16 Free Work From Home Courses & Resources To Make $1,000+

Trying to find free work from home courses? Would you like to learn how to work from home? Today, I have a great list of free online courses, plus webinars and ebooks that will help you learn how to start your own home business. If you’re looking to make extra income or a full-time living,…

Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Last Updated: January 12, 2024

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to make a purchase via my links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. See my disclosure for more info.

Trying to find free work from home courses? Would you like to learn how to work from home?

Today, I have a great list of free online courses, plus webinars and ebooks that will help you learn how to start your own home business.

If you’re looking to make extra income or a full-time living, working from home can be a great idea for you to learn more about. 

For me, I love being able to work from home. I have been working from home for over 7 years now, and I wouldn’t change a thing!

Many people enjoy working from home and remote working for reasons such as eliminating your commute, making extra money from home, being your own boss, having a more flexible schedule, and so on.

Also, around 50% of U.S. businesses are now based at home, and that number is expected to to grow.

There are lots of valuable paid online courses for work from home jobs, but if you’re not sure about an idea, you might not want to invest any money just yet.

That’s why free courses and guides are a great way to learn.

In fact, I learned how to start my business by first taking free courses. Since I wasn’t sure what I was doing when I started this blog, I didn’t want to spend money that I didn’t have just yet. I wanted to wait until I felt more comfortable and sure that blogging was what I wanted to do.

You can learn more about each of these online business ideas, figure out what is needed in terms of skills and education, the amount of money you can make, and so on. You get to test these ideas a little bit before you invest a lot of time and money, which is very nice.

Here is a quick list of the free work from home courses and resources that I’m sharing in today’s article:

  1. Selling Printables on Etsy Ebook
  2. How To Start a Blog Course
  3. Become A Sleep Consultant ebook
  4. Build A Voiceover Action Plan From Scratch Minicourse
  5. Start An Online Advertising Business From Scratch
  6. Start Your Virtual Bookkeeping Business
  7. Turn Your Passion For Visiting Thrift Stores, Yard Sales & Flea Markets Into A Profitable Reselling Business In As Little As 14 Days
  8. General Transcription Mini-Course
  9. Become a Proofreader 76 Minute Webinar
  10. Court Transcript Proofreading Mini Course
  11. Start a Dog Treat Business From Your Kitchen Workshop
  12. Make Money Writing Romance Novels ecourse
  13. Pinterest Virtual Assistant Training Workshop
  14. 5 Steps To Become a Virtual Assistant
  15. Self-Publishing Your First Book
  16. FREE Intro to Scoping Mini-Course

In the article below, I will be talking further about each work from home business idea and the free work from home courses or resources available for them.

16 free work from home courses and resources.

 

1. Sell printables online.

Did you know that you can earn a living by selling printables online?

Creating printables on Etsy can be a great side hustle because you just need to create one digital file per product, which you can then sell an unlimited number of times.

Printables are digital products that customers can download and print at home. Examples include grocery shopping checklists, gift tags, candy bar wrappers, printable quotes for wall art, and patterns.

You can sign up for this free ebook that helps you figure out where to start when it comes to selling printables on Etsy.

 

2. Create a blog.

Blogging changed my life for the better, and it allows me to earn thousands of dollars a month, all by doing something that I love.

Blogging has allowed me to save up enough money for early retirement, to travel full-time, have a flexible schedule, and more.

Here’s a quick outline of what you will learn in this free course:

  • Day 1: Reasons you should start a blog
  • Day 2: How to determine what to blog about
  • Day 3: How to create your blog (in this lesson, you will learn how to start a blog on WordPress – my tutorial makes it very easy to start a blog)
  • Day 4: How to make money blogging
  • Day 5: My tips for making passive income from blogging
  • Day 6: How to grow your traffic and followers
  • Day 7: Miscellaneous blogging tips that will help you be successful

You can easily learn how to start a blog with my free How To Start a Blog Course. This is one of the best free online courses to work from home and I even show you how to start your blog on the WordPress platform.

Also, my favorite way to earn money blogging is through affiliate marketing. I recommend signing up for my free ebook Affiliate Marketing Tips For Bloggers.

Related content: The Best Blogging Courses & Resources That Helped Me Make $5,000,000

3. Sleep Consultant.

Sleep is important for a baby’s growth and well-being. And, for the parents too!

But many times, parents struggle to help their child get the sleep that they need.

That’s where pediatric sleep consultants come in. They are experts who specialize in helping families with children’s sleep problems so that everyone can get a good night’s sleep. If you enjoy working with kids and want to make a difference in their lives, becoming a sleep coach could be a great new career choice.

You can learn more about how to become a pediatric sleep consultant by downloading a free ebook by clicking here.

 

4. Voice over act.

A voice over actor is the person you hear but rarely see on YouTube videos, radio ads, explainer videos, corporate narration, documentaries, e-learning courses, audiobooks, TV commercials, video games, movies, and cartoons.

In 2014, Carrie Olsen replaced her salaried day job to become a full-time voice over actor. People are constantly asking her how she got her start and how they can too.

So, she created Build A Voiceover Action Plan From Scratch Minicourse – This free course will help you learn about becoming a voice over artist, even if you’re brand new!

 

5. Manage Facebook advertising for local businesses.

This is a skill that you can learn without any prior experience in marketing or advertising.

The going rate for Facebook Ad management is $1,000 – $1,500 per month, per client.

This free webinar will teach you:

  • How one client can earn you $1,000 to $2,000 per month
  • Where to find Facebook ads clients

And more!

You can sign up for free at How To Manage Facebook Ads For Clients & Build Your Own Online Marketing Business.

 

free job training

6. Become a bookkeeper.

A bookkeeper is someone who tracks the finances of a business. They may handle payroll, billing and invoicing, etc.

And, you can learn how to become a bookkeeper without being an accountant or having any previous experience.

This free resource will teach you more about running your own virtual bookkeeping business. You’ll learn:

  • Is a bookkeeping business for you?
  • What exactly is a bookkeeping business? What kind of work do they do?
  • How much money can you make as a bookkeeper?
  • How do you find clients?

You can sign up for free at Start Your Virtual Bookkeeping Business.

 

7. Flip items for resell on eBay, Craigslist, and more.

Have you ever found something that you thought you could resell to make some money?

I’m sure you’ve thought about it in the past. I know that I have!

My friend Melissa’s family earned $133,000 in one year by buying and selling items that they’ve found at thrift stores, yard sales, and flea markets.

Some of the best flipped items that they’ve sold include:

  • An item that they bought for $10 and flipped for $200 just 6 minutes later
  • A security tower they bought for $6,200 and flipped for $25,000 just one month later
  • A prosthetic leg that they bought for $30 at a flea market and sold for $1,000 on eBay the next day

This is one of the home business ideas that anyone can start because you can start off selling things in your own house – I know we all have lots of stuff in our home that we could stand to get rid of. Then once you get a feel for the work, you can start purchasing items to resell.

I know quite a few people who have been flipping items for resale successfully for years!

You can sign up for the free webinar at Turn Your Passion For Visiting Thrift Stores, Yard Sales & Flea Markets Into A Profitable Reselling Business In As Little As 14 Days.

 

8. Transcribe audio or video into words.

Transcription is when you turn audio or video content into a text document. You listen to what’s being said and type it up into a text format.

There are many businesses looking for transcriptionists too – since general transcriptionists convert audio and video to text for virtually any industry, there really isn’t a typical client. Some examples include marketers, authors, filmmakers, academics, speakers, and conferences of all types.

Beginning transcriptionists earn around $15 an hour, and it increases from there.

In this free course, you will learn:

  • What it takes to become a transcriptionist
  • How much you can earn as a transcriptionist
  • How you can find transcriptionist work

You can learn more in the Free General Transcription Mini-Course. This is one of the free work from home courses that can introduce you to a very flexible side job.

 

9. Become a proofreader.

Have you ever read an obvious mistake and wanted to fix it?

Proofreaders look for punctuation mistakes, misspelled words, lack of consistency, and formatting errors.

You take content that other people have written and then go over it with a fine-tooth comb. You might be proofreading blog posts, print articles, academic articles, website copy, ad copy, books, student papers, emails, and more.

In one year, my friend Caitlin made around $43,000 by working as a freelance proofreader.

In her free 76-minute workshop, you will learn:

  • Common questions about becoming a proofreader
  • How to become a proofreader
  • 5 signs proofreading could be a perfect fit for you

You can sign up for free at Transform Your Passion for Words & Reading into a Thriving Proofreading Business in as Little as 30 Days.

 

10. Become a court transcript proofreader.

Becoming a court transcript proofreader is a more focused version of the last idea.

Court reporters also use court transcript proofreaders because of the importance of this type of work.

There is more training that goes into becoming a court transcript proofreader, and that is why I separated it from the general proofreading workshop above.

Caitlin, mentioned above, also has a great FREE 7-day course just for people who are interested in becoming a court transcript proofreader.

 

11. Home dog bakery.

Do you love dogs? If so, this is one of the best unique business ideas. No previous baking experience is needed, as this is a skill you can learn.

You can make dog treats, cupcakes, cookies, cakes, and more.

With a dog treat bakery business, you may be able to earn an extra $500-$1,000 a month or more.

You can learn more at How I Earned Up to $4,000 Per Month Baking Dog Treats (With Zero Baking Experience!).

Plus, you can sign up for this free training workshop that teaches you the small business plan for starting your own pet bakery.

 

free online courses to work from home

12. Write romance books.

My friend Yuwanda has found one of the most interesting home business ideas – she writes romance novels, and in one month, she was able to make over $3,000!

In this free course, you will learn:

  • How to get over your fear of not being a good writer
  • The technical side of self-publishing
  • How she got started writing her first romance novel

And more!

Learning to become a romance writer is by far one of the most interesting free work from home courses. If you’re interested, you can sign up for free at Make Money Writing Romance.

 

13. Help businesses on Pinterest.

Do you enjoy spending time on Pinterest?

Businesses are always looking for Pinterest virtual assistants, also known as running a Pinterest VA business.

Pinterest virtual assistants help businesses with tasks such as:

  • Designing Pinterest images for a website
  • Helping business owners set up their Pinterest account
  • Scheduling pins because this can be time consuming for the average business owner
  • Brainstorming a marketing plan

Click here and click on “Free Training Workshop” to learn how to become a Pinterest virtual assistant and find your first client. In this free course, you’ll learn what you need to do to get started, what services to offer, and how much to charge as a Pinterest virtual assistant.

 

14. Help businesses as a virtual assistant.

Virtual assistance is a field that is growing very quickly and is one of the most popular online business ideas, as you’ve seen with some of the niche VA courses I’ve already mentioned.

Virtual assistant tasks may include social media management, formatting and editing content, scheduling appointments or travel, email management, and more. Basically, you can get paid to do any task that needs to be done in someone’s business, but doesn’t need to be done by them.

Also, there is a free workshop that you can sign up for – 5 Steps To Become a Virtual Assistant. Here she will teach you how to become a virtual assistant and go over the typical virtual assistant salary and the hourly rate you can make.

 

15. Write your own eBook.

Writing your own eBook is a great way to make money from home, and there is probably something super helpful that you could write about (even if you think otherwise!).

In fact, my friend Alyssa self-published her first book and has sold more than 13,000 copies.

She is now earning a great passive income of over $200 a day from her book ($6,500 in one month alone!).

In this free resource, you will learn:

  • What it takes to publish a book
  • The strategies used to launch a book
  • Writing tips

And more!

You can sign up for free at Self-Publishing Your First Book.

 

16. Become a scopist.

A scopist is someone who edits legal documents for court reporters. A typical salary for an average scopist is around $30,000 to $45,000 per year.

In this free course, you will learn:

  • What is scoping? What does a scopist do?
  • What about finding clients and marketing?
  • What’s the earning potential?
  • What do I need to get started?

If you are looking for free online job training courses about becoming a scopist, I definitely recommend you click here to sign up for the free How To Become a Scopist course.

free courses to earn money from home

What jobs can you do at home with no experience?

Yes, there are many work from home jobs that you can get even if you have no experience.

You can learn more at 20 Of The Best Entry Level Work From Home Jobs.

 

Which course is best for working from home? What can I learn at home for free?

As you can see, there are many different free online courses for working from home to earn money from home that can help you start your own home business.

The best work from home job will vary from person to person.

I recommend writing down the ones that interest you the most, and exploring those further by taking the free resources mentioned above, doing some online research, and even asking those in the industry how they like their job.

The great thing about many of the jobs above is that they do not require any certifications or a professional certificate. That means that you can get started earning a full-time income with a new career as quickly as you want. Also, most of the free work from home courses above are self-paced, which is great because with a self-paced course you can take your time getting through the material, or going as fast as you would like!

All you need is a laptop or computer and an internet connection, and you can be on your way to finding a work from home job that suits you the best.

Free work from home courses and resources – summary

Below is a quick list of the free work from home courses and resources that I shared above:

  1. Selling Printables on Etsy Ebook
  2. How To Start a Blog Course
  3. Become A Sleep Consultant ebook
  4. Build A Voiceover Action Plan From Scratch Minicourse
  5. Start An Online Advertising Business From Scratch
  6. Start Your Virtual Bookkeeping Business
  7. Turn Your Passion For Visiting Thrift Stores, Yard Sales & Flea Markets Into A Profitable Reselling Business In As Little As 14 Days
  8. General Transcription Mini-Course
  9. Become a Proofreader 76 Minute Webinar
  10. Court Transcript Proofreading Mini Course
  11. Start a Dog Treat Business From Your Kitchen Workshop
  12. Make Money Writing Romance Novels ecourse
  13. Pinterest Virtual Assistant Training Workshop
  14. 5 Steps To Become a Virtual Assistant
  15. Self-Publishing Your First Book
  16. FREE Intro to Scoping Mini-Course

I hope you enjoyed this list of the best online courses to take to get a job. Good luck!

Which free work from home courses are you interested in?


Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Author: Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Hey! I’m Michelle Schroeder-Gardner and I am the founder of Making Sense of Cents. I’m passionate about all things personal finance, side hustles, making extra money, and online businesses. I have been featured in major publications such as Forbes, CNBC, Time, and Business Insider. Learn more here.

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  1. DNN

    I’m hearing some people are having tons of success by selling on Amazon FBA. I’ve resold dy goods before online and though I had no prior experience, I managed to sell items at a higher price in most cases.

  2. Brown Francesca

    Outstanding efforts. Thank you so much for sharing free courses

  3. Thank you for these resources. I will totally be using most of these! With so many people laid off right now, I’m sure more people are looking for things they can do while being at home with their kids. I’m personally working from home during the pandemic. I’ve used the time that I normally spend commuting each day to continue my education

  4. Andrea Russo

    Selling things on Amazon seems like a good idea. The free course interested me.
    In fact, I think there are a lot of things to do to make money. The main thing is to put effort and give it your time and attention.

  5. Hey Michelle,

    I got your email about this recommended link, so I decided to stop by and as always, leave my imprint.

    As some people desperately search for legitimate work-from-home opportunities, I think your blog post here on the “Free Work-From-Home Courses” list to be an absolute goldmine.

    First and foremost, I want to express my sincere appreciation to you for always doing a good job blogging since 2011, and forfor compiling such a comprehensive and diverse collection of courses. The fact that they are free is simply incredible. In today’s world, where the cost of education and training seems to be skyrocketing, it’s refreshing to discover a resource that allows individuals from all walks of life to gain valuable skills without breaking the bank.

    What impressed me the most about these courses was the wide range of topics covered. From digital marketing and graphic design to coding and virtual assistance, there seems to be something for everyone. The detailed descriptions and user reviews provided invaluable insights, enabling me to choose courses that aligned perfectly with my interests and career goals.

    To anyone reading this comment, I highly encourage you to check out the Free Work-From-Home Courses list. It’s an incredible resource that can change your life, just as it did for me. Take advantage of this opportunity to invest in yourself, learn new skills, and unlock a world of possibilities. Trust me, you won’t regret it. Michelle always does a fantastic job with her informative blogs.

    Drewry News Network is a full fledged 100% supporter of Michelle Schroeder-Gardner! 🙂

    Once again, a heartfelt thank you for sharing this invaluable resource. Your efforts have made a significant difference in the lives of countless individuals seeking work-from-home opportunities.

    Keep up the amazing work!