Education isn’t something you can finish – Here are some platforms to pick up new skills!

Many think that our learning journey ends the moment we step into the workplace, but with the increasing need to remain relevant, there has been a shift in mindset – and many explore options to further develop their skills. Be it professionally or out of interest, there are many online academies and platforms that have emerged over the past few years, and I’d like to touch on some which I think are useful.

YouTube

I’ve turned to YouTube to look for quick solutions. For example, I’d type in “How to use XXX Excel Formula” and I’d get a quick simple guide with video examples on how to use the formula with use-cases.

Also, YouTube is useful to get simple guides on cooking and how-to videos. There isn’t a specific YouTuber which I follow on the platform for guides but there’s sufficient content on this platform for me to find solutions.

I’ve not seen many channels offering a fully curated course on specific topics that have interest me but for quick-wins, YouTube is definitely the go-to platform!

Skillshare

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Skillshare is an online platform that has tons of curated, structured content. Unlike YouTube where it is easy to find self-help videos, Skillshare has structured courses on a specific topic that allows students to follow-through easily. From learning how to use the Procreate application to picking up photography skills, Skillshare is a platform where one can adopt relevant skills in a more systematic manner, and this tends to give a more holistic learning experience. I’ve personally watched a full beginner’s photography class where I learnt photography skills that’s meant for mobile phone users.

Another course of interest on this platform is the Business Analytics course – as you can tell, the range of courses are quite diverse. The ability to also interact with other users and sharing of projects set-up by the instructors also provide an avenue where students are able to learn from others and not just from the instructor himself.

A quick question from sceptics is – why Skillshare and not Udemy? In my opinion, both are pretty good in terms of the range of courses but Udemy is slightly more restrictive in a sense where you pay for each course you take. For Skillshare, you pay a monthly subscription fee for as many courses as you’d like – and it’s easy to cancel your subscription too!

Online Academies by Known Universities

This is the most expensive option for online learning, but you get instructors from renowned universities taking part in this. A platform/ school I’ve enrolled into the past year is Emeritus Online Certificate Courses. I completed my Digital Marketing course on this platform, and it cost around $1,500 for it. What I liked about this course is that each module had an assignment and the instructors went through them – not just over a video – but assignments are graded and returned to students. While tiring, the constant need to submit assignment ensured that students do not slacken, and I appreciated this. Materials were also relevant and real-life use cases were also provided to allow students to learn industry practices. It forced us to research on other companies while instructors reinforced the learning and practices. 

Thoughts

Regardless of platform you utilize, I see the significance in remaining relevant and also picking up new skills. Who knows – you may end up in a different industry altogether after picking up new skills! 

If you’d like a two-month subscription trial from Skillshare, you can sign-up using my referral code here!