The Internet has revolutionized our ability to receive free education
in a wide variety of subjects. While the "free online degree" programs
may be more scam than not, there are websites where you can take
classes for little or no money. Just keep in mind that there truly is
"no such thing as a free lunch," and you need to always be aware of
potential hidden costs. The hidden costs associated with free online
classes do not necessarily relate to money. In fact, it is a simple
matter to prevent yourself from being charged for something by simply never providing anyone with your credit card information!
But these websites may also be looking for your personal information as
well - particularly, your email address, home address, etc. There are a
few steps you can take to protect yourself in this arena should you
decide that you want to take some free online classes.

1. Get a post office box.
Post Office boxes can be a valuable tool if you do a lot of buying or
selling online, or, in some circumstances, even if you are considering
taking some free online classes. A P.O. box may not be a necessity when
taking free online classes unless you are interested in taking a class
that requires you to buy a book or other material that must be mailed
to your home. 

Whether you are buying new furniture
for your home, or just trading paperback books online, a P.O. box will
go a long way toward protecting your privacy. The smallest of the boxes
are very reasonably priced - about $25 per year. It is usually not
necessary to have a large box, even if the items you may be purchasing
online are large. If you receive an item that does not fit in your P.O.
box, most post offices will place a key in your P.O. box that opens a
locker containing your purchase. 

2. Get a free email address.
This step will save you from receiving a lot of unsolicited or unwanted
email in your primary email account. Generally speaking, whenever you
give someone your email address on the Internet, you can be fairly
confident that it will result in some "junk mail." This isn't such a
big deal if you have a free email address established especially for
this purpose. You can delete the junk mail when you receive it, and you
can close the account when it becomes too filled with junk mail, or
when you no longer need it. It is a simple matter to open a free email
account whenever you need one. These free email addresses can be
obtained through such websites as Yahoo, MSN (Hotmail), etc. 

Once
you have taken these simple steps to protect your privacy, here are a
few sites you may want to check out for their free online classes.
 1. Barnes and Noble University.
The Barnes and Noble website has an area called Barnes and Noble
University which contains a variety of free online classes. Of course,
the "catch" here is that they want you to buy your textbook for the class
from them. But it is not a requirement, and you can generally find the
textbooks cheap at a website such as ebay, half.com, etc. In many
cases, you can even check the book out of the library! The Barnes and
Noble University free online classes include topics in Liberal Arts,
(such as "Writing Children's Books with Writer's Digest Books"), Life
Improvement, (such as "Caring for your PC"), and Online Reading Groups,
where you may discuss one or a series of books. 

The Barnes and
Noble University free online classes are generally about six weeks in
length, and the assignments and discussions are completed via a
discussion board "chat room" format. 

2. Free-Ed.Net. 
This website offers a wide variety of free online classes on subjects
ranging from foreign languages to computer programming to GED and
college-prep classes. All textbooks are also provided online at no
charge. This is a great site if you are looking to review material you
have previously learned in a school setting, preparing for a job or
placement exam, increasing your vocational skills or simply learning a
new topic related to a hobby or special interest. Be aware that, if you
venture too far from the main site by exploring other websites
advertised here, you could find yourself being asked to provide
additional personal information in order to continue a free online
class or be asked to buy a book, etc., for a class. However, most of
the information provided here is, indeed, free. 

3. Third Age.com 
This website offers a plethora of valuable information aimed primarily
at the "third age" of life - baby boomers in their 40s, 50s and 60s.
Information on health, relationships, money, etc., as well as a blog
section. The "Third Semester" section of their website offers free
online classes and workshops, as well as reduced cost classes, in a
variety of subjects including beauty, computers, travel and money. 

There
is a wealth of free education, in the form of free online classes,
available on the Internet. Just remember to guard your personal
information and take a few simple steps to assure that your free online
class experience will be a valuable one.