Top 4 Free SAS Training Resources for 2021 and Secrets
Secrets for the Job Market
I will share free SAS training resources in a bit but first some secrets. Yes, secrets.
I have been teaching SAS programming for over 5 years now. I have learned a few things during this time that I hope will give you an advantage in the job market.
One observation is that many newcomers bypass SAS for other options (i.e., Python) because they believe it costs money to learn SAS. SAS is proprietary software, and it is costly, but learning it is free. In fact, SAS Institute provides SAS OnDemand for Academics for learning purposes, and this is available to independent learners, students, and Academics. This is an oversight that I believe has at least in part led to a higher demand for SAS Programmers.
The second observation that has led to a high demand for SAS professionals is the baseless idea, an idea floated the last 10-15 years, that SAS is in decline. The facts? SAS leads the advanced analytics market and this is unlikely to change in the near future.
SAS offers a suite of different software options depending on the need of the business. Large companies, especially Fortune 100, benefit greatly from such solutions because SAS focus on developing software that can be used by the less skilled workers but at the same time allows for more flexible/advanced options. They also offer terrific customer service for their products.
It be fair to say that ‘once you go SAS, it’s hard to go back’.
How To Get Free SAS Software
I made a YouTube video for my students some time back so they can register for and set-up SAS OnDemand. This is the cloud version of SAS that will allow you to code in SAS via web browser. Please watch until the end of the video as I also show you how to upload datasets.
So, with that out of the way, let me now give you the top 4 free SAS training resources.
#1 SAS Institute. Free Video Courses
SAS themselves offer quite a lot of free training. You will want to start with SAS Programming 1 or SAS Programming for R users (if you have experience with R).
Now, I personally think that their training is a bit boring from a teaching perspective but nevertheless it is free and otherwise perfectly great.
#2 Coursera
Up until very recently, Coursera did not have any SAS video courses on offer, now they have quite a few.
The advantage with Coursera is that you have SAS employees or well-regarded traditional Colleges/Universities teaching you the content.
You have two free options with Coursera.
For some courses, you can get a free 7 day trial, while other courses can be had completely free if you choose the Audit option. To choose the audit option click ‘Enroll for Free’ as you see in the image below.
Then you will see this screen. You will notice the audit option all the way to the bottom left.
Again, keep in mind, Coursera provides free SAS training in the way of audit for only SOME of the SAS courses, not all.
I have personally used the Audit option. The benefit is that you get access to all the content, the disadvantage is that you can’t do the comprehensive assignments or get a certificate. However, if you start the course by audit and then change your mind later on as you’re working on the course and want the Certificate, you can do that.
#3 SAS Institute. Free eBooks
We go back to SAS Institute. once again but this time their free eBook offerings. You could read ‘SAS Programming for R Users’ instead of watching the videos as in option #1.
But there are many more eBook options that will give you a sense of the different kind of software SAS develop.
#4 mydatacareer.com
I have also began offering a free trial via my website. In fact, it is a 30 day free trial. You could easily finish the SAS course (12hrs) within that time. This course has been a Best Selling course for many years now on Udemy (P.S. Udemy did not make this free SAS training list as there are no good free courses on there, all paid, including mine).
In fact, you will not only get access to my SAS course but my whole ‘All Access Data Science’ Bundle. You can see the current courses available in the ‘All Access Data Science’ bundle by going to the Homepage .
Free SAS Training (All Access Data Science Bundle)
Last Words
If your main goal with this free SAS training is to become a SAS programmer, using these free resources is a great way to start. In fact, if you want more information on becoming a SAS programmer, check out my article titled ‘How I Became A SAS Programmer and What it Entails’.
I know the path well and I can help you get there.
