A Little Context For Education For All
I wrote in a previous blog post that I’ve used the online course platform Udemy as a tool for learning web development. As someone who didn’t finish college and as someone who also hasn’t always had a lot of money to his name, it played a significant role in deepening my understanding of styling, markup, and programming languages.
My first deep dive into the technologies that make up the web was when I began a development “bootcamp” course on the platform. It’s really what got me excited about it as a profession in the first place, and it’s a place I still turn to when I need to learn new technologies.
I still contend that MDN’s seemingly infinite pages of documentation on web technologies is the best place to learn the intricacies and best practices involved in creating web pages and applications.
However, MDN doesn’t (and shouldn’t) claim to be an entertaining space for education. It’s highly informative. That’s its function. Disclaimer: I actually do find it entertaining now, but that type of phenomenon didn’t occur until after I had taken that video course and learned some basic web development. If you’re looking for educational opportunities that are informational as well as engrossing, Udemy fits the bill.
Anyway, the reason I mention this is because, as student loan debt soars and the debate over education in America heats up in the 2020 primaries, I wanted to write a quick post on the subject. Don’t worry, I won’t be sharing my political views, as the answers to the questions surrounding the education system in America are way over my head. Instead, I wanted to talk a little bit about the plethora of inexpensive and free options available to those desperate to learn on a wide variety of options.
The Importance Of Education For All
I’ve recently written about some of the tools I use in the post referenced in the first paragraph, and I really enjoy this topic for a number of different reasons. One reason being that I’ve personally used them to expand my knowledge on a variety of topics, and I know how much value they can provide to anyone seeking to learn a new skill.
Another, more important reason, is the fact that there are a lot of Americans out there (and I assume people from all over the world) who simply cannot afford to pay for post-secondary education and who have a tough time securing any kind of scholarships. Honestly, I could write multiple articles just about my opinions on our fucked up school systems and how they set a number of different groups of students up to fail and how education should be more inclusive, but I’ll just leave it at that.
There are also those who would just rather not load themselves up with student loan debt, those who desire continued learning after graduating from college or technical school, and those who wish to change careers.
So, I think it’s important that we talk about these affordable options. While they may not necessarily replace a college education on their own, I still believe they can be an absolute god-send to the right person and that one can learn just as much online as they can at an institution. And if you’re like many who simply like to learn new things and give their brain a workout, they can also be highly entertaining.
The Toolbox
I’ll be updating this list as I think of/discover others. But, without further ado, here’s a present list of some of my favorite learning platforms.
Udemy
I hate to just list a bunch of things, but because I’m not a very good writer, here’s just a list of a bunch of topics covered by video courses on Udemy: Web Development, Programming, Data Science, Mobile Applications, eCommerce, Finance, Entrepreneurship, Real Estate, Accounting, Blockchain, Money Management, Taxes, Information Technology (I.T.), Cyber Security, Microsoft Office, Google Office, Personal Brand Building, Self-Esteem, Parenting, Happiness, Study Skills, Graphic Design, Game Design, 3D and Animation, Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Home Improvement, Photography, Health and Fitness, Music, Math, Science, Engineering, and SO many more!
It’s absolutely insane, and because they have LOTS of sales, you can often buy a course for $10 to $15. I’ve bought multiple courses that have included over 40 hours of video. It’s also just a one time fee and you get lifetime access to the course. Not only that, but they have a 30 day money back guarantee so you can try them out and see if you like them before committing. I promise, I haven’t once bought a course and not gotten at least $15 worth of value. I know it feels like I’m plugging them hard, but the link above is affiliate-free.
Anyway, I could go on and on about them, but I’ll let them do the rest of the talking. Check out their ‘About Us’ page to find out more. You can find that link at the bottom of the page, located in the footer if you’re still not convinced.
TIP: Be sure to check their website around any holidays (President’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, etc.) for some really great deals.
The Odin Project
T.O.P. provides aspiring developers with a learning path.
Skillshare
Similar to Udemy, Skillshare offers online courses on a large variety of topics. I’m not completely sold on them because many of the courses don’t seem to be up to par with Udemy’s courses, and they’re library doesn’t seem nearly as extensive. Another thing I like better about Udemy is the fact that you simply pay for individual courses that you know you want, and you get access to it for life. Skillshare charges a yearly rate of $99 for their full library, which comes out to about $8.50 per month, so it’s very inexpensive, but you do have to continue to pay for access to the courses you want. I like to be able to go back and reference my courses on Udemy for no additional charge.
However, I will definitely be giving them another look soon, and I’ll let you know what I think as soon as I do. One thing that I absolutely love is that new users can get a two-month free trial, so you know they’re confident in their product. The only thing is that you’re going to want to write down the date that trial ends because they’ll charge you $99 as soon as it’s over. Something tells me they’re banking on that. Just be careful and cancel before the trial period ends if you’re not completely sold.
Sitepoint
Sitepoint is a little bit different than the previous two. First, it’s definitely geared towards the tech and web development community. Another difference is that, while it does have courses available for Premium users, it’s greatest asset is its extensive library of books. These books are well written and right up my alley. The site also features a free blog where you can find some really great web development and programming lessons as well as tutorials for specific technologies.
No two-month free trial here, but if you use the link I provided (affiliate link), you’ll be given one month for free. If you decide you like it, you can choose a month-to-month membership for $9 per, or you can choose a yearly membership for $99, or lifetime membership for a one-time fee of $450.
W3Resource
LOADS more free web development tutorials, in text form. These are some really high quality tutorials with a lot of depth to them. HTML, CSS, JavaScript, front-end frameworks, back-end languages, database languages, various exercises, and more.
TutorialsPoint
Hundreds of tutorials on just about anything you can think of. If there’s any skill you’d like to learn more about, check TutorialsPoint to see if they’ve got that information. I’m willing to bet you’ll have some luck. Yes, things like web development, mobile development, machine learning and a thousand other things related to the tech industry are all covered here, but also things like marketing, management, emotional intelligence, job searching, engineering, and for whatever reason, even a variety of sports. Awesome, awesome collection of knowledge, and it’s all completely free.
PluralSight
PluralSight is one that I’m just about to check out, so I’ll be providing more information within the next week or two. They’re currently offering a 10 day free trial, so I’ll definitely be taking advantage of that. So, while I lack some real information about it right now, here’s what I’ve been able to gather: PluralSight is a very tech-centric course site, focusing on things like software development, IT operations, data analytics and architecture, etc. They have three different membership plans: $29/month, $299/year, and $449 for a lifetime membership. Based on what I’ve seen, it reminds me quite a bit of Treehouse, which I’ll talk about next.
Treehouse
Treehouse is a course based website that offers several different learning tracks. It’s also very tech-centric, so if you their 7 day free trial, expect to learn some web development and programming. Treehouse, I have used before, as opposed to PluralSight, and I liked it quite well. I do like the fact that you don’t have to commit for more than a month if you’d like. You can pay for a month and if you’re not sure you want another month, you can pause your membership at any time, and it won’t charge you again after your current month is up. It will also save all of your progress.
The video learning tracks include everything from web development to all of the major programming languages. From what I can remember (it’s been probably a year since I did the free trial), the videos were entertaining enough and taught by knowledgeable instructors. Oh, and if you haven’t already gathered this, all of the courses on the sites I’ve listed thus far, you complete on your own time. There are no deadlines. I hope when I say “courses” that’s not tripping anyone up. It’s what they call them, but these are all courses you can complete while working a full time job. That was often the case with me.
FreeCodeCamp
I know, I know…another tech site. FreeCodeCamp is completely free though, and it’s as good as some paid sites out there. It features thousands of hours of free web development and programming tutorials and they’re super interactive which makes them really enjoyable. On top of that, it has loads of algorithm and interview question tutorials as well. Check out the blog and YouTube channel too, for loads more content.
RELATED: My Web Development YouTube Subscriptions
HubSpot Academy and Blog
Hubspot Academy is a really awesome free course and lesson service. They have over 50 different free courses on SEO, marketing, and sales. It also offers hundreds of different lessons on even more specific topics within the realm of SEO, marketing, and sales. Definitely go read their blog as well which has a nearly endless supply of posts. Given all the great content, you could very well become an expert in any of those fields without having to spend a penny. You do have to sign up and create an account to use Academy, but it takes maybe a minute and it’s beyond worth it.
Moz Blog
Speaking of SEO, Moz’s blog reminds me a lot of the HubSpot blog. It has an endless amount of posts on Search Engine Optimization. Get ready to be an expert.
edX and MOOCs
This is the motherload. MOOC is an extension of edX which is well known for its free computer science course, CS50. And it should be. The production values alone are enough to keep you interested, but it’s also expertly taught by Harvard professors. And it’s completely free. Yeah, you read that right.
MOOC, which stands for Massive Open Online Courses, extends what edX has already done and provides hundreds of legit college courses and course materials absolutely free. You can learn just about anything you want here. A MUST if you want a college education but can’t afford the MOOBs (massive open online bills).
Khan Academy
Free school, practically. Taught by experts, Khan Academy has all the school subjects covered from kindergarten through college levels. Tech, finance, mathematics, they’re all well represented. One of the best educational websites of all time, free or paid, and that’s saying a hell of a lot. What Sal Khan has created here is nothing short of amazing. All the props to him.
TED
TED, if you don’t know, stands for Technology Entertainment Design, but it’s become something that’s about way more than that. They offer short, twenty minute or less videos of conference talks given by experts in their field. SO much awesome information here, you just have to see it to believe it. They have talks on everything from STEM subjects to self-help. Really, it doesn’t matter who you are or what you’re interested in, you’ll find something that interests you.
YouTube
As if you weren’t already aware, YouTube is one of the best places to learn, well, just about any ole thing. Just a quick search and you’ll be in video heaven. And speaking of heaven…
TIP: Create playlists to categorize all your educational endeavors.
Documentary Heaven
What can I say? I’m a believer. I have no problem whatsoever evangelizing for Documentary Heaven. Docs on docs on docs. If you’re a visual or auditory learner, you’re prayers have been answered. Their collection is EXTENSIVE. Loads of good stuff there spanning many different categories. In their world, all docs go to heaven.
Books!
Gotta show some love for the books. Good old fashioned books are some of the most valuable resources we have, and they’re an absolute steal. Of course there’s Amazon, which has lots of great deals on books, especially for Kindle. If you want all the books you could ever read at a decent price, try Kindle Unlimited. It lets you read juuuuust about any book you want for $9.99/month. Cancel anytime. Currently, Amazon will let you try Unlimited for free for a month. Take advantage of the vast amounts of knowledge contained in a single book, but on an even more colossal scale.
Oh, Amazon also “carries” free books for the Kindle app. Lots of erotic titles, but sift through it and you’ll find some other stuff too.
Breaking away from the internet theme for a moment, if you can’t afford the books on Amazon, check CraigsList for free books and for garage sales. Garage sales and estate sales can be great places to find really inexpensive books. Also, I’ve found that GoodWill and Salvation Army retail locations can be good places to look too.
The Education You Desire IS Out There
Whether you don’t have the dough for school, you’re looking for inexpensive opportunities to learn, or any of the other reasons for wanting to fill your head with knowledge without breaking the bank, there is definitely something out there for you.
One of the biggest tips I can give is to look for free trials. A lot can be learned, even in 7 days. Often times, they’ll even give you a free month or two. The two free months I got for Siteshare I was able to get after watching a Tom Bilyeu video on YouTube. They’re out there if you really look.
So, if you are one of the many out there who just didn’t have college in their future for whatever reason, don’t be discouraged. The education you’re after is absolutely out there, and it’s become extremely accessible. Call it education for all. You just have to do a little searching.