Google recently launched Google Career Certificates, a flexible online training program that anyone can use to get professional-level training from Google. Google Career Certificates offers training programs in disciplines such as: 

This program also offers training specifically for educators and includes the Teacher Center, which offers free training courses and resources for educators at all levels. Many workshops can be accessed for free, but others, such as the Educator Level 1 Certification course, have an associated fee (in the case of the Level 1 Educator course, that fee is $10).  

LinkedIn Learning 

DSSS is an avid supporter and user of LinkedIn Learning’s training courses, and we can’t recommend these enough, especially when you’re looking for a way to keep your mind active over the summer. Here are some of our favorite training courses offered through LinkedIn Learning: 

Another valuable skill you can learn through LinkedIn Learning is how to code! DS3 supports systems like Java, WordPress, and Drupal, and we highly recommend supplementing our coding tools with LinkedIn Learning courses such as: 

Free Online Classes at Harvard 

If you want to feel like a student again or be able to tell people you have a Harvard education, then this is the activity for you! Harvard offers over 100 free online courses that are available to anyone. By visiting their website, you can sort courses by start date, subject area, duration, and difficulty to find the course that’s perfect for you. Here are some of the courses we look forward to trying out this summer:  

Keep Your Bank Account Active  

Kindle Direct Publishing 

Self-publish children’s books, blank journals, and more with Kindle Direct Publishing! Made popular by TikTok users, KDP allows anyone to upload their own original content and sell it on Amazon, without users having to deal with the physical item at all. Once you upload your work, Amazon sells, prints, and ships your work for you, and you earn a commission of every copy sold! For more information on generating passive income with Kindle Direct Publishing, check out this in-depth Kindle Create Tutorial. 

Sell Templates on Etsy 

Etsy is one of the top creative marketplaces in the biz, reaching millions of shoppers who choose to shop directly from creative, independent entrepreneurs. Not all the goods sold on Etsy are physical; hundreds of users sell downloadable digital templates, printables, and more, and make quite a lot of money doing it. How can you cash out on this passive income goldmine? Start by opening an Etsy shop for free, and then get to designing! Pages for Mac and Canva are great free graphic design resources that you can use to create marketable content to sell in your Etsy shop. This content can include:  

Become an Instructor for LinkedIn Learning 

If you’re an educator, you definitely have a wealth of knowledge that many could benefit from knowing. Boost your teaching resume and maintain the thrill of teaching during the summer by becoming an instructor for LinkedIn Learning. Their easy, accessible instructor application asks you to list the business, creative, and technology skills that you are qualified to teach and includes several short answer questions about your teaching experience and what courses you would like to teach. Once you’re accepted, you will work on a contract to create and publish courses. After being contracted, instructors will get the first half of their royalty advance at once, and the second half of the royalty advance is paid after the course is published. Once instructors “pay off” their advances, they begin receiving royalty payments every month.  

Get Going! 

Now that you have plenty of ways to stay occupied, educated, and employed, start looking at these options and figure out how you want to spend your summer!