As more organizations recognize the value of using big data and data analytics, the market is set to expand, opening up several new employment and career advancement possibilities. Want to acquire good data analytics skills focused on the best utilization of big data? Try free online big data courses.

Somewhere down the line, you may want to get an advanced degree in data science or do a more advanced certification course. However, for those who want to test the waters, free big data courses offered by leading institutes like Cloudera, Udacity, EdX, KDNuggets etc., are good places to start. Some of the best big data courses that are free have been covered below:

Big Data for Better Performance – Open2Study
Get a clear idea of what big data is, the varied sources it comes from, how to access these huge datasets to provide relevant business insights. This course focuses on using big data to analyze and predict customer preferences and trends.

Coursera Free Courses
Coursera offers two free advanced level big data courses – Data Science Specialization and Data-Driven Decision Making. The first, offered through John Hopkins University, covers subjects like cluster analysis, statistical programming using R, and natural language processing. Students have to complete a project that solves a real-world problem to finish this course.

The second course focuses on the technologies used to solve data utilization challenges in business organization, the tools and techniques used in big data analytics, and how to choose the best tools for the job. Students also learn about different job profiles open to data science specialists.

Udacity’s Intro Course on Machine Learning
Machine learning is a fast developing field and this intro course can help prepare students for Udacity’s more advance paid course in data analysis. This course introduces learners to the subject of machine learning, the tools and techniques used, and how to make the right choices in data sources and algorithms for specific problems.

edX Data Science Essentials
This is offered as an independent course from edX and can also form a part of Microsoft’s Professional Program Certificate in Data Science. The course covers such areas as probability, statistics, machine learning, data exploration, data visualization, and the use of Microsoft Azure. Students do need to have a working knowledge of Python or R.

IBM Data Science Fundamentals
IBM offers a number of free online courses. This program begins with Data Science 101, then introduces students to methodologies, using open source tools, and programming using R.

KDNuggets Free Course on Data Mining
KDNuggets is an online technology platform focusing on data analytics and big data. It offers free study modules on topics like data mining, statistical concepts applied in this field, and how data mining can be applied in various fields to extract meaningful information.

If you want to learn what big data is and the associated technologies, you can enroll in free introductory online big data courses. You can also find more advanced free training online. If you complete these courses, you may have to pay a fee to get the certificate.