cisco CCDA Official Exam Certification Guide, 3rd Edition) described in the link
below.
Link:http://www.ciscopress.com/articles/article.asp?p=1608131&seqNum=3

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QUESTION 2
Characterizing an existing network requires gathering as much information about the network as
possible. Which of these choices describes the preferred order for the information-gathering
process?

A. Site and network audits, traffic analysis, existing documentation and organizational input
B. Existing documentation and organizational input, site and network audits, traffic analysis
C. Traffic analysis, existing documentation and organizational input, site and network audits
D. Site and network audits, existing documentation and organizational input, traffic analysis

Answer: B

Explanation:
This section describes the steps necessary to characterize the existing network infrastructure and
all sites. This process requires three steps:
Step 1. Gather existing documentation about the network, and query the organization to discover
additional information. Organization input, a network audit, and traffic analysis provide the key
information you need. (Note that existing documentation may be inaccurate.)
Step 2. Perform a network audit that adds detail to the description of the network. If
possible, use traffic-analysis information to augment organizational input when you are describing
the applications and protocols used in the network.
Step 3. Based on your network characterization, write a summary report that describes the health
of the network. With this information, you can propose hardware and software upgrades to support
the network requirements and the organizational requirements.

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QUESTION 3
You want to gather as much detail as possible during a network audit with a minimal impact on the
network devices themselves.
Which tool would you use to include data time stamping across a large number of interfaces while
being customized according to each interface?

A. RMON
B. SNMPv3
C. NetFlow
D. Cisco Discovery Protocol

Answer: C

Explanation:

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QUESTION 4
Which three are considered as technical constraints when identifying network requirements?
(Choose three.)

A. Support for legacy applications
B. Bandwidth support for new applications
C. Limited budget allocation
D. Policy limitations
E. Limited support staff to complete assessment
F. Support for existing legacy equipment
G. Limited timeframe to implement

Answer: A,B,F

Explanation:
Network design might be constrained by parameters that limit the solution. Legacy applications
might still exist that must be supported going forward, and these applications might require a
legacy protocol that may limit a design. Technical constraints include the following:
Existing wiring does not support new technology.
Bandwidth might not support new applications.
The network must support exiting legacy equipment.
Legacy applications must be supported (application compatibility).

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QUESTION 5
In which phase of PPDIOO are the network requirements identified?

A. Design
B. Plan
C. Prepare
D. Implement
E. Operate
F. Optimize

Answer: B

Explanation:



Plan Phase
The Plan phase identifies the network requirements based on goals, facilities, and user needs.
This phase characterizes sites and assesses the network, performs a gap analysis against bestpractice
architectures, and looks at the operational environment. A project plan is developed to
manage the tasks, responsible parties, milestones, and resources to do the design and
implementation. The project plan aligns with the scope, cost, and resource parameters established
with the original business requirements. This project plan is followed (and updated) during all
phases of the cycle.

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