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10 min · 14 Aug 2022

Learning new skills for free

You don't need to pay a fortune to learn a new skill. There are many platforms and subscription plans (Skillshare, Youtube, Sololearn) that allow you to learn the skills you want for nothing. As longs as you don't mind a few Ads that is!

What skills do you want to learn?

The best thing to do before signing up to anything is deciding what you want to learn. Many platforms, no matter what they claim all have specialisms or courses that really stand out in different fields.

For me, I wanted to get some experience with Unity 2D and C#. After a few weeks of experimenting here are my top picks:

Sololearn (C#)

Sololearn has the world's largest collection of FREE programming courses. Options including: Python, C++, JavaScript, Java, jQuery, machine learning, data science. As a bonus you receive a certificate for each course you complete.

While a bit frustrating to progress in a language you already know, SoloLearn can be an awesome learning tool for the fundamentals.


Positives

  • Good community
  • Integrated IDE
  • A lot of content covered
  • FREE
  • Certification

Negatives

  • Hard if you've never coded before
  • Ads! Ads! Ads!

Youtube (Unity)

YouTube is a free video sharing website where users can watch, like, share, comment and upload their own videos.

With 500 Hours of Video Uploaded to YouTube Every Minute, if you do a little digging, there are a ton of great tutorials!


Positives

  • Good community
  • Integrated IDE
  • A lot of content covered
  • FREE

Negatives

  • Limited amount of content
  • Not always a lot of helpful comments
  • Ads! Ads! Ads!
  • No certification

Skillshare (Unity)

Skillshare is an online learning community with loads of classes. There are courses for illustration, design, photography, video, freelancing, and more.

I know you are probably thinking that Skillshare is a paid platform... and you would be right.

However, if you are looking to learn some very specific content in a short time frame you can get up to 2 months for free by extending Skillshare free trial (No creditcard needed).


Positives

  • Large selection of courses
  • Free one month trial
  • Refer a friend = 1 month additional free
  • Live sessions

Negatives

  • Not free forever
  • Quality of courses vary
  • No certification

Library

The final option in the list is a lot more low-tec, but no less effective! Signing up to your local library is a really good way to get access to a ton of free resources and provides a great place to study alone or with others.


Positives

  • Large selection of resources
  • Free
  • Great place to study
  • Meet and support community

Negatives

  • Make sure to return nooks on time
  • Quality of material varies
  • No certification

Conclusion

No matter where you choose to learn, there are plenty of options that won't break the bank. Get out there and kick ass. I BELIEVE IN YOU!

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