If you are looking to embark on some self-improvement while stuck at home during the coronavirus outbreak, consider taking some free online college courses.
In fact, 450 Ivy League schools are among those offering the option, according to Class Central, an online education clearinghouse.
"There's a huge wealth of information" available, said Class Central CEO Dhawal Shah.
Whether you have been laid off in the wake of coronavirus business closures or find yourself working remotely, taking time for personal development could help you once the pandemic has ended.
"Shark Tank" investor Daymond John suggests you take this time to think like an entrepreneur.
That means if you are saving three hours of commuting a day, work for all or part of that time instead of treating it like a Saturday.
"You're educating yourself and getting as much information as you can to be a better person," said John, author of "Powershift: Transform Any Situation, Close Any Deal, and Achieve Any Outcome."
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Of course, do what you can depending on your situation — while you may be working from home, you may also be juggling children or aging parents.
It also depends on your interests, but Shah said there is a "big diversity" of courses available through online learning sites Coursera and edX — totaling about 13,000 courses from more than 900 universities. They are free to audit — or listen to — but you can also pay to do homework and receive a certificate.
However, while a certificate may look nice on your resume, auditing a class will help you gain invaluable knowledge that can help you advance in your career — and even help you ace an interview, Shah points out.
Some are even taught by world-renowned experts, like Nobel Prize winner Robert Shiller, who teaches a financial markets course at Yale.
If you are new to online learning, Shah suggests first taking Learning How to Learn from the University of California, San Diego.
Here are a few other examples of the courses available:
- Finance for Everyone, University of Michigan
- Child Nutrition and Cooking, Stanford University
- Innovation for Entrepreneurs: From Idea to Marketplace, University of Maryland
- The Science of Well-Being
You can check out all the free online courses available at Class Central.
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Disclosure: NBCUniversal and Comcast Ventures are investors in Acorns. CNBC owns the exclusive off-network cable rights to ABC's "Shark Tank."
