For students and young professionals planning to build a career in finance, several free online courses can strengthen core skills and improve job readiness. Among the many options available, five programmes stand out for offering practical knowledge that is widely valued across finance roles.
The first is Reading Financial Statements offered by the Corporate Finance Institute (CFI). While creating a balance sheet or profit and loss statement is not always required in entry-level roles, the ability to understand, analyse and draw business insights from them is considered essential for high-value finance positions.
Learners interested in corporate finance can explore IIMBx Corporate Finance, taught by faculty members from IIM Bangalore. The course covers key concepts such as the time value of money, capital budgeting and financial decision-making. While the certificate requires a fee, access to the learning material is free.
Another useful option from CFI is Excel Fundamentals - Formulas for Finance. The course helps learners build professional-level Excel skills, an important requirement often evaluated during finance interviews.
Those inclined towards trading and investments can use Varsity by Zerodha, a free learning platform available in both Hindi and English. It offers structured modules that explain stock markets, investment strategies and market concepts from the basics to the advanced level.
The list also includes Coursera's Financial Analysis of Scenarios and Decisions, a beginner-friendly programme focusing on financial analytics, an essential area within the finance domain. Learners seeking more advanced content can further explore Coursera's course on Applying Data Analytics in Business Finance.
These free courses can help learners gain foundational skills and improve their chances of securing finance-related roles in the future.
