Skillshare Review
Written by Casey Botticello
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If you haven’t already enrolled in a Skillshare course, try it for free! Skillshare makes it easy for creators to take courses to build new skills!
CASEY BOTTICELLO
Founder, Blogging Guide
Skillshare is an online learning and skills development platform that focuses on educating its users by offering video-based courses. The virtual learning software allows users to improve their skills by presenting virtual video classes hosted online by a variety of industry insiders, consultants, and experts, covering a wide range of skills-related content. Users or ‘students’ can access many courses or ‘classes’ on Skillshare, with content covering relevant subjects and topics, mostly geared towards independent creatives, and gives users great value for money without compromising (too much) on quality.
But is Skillshare a worthy skills development learning platform, and how does it measure up to other eLearning options like LinkedIn Learning and Udemy?
In this review article, we unpack everything that Skillshare has to offer, from the pros and cons of using its community-rich platform to its pricing plans and who it works for (and doesn’t). So if you’re a serious creator looking to upskill your current skillset or simply curious about what you can learn on this online education resource, you’re in the right place.
What is Skillshare?
Skillshare is an eLearning video content platform that offers courses for everyone, from beginners looking to kick off their online skills development journeys to professionals in need of a refresher course or to get caught up on new industry trends.
Established in 2010 as an online learning platform, Skillshare has since evolved into a thriving online learning community of over 12 million registered users.
Skillshare offers digital video series courses – called ‘classes’ – consisting of short video lessons structured around a project-based learning program. The platform offers users a diverse selection of skills content, including courses in:
- Animation
- Design
- Lifestyle
- Writing
- Business
- Illustration
- Photography and film
These general categories cover a rich variety of different individual course offerings spanning topics and subjects that range from lessons in the history of fine art to modern music economics, advanced web development, abstract photography, and creative writing.
With over 35,000 classes archived in their library and counting, Skillshare allows users to access a vast repository of video classes and courses while encouraging interaction between students. Users can improve their skills, tapping into a rich database of varied content while engaging, discussing, and sharing input with others on the platform.
Skillshare Interface & Experience
Skillshare’s UX interface is clean and simple to use. Setup and registration are quick and easy, and users can easily browse through the many categories and classes. There isn’t a great amount of tutorial content, but the infrastructure is simple enough to understand. You can also register via Google and Facebook.
Skillshare’s course content can be enjoyed as three main elements:
- Classes – which consist of individual courses and form the base offering of the platform.
- Projects – that combine multiple and varied sets of linked classes (which are created and managed by Skillshare themselves or other teachers and users).
- And Workshops – are like projects, also consisting of curated sets of classes but letting users follow a pre-set calendar, completing their courses alongside other students also enrolled in the workshop.
Skillshare’s classes offerings are packaged into three general categories:
- Thrive – Focusses on lifestyle courses like interior design, DIY, cooking, and teaching, as well as productivity tutorials on project management, time management, and personal growth.
- Build – This category focuses on leadership skills and covers sections including business analytics, freelancing, marketing, and entrepreneurship courses.
- Create – Gives users access to a vast creative learning marketplace with classes in everything from UI/UX Design and web development; to creative writing and animation; to music and video editing.
Accessing Skillshare is easy. Simply register for the 1-month free trial, explore the course catalog, pick the course you’re interested in and start learning. The classes come in streaming video content, broken down into easy-to-use units with projects to be completed at the end of various sections.
Traditional video classes vary in length, as do the courses themselves. While full classes can run anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour of pre-recorded video content, most fall into the 30-40 minute range, depending on your selected topic.
Skillshare Features
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The Skillshare platform offers a number of added feature extras beyond the typical eLearning platform functionality:
- Detailed course reviews – breaking ratings down into metrics like the levels of experience the course is best suited for, clarity of instruction, and whether students’ expectations were met or exceeded.
- Scheduling – allowing users to schedule “learning time,” which is then synced with the users’ calendar app (including Google, Apple Calendar, and Outlook).
- Discussion – forums where students can ask questions, share feedback, and comment. Instructors often join the conversation, adding an extra element to the mix.
- Transcripts – where users can download the lesson script and read through the class transcript or refer back to it without having to rewatch the video.
Adding Your Own Courses
Due to Skillshare’s high levels of community engagement and detailed reviews, teachers, instructors, and course content creators can quickly grow a strong following on the platform. Courses are free to upload, but with everyone allowed to add content and contributors exclusively responsible for their classes, course quality can vary.
Simply register, record your classes and make use of Skillshare’s easy-to-use upload tool to get published. Earn whenever people watch a course and manage your community to grow your reputation and following.
Pros and Cons of Skillshare
Skillshare’s position as one of the biggest virtual learning platforms out there means that it comes packed with a variety of advantages that help users quickly improve their skill sets. However, with mounting competition in the online learning game, using Skillshare comes with a couple of drawbacks, too – though not many.
Pros of Skillshare
- Massive selection of courses
Skillshare currently offers more than 30 000 active courses to its users. That’s more than most other platforms and means that users can still learn a wide and varied range of skills without jumping between different eLearning platforms.
- Affordability
Skillshare’s subscription-based model means that users can enjoy the learning experience without having to worry about running into any unexpected paywalls or having to fork out extra for the more advanced classes. Starting at $14 per month on the annual plan and capped at $32 on the monthly option means that Skillshare comes in cheaper per class than most other platforms.
- Project-based learning
Skillshare’s engaging project-based structure means that users can put their skills to work during their course. The project-based learning method allows students to create and improve active course projects as they progress and can even publish their finished products on the platform’s project gallery.
- Learning on the Go
Skillshare’s mobile app is reliable and boasts almost all of the same features that the website does. Students can learn on the go and stay engaged with the community from anywhere.
- Shared learning experience
Skillshare’s community engagement is better than most other learning platforms. Students can engage with one another through discussion forums and are incentivized to do so, making it easy and accessible for teachers and course creators to engage too.
Cons of Skillshare
- No formal accreditation or certificate
Skillshare, unfortunately, does not offer any form of officially recognized accreditation or certificates. This means that any professionals looking to boost their CV’s skills section won’t be able to include a LinkedIn-approved certificate or qualification upon completion.
- Course quality can vary
While Skillshare offers courses hosted by expert names like Seth Godin and Guy Kawasaki, some courses lack the expertise of the big guns, and users should be on the lookout for lower-quality classes.
Who Skillshare Works Best for
Skillshare is designed as a learning resource for anyone looking to improve their skillset. However, the platform is geared towards teaching applicable and practicable creative skills quickly. Skillshare has become a favorite for creative professionals, digital artists, and entrepreneurs.
The course offerings and project-based learning structure make Skillshare the perfect learning platform for freelancers and independent professionals who need space to work autonomously. The community focus makes Skillshare great for beginners and experts alike and provides a valuable resource to people looking to improve their knowledge without costing an arm and a leg.
Skillshare also offers team plans that are ideal for creative teams hoping to boost their creative skills and levels of engagement without breaking the bank or committing too much time to learning.
Skillshare Pricing
The platform also offers a free 1-month full access trial of the premium membership, giving users full access to all courses and classes.
Subscription prices are very affordable, owing to the platform’s large community and wide range of offerings. Users can pick between a monthly payment model or the annual option.
- Premium Monthly – $32/month: Users are billed every month and can cancel anytime.
- Premium Annual – $168/year: The recommended option is to pay annually, billed once-off for the year. The annual subscription works out to $14 every month paid upfront for 12 months.
Users enjoy unlimited access and can take as many courses as they want – there really is no cap – provided they have the time to complete them all. Cancellations are immediate, and users can sign back up at any time.
Conclusion
Skillshare is a valuable resource for creatives hoping to improve their skills while operating on a budget. The platform is flexible – making it perfect for freelancers and entrepreneurs on the go – and user-friendly – great if you’re new to the online learning scene or need a quick-fire skills session.
The platform’s wide variety of creative skills courses, blended with more practical business and marketing offerings, means that while talented content creators are drawn to the vibrant student community, blue-collar professionals can also enjoy the benefits of engaging course content hosted by an eclectic teaching community.
Some helpful features and an innovative project-based learning structure make Skillshare an effective skills development resource, but users should keep an eye on who’s curating the content they’re accessing.
All in all, Skillshare is a compelling option, competing against the likes of Udemy and Coursera. Easy to use and genuinely affordable, you won’t go wrong if you’re looking for some quick and easy skills development.
