Finding variable stars

Hi
I am absolutely new here, so pardon me if I sound a bit silly!
I am an amateur and want to learn more about variable stars. Apart from reading, I was wondering if there is any data out there that is waiting to be analysed to either identify a variable star or to conclude the opposite. I want to do this as a project that I have to submit as part of a distance learning course in Astronomy that I am pursuing. Is such data available and how can I locate it? I have no means to make observations myself at this stage.
If there is any other idea that someone could propose regarding analysing variable stars, I would be highly obliged.