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Cooking at home, skipping exotic vacations to distant lands, and reducing the nightly pandemic online shopping problems can be a great way to keep debt down and stay one step ahead of expenses. But do you know what else could help? To earn more money.

I’m not talking about working harder. The last thing most of us need is another sideline to juggle in our already too busy lives. Plus, you already have a job and you’re pretty good at it. But lately you’ve been wondering what it feels like to ask for a higher salary.

For many of us, it’s as easy as taking an online course – even free. According to a recent survey by the online education platform Coursera, a whopping 87% of people who learned a new skill in the past year said it boosted their careers financially.

Here are seven of the most promising online courses that offer a payday boost without leaving your home.

Digital marketing

Learn the basics of digital marketing for free in Google’s bite-sized classes at the Google Digital Garage.

Do you remember when people used flyers to promote their business? While your local coffee shop may still have an ad or two on a public bulletin board, most of the mainstream marketing has gone online. Whether you’re selling a service, a restaurant meal, yoga practice, pandemic art project, or even your latest mask-making skills, learning a bit about digital marketing is a must.

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If you’re promoting your own side gig, learn the basics for free in Google’s bite-sized classes in the Google Digital Garage. If you want to learn more about managing customer behavior online, you can take Coursera’s 6-course Digital Marketing Specialization overview course for a mini MBA on this subject for $ 79 per month. According to Coursera’s website, nearly 50% of people who took this course managed to change jobs and nearly 16% of people received a raise.

Learn to code

The story goes on

Coding sounds difficult. And while your teen already gets it, it might very well be the last thing you ever want to learn. But simply improving your technical skills can do anything to add value to your job, help you find a new job, or provide a profitable part-time job. In the tech world, flexible schedules and high salaries that allow you to work from home are the norm.

There are tons of online courses out there to help you master everything from building websites in WordPress (less than $ 20 on Udemy) to learning the highest-earning programming language currently available – Scala (and possibly $ 150,000 Dollars per year)) – at Coursera for $ 49 per month.

IT support

EdX.org offers a micro bachelor’s degree in IT support.

Most of us already offer some kind of IT support for ourselves or loved ones. But beyond the basics, “Did you turn it off and on again?” Troubleshooting technical issues can be a huge pain. If your family is already the one stop shop for gadget breakdowns, you should make money from it too.

There is a great need for staff who can help identify and resolve any technical issue. Google recently set up an online classroom designed to help people make careers in tech support. Try the free introductory class to see if this works for you. If it suits you, dive in and get a micro bachelor’s degree in IT at EdX.org ($ 899).

Project management

According to job website The Ladders, project management is one of the six key competencies that will make you the most money in 2021. This is another job that you can often do remotely as well. It is not easy to keep everyone focused on the work and achieving goals, but if you do it and do it well you could be in great demand.

At EdX.org, you can earn a MicroMaster for $ 1,212 in eight months. Or you can get an impression of what it is about in a free overview course. At Coursera, after completing a 6-month specialization, you can also purchase a Project Manager Certificate for free for $ 777.

Data science

Since the information age began, companies have been collecting so much data that they are drowning in it. So every company needs someone who can get through all the facts and figures and make sense of them. People who can do this are rare.

If you have a science or math background and don’t work in your own field, this is your chance to get back in and make real money. The mid-salary for a data scientist in 2021 will be around $ 129,000, according to Human Resources Robert Half.

At EdX.org, you can earn a MicroMaster in this subject for $ 1,260. If all you want to find out is if this is of interest to you, you can take an introductory course at Alison for free.

Video and audio production

One of the best sites for learning to make video and audio production is Lynda.com, which is now part of Linked In Learning.

If you weren’t hiding under a rock, you’ve likely noticed a surge in Instagram roles and chic looking TikTok videos. This is how we all communicate these days, and the smartest companies know it.

There is a huge demand for video marketing content. A recent HubSpot report shows that 54% of people want to see more videos from companies and products they are interested in, and 87% of advertising groups rely on skilled video and audio staff and freelancers.

One of the best sites for that is Lynda.com, now called LinkedIn Learning. Both my husband, who is an award-winning cinematographer, and I take courses here from mastering better smartphone, drone, and GoPro video production to learning the latest shortcuts for video and audio editing. You can take courses for free for a month and then pay either $ 29.99 per month or $ 19.99 per year.

Emotional intelligence

As more people work remotely, emotional intelligence, or EQ, is a sought-after skill. If you’re struggling to connect with someone through Zoom, or if you’re more frustrated than ever trying to read between the lines “Reply All” and checking your email, a refresher course here can boost your morale and your paycheck improve.

According to global EQ training company TalentSmart, people with strong emotional intelligence make an average of $ 29,000 more than people without. Udemy offers a master class in Emotional Intelligence for $ 13, and EdX.org offers a class (via UC Berkeley) that teaches empathy and emotional intelligence. It’s free if you don’t want the certificate ($ 129).

Regardless of your current job skills, there are always ways to top up your bank account. At the very least, you might enjoy learning a new skill. But at best? You can even add another number to your annual salary.

Jennifer Jolly is an Emmy Award-winning consumer tech columnist and host of USA TODAY’s TECHNOW digital video show. Email to [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @JenniferJolly.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the US TODAY.

This article originally appeared in the US TODAY: Online Courses: Boost Your Income with Coding and Data Science Courses