20+ Free Online Courses by IIMs that every student can do for free 🤯

Main ideas / lessons conveyed

• The video promotes free online courses offered by IIMs, specifically mentioning IIM Amabad (likely IIM Ahmedabad) and IIM Bangalore.
• The key value is auditing the courses for free.
• Certificates are optional:
  • The speaker argues they generally don’t matter much for online-course profile shortlisting.
  • This is especially true compared to the actual learning gained.
• Even if you pay for a course or earn a certificate, the real benefit is knowledge, not the credential.

Course recommendations (what to learn and who should take them)

1) Analytics for Business / Business Analytics / Business Problem Solving (IIM Amabad)

• Primary focus: How businesses use data to make decisions.
• Depth level: More “surface-level” (not advanced tool/methodology depth).
• Who should take it: “Everyone,” including professionals/corporate workers from any domain.
• Reasoning: Professionals need to understand analytics in real business decision-making.
• Featured instructors/speakers mentioned:
  • Professor Arindam
  • Professor Tatakata

2) Strategy and Game Theory for Management (IIM Amabad)

• Primary focus: Game theory concepts for decision-making and strategy.
• Cross-domain relevance: Applies beyond economics—useful for understanding how businesses and individuals make decisions.
• What you gain: Understanding the strategies businesses adopt and why.
• Featured instructor mentioned: Professor Pingley

3) Marketing fundamentals (IIM Bangalore)

The video suggests multiple marketing-related courses, including:

• Marketing Management
• Marketing Essentials
• Brand Management

Who should take them: Especially those interested in marketing, though framed as useful fundamentals even for non-marketers.

Optional additional course:

• Advanced Marketing (only if marketing is your specific domain)

4) Domain-agnostic / skill-building courses (IIM Amabad)

a) Accounting (mentioned as IIM Amabad-provided)

• Beginner-level framing: Learn enough for basic balance sheet / financial accounting understanding.
• Recommended outcome: A general-manager-level foundation that’s sufficient for many learners.

b) Leadership Skills (IIM Amabad)

• Primary focus: Leadership dynamics such as:
  • power
  • politics
  • how leadership works in practice
• Conceptual inspiration: Draws cues from Indian ancient wisdom, particularly the Mahabharat.
• Lesson timing: You may not value it fully at first, but it becomes clearer in real workplace situations.

c) Happiness Skills (IIM Amabad)

• Primary focus:
  • calmness
  • emotional intelligence in professional settings
• Lesson timing: Like leadership—more valuable later when applied in real life, beyond academics.

d) Remaining of the MBA / “Remainders of the MBA” (IIM Amabad)

• Primary focus: Long-term vision.
• Positioning: Not for resume/profile credentials—something you absorb and benefit from over time.
• Speaker’s takeaway: These topics help more later than during immediate interview stages.

5) Additional specialized IIM Bangalore courses (conditional recommendations)

These are recommended based on preference and relevance:

• Digital marketing strategy (IIM Bangalore)

  • Only if you specifically want the IIM Bangalore perspective.
  • The speaker suggests alternatives like Google and HubSpot may be better.

• New Product Development (product/entrepreneurship)

  • Suggested if you’re interested in product management/entrepreneurship.
  • Not recommended as a “CV credential” course, but useful for applying principles in real product environments.

• Microeconomics

  • May feel theoretical and less enjoyable if you’re not interested in economics.
  • Still suggested for understanding business/industry (the video implies macro should be done by everyone).

• Advanced quantitative marketing research (IIM Bangalore)

  • Very specific—recommended only if you want quantitative/market research methods (e.g., how FMCG firms use quantitative approaches).

• Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

  • Very specific (mainly marketing; also potentially relevant to entrepreneurship).

• Consumer behavior

  • Recommended if you’re interested in marketing/entrepreneurship (selling to consumers).
  • Not recommended if your path is different (e.g., tech/finance), because it may not be “handy.”

How certificates vs knowledge are treated (explicit guidance)

• Audit for free is the main recommendation.
• Certificate considerations:
  • Some courses have exams under ₹1,000; certificates may be available after passing.
  • Certificates can sometimes be added to a profile, but:
    • The speaker claims online certificates generally don’t help much at shortlist stages.
    • The more important outcome is knowledge gained.
• The speaker suggests interview panels focus on learning rather than credentials alone.

Mentioned exam/certificate logistics

• Exams for certificates may cost less than ₹1,000 for some courses.
• In some cases, you can purchase the certificate after completing the course.
• The speaker’s emphasis: audit freely first, then learn.

Partner / supporting platform mentioned (CollegeVidya)

• The video includes information about CollegeVidya.
• Claimed purpose: A free platform listing UGC-approved online universities in an organized way.
  • Helps users compare programs
  • Provides counseling and protection features
• Key features described:
  • Compare 100+ online universities across 30+ factors (fees, placements, rankings, course content, EMI options, etc.) in ~2 minutes
  • Free expert career counseling
  • Career development advisers trained by a board of mentors (names listed below)
  • Placement support valued as ₹59, claimed “for free”
  • Job/internship portal access, alumni connect, and free webinars
  • “Assured” feature for refund support if not satisfied
  • Current subsidy up to ₹20,000 via a link in the description

Detailed bullet list of courses/instructions mentioned

Do (recommended)

• Take Analytics for Business/Problem Solving (IIM Amabad)
  • Focus: how businesses use data to make decisions
  • Level: general/intro, not deep tool training
• Take Strategy and Game Theory for Management (IIM Amabad)
  • Focus: decision-making, strategy, and choices by individuals/businesses
  • Connects economics/game theory to business behavior
• Take Marketing fundamentals if interested
  • Marketing Management
  • Marketing Essentials
  • Brand Management
• Consider Advanced Marketing only if marketing is your domain
• Take domain-agnostic courses (IIM Amabad) for long-term skills
  • Accounting (basic financial/accounting foundations)
  • Leadership Skills (power/politics/leadership dynamics; Mahabharat-inspired)
  • Happiness Skills (calmness/emotional intelligence)
  • Remainders of the MBA (long-term vision; learn/absorb, not for CV)

Do only if relevant to your interests

• Digital marketing strategy (IIM Bangalore) if you prefer that source; otherwise Google/HubSpot may be better
• New Product Development for product management/entrepreneurship learners
• Microeconomics if you can handle theory and want business/industry understanding
• Advanced quantitative marketing research if you want quantitative marketing/market research methods
• CRM if marketing/entrepreneurship is relevant
• Consumer behavior if marketing/entrepreneurship is relevant; skip if targeting unrelated domains (tech/finance)

Certificate vs learning

• Audit all courses for free (primary recommendation).
• If you want a certificate:
  • Some offer an exam for < ₹1,000
  • Some allow buying the certificate after course completion
• Don’t rely on certificate credentials alone—prioritize knowledge.

Speakers / sources featured (as mentioned)

Instructors at IIM Amabad / IIM Ahmedabad (mentioned)

• Professor Arindam
• Professor Tatakata
• Professor Pingley
• Professor Sel Mukharji

Partner / platform source

• CollegeVidya
  • Mentors/advisers mentioned by name:
    • Professor Vijendra Singh Chahan
    • Aman Gupta
    • Naven Casturya
    • XIS officer Ravi Kapoor
    • Spiritual leader Amog Ladas