10 Most Innovative Online Schools in 2024

Online Schools have made acquiring new skills easier than ever. Whether you are a newbie looking for a direction or a mid-career professional looking to diversify their skill-set, they seem to have something for everyone.

Companies now also look for people capable of multiple talents. Therefore, it is not advisable to rely entirely on one skill. But it can be both time-consuming and expensive to enroll oneself in school alongside working to learn new skills. So how do get professionals out of this dilemma?

Rest assured! This article has all the answers. With these innovative online schools, learn new skills in no time and become a man or a woman of many talents.

1. Springboard

Springboard is an online school that specializes in data science, data analytics, UI/UX design, and all things related. They have a wide variety of courses to choose from. The best thing; they have a quick quiz to help to see which of the courses will suit your requirements and capabilities. This means; no more doubting if the course is for you or not. Moreover, you don't have to pay upfront. The platform has a deferred tuition policy i.e. you pay after you land a job and that too without any income sharing agreements. All this so you can learn stress-free without having to leave your job.

What makes Springboard stand out among other online schools is the emphasis they place on practical learning. For this, they have student advisors, career coaches, and personal mentors to help guide you through your journey. Not only do they provide quality work feedback but also help prepare you to land a job with mock interviews and personalized CV preps. To ensure quality mentorship, Springboard has a thorough policy of taking on only 10% of mentor applicants with a minimum of 4 years of relevant experience.

Moreover, Springboard holds regular in-person meetings, online meets, and annual conferences to help gell the community. You make lasting friendships and reliable professional contacts for life. Springboard is truly the ultimate innovative school for up-and-coming data experts.

2. BrainStation

BrainStation is a great resource for people looking to advance their career in the field of Tech. The online platform offers a variety of award-winning bootcamps on data science, web development, digital marketing, and UI/UX design. The courses are both online and in-person flexible models (full-time or part-time) to suit your needs. Besides, BrainStation offers a range of scholarships to deserving individuals.

Learn full-spectrum digital skills from industry individuals and get exclusive access to a carefully curated curriculum along with tech giants like Google, Tesla, and others. The hands-on approach of such instructor-led courses provides learners with up-to-date knowledge that they are bound to get from nowhere else. So why wait? Join the vibrant community of over 100,000 professionals from around the world.

3. Metis

Metis is a career-focused platform centered around data science and analytics training. It caters not only to individuals but also to corporations and even institutions. With its flexible learning model, companies and learners can multitask seamlessly. The online school has won several awards for its performance in 2024. Perhaps one that stands out is their alumni hiring ability. Metis alumni boast positions at Amazon, Quora, and The New York Times.

You can find online bootcamps, BootCamp prep courses, corporate training for companies, and specialized webinar series. Moreover, Metis also offers short immersive courses. Metis with its hiring partners offers an exclusive opportunity to its alumni to land a job right after they graduate. Acquire new skills and have a job all for the price of a single course. What a bargain!

4. Be On The Deck

If you are looking to up level your career, launch and scale your ideas and make reliable connections, then Be on the Deck is just the place for you. Their philosophy is simple:

To explore and launch new ideas: Define your goals and seek clarity about your future professional plans with the help of their immersive cohort sessions. Learn one-on-one from subject matter experts, and gain a hands-on experience. You will acquire key problem-solving skills and will be able to use tactical programming to evaluate new ideas and concepts.
Build deep connections: Experts at Be on the Deck are very particular about community-centric learning. People get the chance to interact with founders, investors, fellow creatives, and industry leaders under one roof.
Learn and grow rapidly: With their fast track sessions of 8-10 weeks, learner is equipped with all the knowledge in no time. They design fast paced courses for a fast paced world.

Alumnus, Grace Chang managed to raise $8 Million with her startup, Kintsugi, thanks to the mentorship at Be on the Deck. Just like them, you too could be amongst their next top success story.

5. Reforge

Reforge is a membership program where motivated individuals interact in deep-dive cohort sessions. The content-driven platform is perfect for both individuals and companies alike. Courses here are divided into 4 to 6 weeks duration. They can be taken part-time, depending on your schedule.

At Reforge, courses are led by experts from UBER, HubSpot, and Facebook. This makes the courses practical and application forward as opposed to memorization-based. Moreover, with their exclusive memberships, members have access to content from all the programs all year round - helping them acquire a diverse understanding of the subjects with changing times.

6. Flatiron School

Flatiron School offers on-campus learning and online learning to suit the needs of diverse audiences. They offer a wide variety of courses from cybersecurity engineering to product design, to help individuals get skills necessary to further their tech careers. With a global employment rate of 86%, Flatiron school is proud to inform say they offer guaranteed job security post their programs. Furthermore, with partners like Citi Bank, GitHub, and NYC, job prospects for learners are doubled here.

7. Section 4

One of the top innovative online schools to check out this year is Section 4. Unlike the other schools in the category, this one brings together digital learning and incorporates it with business strategy to help professionals adapt to the tech-driven world. The platform also offers an exclusive Slack channel for members to interact with professionals from over 60 countries.

They offer intensive courses that last between 2 to 3 weeks, making them perfect for busy professionals. The teaching model emphasizes quality over quantity, hence, such a brief period of courses is no hindrance in getting good knowledge. On top of everything, the platform also offers scholarships.

8. Design Lab

Design Lab is the perfect place for aspirants to learn UI and UX design online. Here students are matched with professional mentors who guide them through their journey. Their courses are affordable and offer a challenging curriculum to help learners expand beyond their boundaries.

Don't have a background in design? No worries. Design Lab offers special courses for beginners. Embark on a one-on-one journey with experts and learn the fundamentals of design in no time. For those of you looking to level up your skills, take on their quick 4 week courses and polish your CVs.

An interesting feature about Design Lab is that they offer a 'tuition reimbursement policy'. This means that learners who are unable to land a job within 6 months of taking the course are eligible for tuition reimbursement. Now that is sick!

9. Data Camp

With Data Camp, learn coding essentials and data science for free. You don't even need any prior installation, simply run the code from your browser. It's that easy. You can learn non-coding essentials, data science, and machine learning using interactive video and quick exercises. They also specialized plans for companies.

Data Camp has a four-tier teaching methodology:

Assess - to test ones skills
Learn - complete the interactive courses
Practice - with daily quick challenges
Apply - Solve everyday problems with your learning.

Become the best with the best at Data Camp.

10. General Assembly

General Assembly offers coding bootcamps for individuals as well as companies. Corporations can also use these bootcamps as exclusive hiring pipelines. Courses are flexible and can be taken part-time, full-time, or online depending on ones' ease.

A great thing about General Assembly is their multiple payment options which enable people from all sorts of backgrounds to afford quality learning. Their payment plans include:

Catalyst program - pay after you are hired.
Regular payment plans
Tuition discounts for women
Employer sponsorships - request reimbursement from your employer.

Conclusion

Online Schools are quickly catching up to the growing demand for data and design learning. However, with such growing options, one gets confused about which option will offer them the best value for money. This is our brief take on the must-try innovative online schools for 2024.