Skillshare—compared to other expensive online learning platforms—is absolutely worth it for beginners and experts looking for an at-your-own-pace learning experience. A Skillshare account gives you unlimited access to a wide variety of online classes. Skillshare offers the perfect balance of specific skill development and aspirational learnings to help students thrive in the real world.
What is Skillshare?
Skillshare is an online learning community for students to take online video classes at their own pace. The Skillshare platform offers a broad variety of specific skills such as UX design, creative writing, business analytics, graphic design, Photoshop, web development, and so much more.
Founded in New York in 2010 by Michael Karnjanaprakorn and Malcolm Ong, the primary means of learning offered by Skillshare is the completion of a project while viewing online video content.
Compared to other e-learning platforms, Skillshare is cost-effective and an excellent launching point for people to boost their career skills or discover new courses to perk new interests.
How are Skillshare courses structured?
Skillshare courses are structured in a traditional online learning setup with cool extra functionality built in. First, there are the video lessons. The video lessons are organized and displayed to the right of the video playback screen (on the web browser version) which makes it easy to toggle between lessons or quickly see how the course is organized.
Beneath the video playback screen is five options to further your learning:
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About
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Reviews
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Discussion
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Projects and Resources
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Transcripts
The About section lays out a summary of the course and what you can expect to learn. Some courses also describe who the course is for specifically (helpful when browsing for new courses).
The Reviews section is especially helpful when looking for new courses to take. Here you can read reviews and opinions from past students who have taken the course. Skillshare conveniently displays who the course is “Best suited for” (beginners, advanced, etc.), what students liked most, and whether or not the course met students’ expectations.
The Discussion section is a place for students to post questions and request feedback among themselves. The best part is that sometimes the Skillshare instructor will jump in and reply to comments. The group learning aspect is beneficial for learners who are looking for feedback to gauge their progress in a specific area.
Every Skillshare course comes with a Project to complete. In this section, you will find a detailed description of the project along with other helpful resources shared by the instructor. Students are encouraged to share pictures (and an optional write-up) of their project where they can receive feedback from peers and the instructor themselves.
Some people learn better when they can read along to what they’re listening to. That’s where the Transcript section comes in handy. Not only that but going back to reference sections where the instructor is detailed or listing out specifics makes the transcript section a very helpful tool.
Bonus: Scheduling functionality
Next to the menu options is a button to “Schedule” your learning time. The button will send an invite to whichever calendar app you use (Google, Outlook, etc.) so that you can send personal reminders to take your classes! This is helpful for those who are sometimes forgetful.
Are there better Skillshare alternatives?
Aren’t there other learning platforms out there? What sets Skillshare apart? If you are looking for other high-quality or accredited online learning Skillshare alternatives, below are a few options to consider.
MasterClass—unlike Skillshare—offers select, high-quality courses taught by world-renowned experts and celebrities. Comparable in cost (the MasterClass Standard plan costs $96 per year), MasterClass only offers just over 150 courses in their catalog with about 2 to 3 new classes added every month. MasterClass courses tend to also be high-level and geared towards beginners looking to learn a broad set of skills instead of specific niche subjects.
With Udemy, you gain access to the bargain outlet of online learning. While Skillshare offers over 30,000 quality online courses from high-caliber instructors, Udemy offers thousands of cheap online classes from thousands of unknown instructors. Nevertheless, Udemy touts a much more niche topic approach where students can learn specific technical skills from less-famous but still highly-qualified specialists. Course discovery is a bit tricky since some topics have hundreds of video courses alone.
If you have time to look for a gem on Udemy, they don’t sell monthly or yearly subscriptions. Rather you pay per class access.
Unlike Skillshare, Coursera offers courses from world-leading universities, not everyday instructors. Coursera’s user experience feels a lot more traditional compared to Skillshare. However, Coursera is geared toward more professional users looking to build skills in their profession with actual Degrees and Certificates.
While Coursera has a lot more selection of professional and accredited courses, Skillshare edges out Coursera, due to their diverse selection of videos, ease of use, and curated Learning Paths.
If you’d like to try Coursera, there are plenty of free courses available.
Final review: Does Skillshare work?
The short answer is yes, Skillshare works. The long answer is still yes, but only if you make it work. Like anything in education, learning takes time, patience, effort, and a willingness to put yourself in a place of curiosity. Luckily Skillshare offers students all of these options in a convenient and practical space. If you are willing to find the right courses, watch the video lectures, complete the projects, and ask for feedback, then yes, Skillshare will work for you.
