Kate Anisimova
Educational platforms · 5 MIN · 18.09.2024
How does Skillshare work
These days, the internet is filled with various opportunities to learn things, starting with giants like Coursera, where big universities offer their pieces of knowledge, and ending with short videos on TikTok (though now you actually upload one-hour-long videos there!). The post-covid era of online learning is still booming – and it’s a nice thing, right? Anyone could benefit from an education, even when it’s bite-sized.
One of the huge players there is Skillshare. Let’s talk a bit about what Skillshare is, how it works, and whether it is worth investing your money and time in.
One of the huge players there is Skillshare. Let’s talk a bit about what Skillshare is, how it works, and whether it is worth investing your money and time in.
What is Skillshare?
Is it a good thing or not?
It depends on your goals. If you need to master a profession or learn some particular skills, Skillshare may not be the most convenient platform. Many options on the market offer much more systematic learning paths to achieve this goal.
However, Skillshare can be a great fit if you’re a lifelong learner or your lifestyle demands continuous mastery of new skills. It has a flexible structure and a 30+k course library, so you can study at your own pace.
It depends on your goals. If you need to master a profession or learn some particular skills, Skillshare may not be the most convenient platform. Many options on the market offer much more systematic learning paths to achieve this goal.
However, Skillshare can be a great fit if you’re a lifelong learner or your lifestyle demands continuous mastery of new skills. It has a flexible structure and a 30+k course library, so you can study at your own pace.
Skillshare is an education platform with a subscription model. It offers more than 30k pre-recorded courses, occasional live classes, and 1-to-1 options. This means that, unlike Udemy or Coursera, you’re paying to access the platform in general instead of paying for separate courses that interest you.
Let’s go step-by-step to see how it works. To start on Skillshare, you’ll need to create an account, which leads us to the next section.
Let’s go step-by-step to see how it works. To start on Skillshare, you’ll need to create an account, which leads us to the next section.
What does a Skillshare course look like?
As we’ve mentioned before, Skillshare works on the subscription model. If it’s your first time using the platform, you’ll get either 7 or 30 free days to try it.
As one may expect, Skillshare sometimes offers promotions, so if you’re not ready to decide yet, it may be worth waiting until Black Friday or another discount opportunity. Also, you may find users offering their personal promo codes, so this is another way to save money without paying full price.
As one may expect, Skillshare sometimes offers promotions, so if you’re not ready to decide yet, it may be worth waiting until Black Friday or another discount opportunity. Also, you may find users offering their personal promo codes, so this is another way to save money without paying full price.
To conclude, there are three pricing options.
- Free membership. That is until your trial period ends.
- Monthly subscription. An option to pay monthly, for a bit higher price.
- Annual subscription. An option to yearly, for a bit lower price. For example, by the time this article is published, a yearly subscription in my country costs 44.37€.
And with this, you’re ready to learn!
How does Skillshare work
After you start your trial period, Skillshare will suggest you set your interests and create a custom home page based on them.
An important thing to know
Unlike Udemy or Coursera, Skillshare offers mostly general topics on creative skills. While it is possible to find a highly specialised course, most will take a more general approach, like UI Design or Adobe After Effects basics.
Another con is that you can only browse Skillshare courses after starting your trial. Well, it’s a good thing you have this article to learn a bit, right?
Unlike Udemy or Coursera, Skillshare offers mostly general topics on creative skills. While it is possible to find a highly specialised course, most will take a more general approach, like UI Design or Adobe After Effects basics.
Another con is that you can only browse Skillshare courses after starting your trial. Well, it’s a good thing you have this article to learn a bit, right?
Skillshare covers topics related to the creative industry without offering much aside from them. It makes it easy to navigate, but it obviously limits your options. This is what the menu bar looks like.
If you’re considering becoming a Skillshare teacher yourself, you’d still have to choose among these categories.
Inside each category, you can find a list of sub-categories – or use a search bar to look for a specific topic.
A great thing about subscription-model platforms is that you don’t need to commit to a specific course. This is especially important for MOOC platforms, where there are many creators and the overall quality of products varies. And – yes – there are a lot of creators on Skillshare as well.
Another plus is that Skillshare invests more in content curation than Udemy does. It means that there’s a higher chance of facing a decent course. In addition, there is a review section for each of them, so we advise you to go there first to ensure you won’t waste your time.
Another plus is that Skillshare invests more in content curation than Udemy does. It means that there’s a higher chance of facing a decent course. In addition, there is a review section for each of them, so we advise you to go there first to ensure you won’t waste your time.
How does a Skillshare course look like
Skillshare is, first and foremost, a video platform, so don’t expect longreads or complicated interactive courses. However, what is nice is that inside each course, you can see a clear learning track and timing for each lesson.
Unlike Udemy or Coursera, most Skillshare courses have a nice production and are pleasant to look at. Though the curriculums are often quite simple, it is an adequate strategy in a given half-an-hour format. Though, to master a skill, you’ll obviously need more than one course and a lot of independent work. Below, you’ll find a course description.
Reviews from Skillshare students will help you decide whether the course is worth your time.
Reviews from Skillshare students will help you decide whether the course is worth your time.
Reviews from Skillshare students will help you decide whether the course is worth your time.
You can find all of the courses you saved in your profile. Your profile is a personal space where you can track your learning progress and manage your saved courses and the ones you’ve completed. It’s pretty standard but is doing what it’s supposed to do.
Skillshare Learning Paths
Not so long ago, Skillshare released a new feature: Learning Paths. A learning path is a set of small courses that build on one another, which will help you plan your education and, hopefully, reach a desired outcome. If you consider yourself a chaotic learner (as this article’s author most definitely is), it may be a nice way to structure yourself a bit.
Final thoughts
There are no perfect learning platforms, as there are no perfect online courses. Skillshare is, first and foremost, a MOOC platform designed for specific purposes. If your goal is to continuously upskill yourself by mastering short, simple skills without a goal to learn an entirely new profession – give it a try. If you’re looking for a more fundamental approach, we advise you to look at different platforms.
And if you’re an independent creator planning to make an online course, give us a call. In Seturon, we’ll help you walk through an entire course creation process, starting with choosing the best platform for your needs, helping you design a fantastic course – and finishing with a promotion strategy.
And if you’re an independent creator planning to make an online course, give us a call. In Seturon, we’ll help you walk through an entire course creation process, starting with choosing the best platform for your needs, helping you design a fantastic course – and finishing with a promotion strategy.
- Kate AnisimovaLearning experience designerDesigned over 100 online courses, built four LX teams from scratch, and established educational standards for five companies. But who's counting?
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