We’ve been trying out SkillShare. Honestly, there’s a lot of training offered there. It’s kind of like … Netflix for online distance learning. There are thousands of online classes. You pay a monthly fee ($12/month if you commit only monthly; $8/month if you commit annually), then study as often as you like, with whichever classes you like — in an “all-you-can-eat” fashion. They also have an interesting deal: If someone signs up with your link, that someone gets two free months to evaluate. And you, as a user, now get an extra month for free. So, for instance, here’s our link:
If you use that link to sign up, you get two free months to try it out. And for every Brigada reader who uses it, they give us a free month too, just for passing along the news.
Our take on SkillShare is that the learning community is active and vibrant. Classes are meant to be taken *together* — and the software works. But, because it’s a very broad “faculty” (anyone who wants to teach), it’s really important to review the class. Of course, since you’re not paying anything to try it, it’s kind of like Netflix. Five minutes into a movie, you can always bow out — and nothing’s lost. You can also see how many people have signed up AND there are even review scores you can read. Wouldn’t this be great for homeschoolers???
There are opportunities to make money. Once someone watches your content, you start getting royalties, similar to writing a book and getting paid by Audible. You might end up with $200/month income. Or, eventually, if you become really good, much more. (Some teachers on SkillShare are now making $100,000 plus per year.) There are nearly 30,000 courses though. You’d have to be really good to attract new students. But, we wonder — why is it that when we search for disciple-making, missions and missionary — all those choices turn up empty screens? : ) So what’s your take on SkillShare?
Remember (disclaimer), if you use our link above, you’ll receive two free months — and we receive one. But if you do so, and if you disclose your credit card, make sure you choose “monthly” as your subscription, then make a note of the date you would need to cancel your membership if you decide not to continue — please. Either way, you’d get 60 days of free classes.
I haven’t used it myself, but two of my expat friends who live in Thailand use it along with Udemy to get a decent monthly income. They have found their niche to be becoming the best at a certain topic (in their case, Spanish language instruction on how to use Instagram and using Canva.com). They highly recommend it for instructors (and students).