by Mara Leighton | Insider | May 8, 2019
As college tuitions skyrocket to the most expensive they’ve ever been, online learning resources are popping up to fill the widening chasm.
Whether it’s picking up a hard or soft skill needed to catch a hiring manager’s eye, jump-starting your recreational creativity, or actually earning a master’s degree from one of the top universities in the US, online platforms are helping democratize higher learning for a fraction of the cost required to enroll in universities.
Of those many online resources, Skillshare may be one of the most exciting.
Like a ClassPass for learning, a Skillshare membership gives you unlimited access to over 25,000 adult learning courses across thousands of disciplines — perfect for advancing your career or learning a new hobby. Classes range from beginner to expert and fall into categories like design, illustration, business, technology, photo and film, entrepreneurship, and writing — and you can sign up for multiple without any extra charge.
Each class is comprised of short lessons and a hands-on project, and you can share the project with your class to get feedback from peers or collaborate with the community.
Skillshare itself makes truly continual, high-level learning feasible with its affordable access, good material, and variety. But, unexpectedly, the trial process also helped me figure out if, post-grad, I wanted to commit to courses again. In theory, I know I’m happiest when I’m learning. But, I wasn’t certain of it being put into practice until I tried it with the free trial, focused on a subject I was truly interested in.
I like the idea of the user being able to learn anything of their choosing through their phone. Instead of having to take classes, they are provided easy access to any information they are looking for. It is less of a product based business, working to sell items, and more of a service based business, working to educate users.
