Skillshare: Everything You Need to Know

Perhaps you have heard of online learning platforms like Skillshare, but never looked into what they are. Do you want to know what Skillshare is, what it costs, and who you learn from? In this article, we’ll answer all those questions and more. So, let’s get started!

What is Skillshare? 

Skillshare is an online learning platform that features classes taught by real people. Students watch videos as they learn at their own pace while completing a project. Skillshare offers classes in animation, creative writing, web development, music, photography, and more!

Membership

Skillshare offers two forms of membership for individual users to access their platform. Users are able to choose between a premium annual membership or a premium monthly membership. Both plans offer the same access and download content, but vary by how you pay. 

Premium annual plan

• $168 (about $13.99 a month) 
• Billed all at once
• Access to 35,000+ classes

Premium monthly plan 

• $32 ($384 for 12 full months)
• Billed monthly
• Access to 35,000+ classes

One feature Skillshare offers is something called “team memberships.” This feature gives employers the ability to purchase a bulk membership for employees to use. 

Team membership

• $159 per person, per year
• Access to all 35,000+ classes 
• Can download materials for offline viewing

Who teaches the classes on Skillshare?

Skillshare teachers come from an array of diverse backgrounds. Some have completed college, some have worked in their industries for over a decade, and some have done both! With this platform, you can trust that the teachers you’ll be learning from know what they’re talking about. Skillshare shares teacher profiles so you’ll know who you will learn from. 

Become a Skillshare teacher

Skillshare isn’t just a place where people come to learn; they’re also creating a space where people come to share their knowledge. The platform encourages people who have expertise to come and teach classes for them. 

Skillshare’s classes aren’t just academic based. So, if you’re thinking that you’re unqualified, throw that thought away! Skillshare wants to walk with you the entire way as you explore the possibility of teaching for them. They understand that good teachers aren’t made strictly through rigorous years of schooling. Most people have something to offer, and Skillshare wants them to  have a chance to share it!

Check out the Skillshare teachers’ page to find out more about what the process looks like. They even display personal stories of real teachers sharing their teaching journeys! 

Most popular Skillshare classes

The most popular classes on Skillshare vary from month to month. So, how can you find the best classes? Thankfully, the platform has a blog! The blog is entirely free and offers tons of content for both members and non-members. The posted content becomes more relevant with a membership, but can be useful on its own too. 

Most months, Skillshare publishes a post that talks about the previous month’s most popular courses. Again, because the platform is always bringing in new content, teachers, and members, the most popular classes change from month to month. Check out their blog to help see what others are exploring and what you might like to explore too!

Is Skillshare right for you?

Investing in a month or year-long membership to any online learning platform can be a bit daunting. You’ll most likely want to be sure that you’re not just wasting money. So, to close out this review, let’s do a quick evaluation about whether Skillshare is right for you by looking at three things: 

Content

Before purchasing anything, take a look at Skillshare’s website and their most popular courses posted on their blog. You should be able to get a good feel for the kinds of courses they offer. If you’re looking for classes that are a bit more academic based, Skillshare may not be the right investment for you.

Time

Perhaps Skillshare is exactly what you’ve been looking for! You may have been ready to go all in because of one class you really want to take. If that’s the case, that’s great! But again, let’s pause for just a moment and evaluate how you spend your time now.

Take a quick inventory of the things you’ve got going on in your life. Are you in school? Do you work? Do you take care of family members? Are there other obligations that require your time each week? 

Skillshare is great because you can work at your own pace and it’s not like taking college credits. But at the same time, you’ll want to make sure that if you invest in something, you have time to get everything out of it that you can!

Money

Finally, let’s look at the financial aspect. Based on your two answers above, you should feel confident with your decision to purchase or not purchase. Skillshare wants their courses to be accessible, but that doesn’t mean money can’t be your determining factor. However, be careful not to just look at this as a purchase of “something.” After all, when you buy a membership to learn, you’re investing in yourself!

Additional resources for online learners

Skillshare is a great platform for online learners, and it can help you decide whether you are interested in a particular field and gain some experience in it. But it is far from being the only option out there. Especially when it comes to furthering your professional life directly, options like Coursera, EdX, and the Google Certificate Program can be far better.

Online students who are pursuing accredited programs should also be sure to check out our guide to filling out the FAFSA to ensure they are getting as much aid as they can. You can also consult our list of the top scholarships for online students to help lighten your financial load.

Key Takeaways

• Members will complete real projects that they will submit to instructors and receive feedback on
• Skillshare offers class topics that range from entrepreneurship to animation and crafts
• Offers the ability to purchase team memberships and complete courses as a group
• Skillshare does not offer credits or certifications for completed courses

Frequently asked questions

Does Skillshare offer scholarships?

Yes! Maybe everything has sounded really great about Skillshare so far and you’re thinking it might be a worthwhile investment for you. Well, things are about to get even better! The platform offers scholarships for their platform!

First, college students are eligible for half off of the price of Skillshare. The platform also awards 10 monthly scholarships to those who fill out their “one free year of membership” scholarship. The application process is simple and takes just a couple of minutes to fill out! 

Related: Top online student scholarships

Can you put Skillshare classes on your resume?

Skillshare does not offer certifications or credit for their classes. However, that does not mean that you cannot put your new skills to use on your resume. What goes on your resume is ultimately up to you. If skills that you learn from Skillshare are applicable to the jobs you’re seeking, let your future employer know!

Oftentimes, the best way to demonstrate you learned something from a Platform like Skillshare is to use your new skills to complete an independent project and include it on your resume.

Can you cancel Skillshare at any time? 

Skillshare offers monthly and yearly memberships. A monthly plan can be canceled at any time. A yearly membership can also be canceled at any time. However, you will be responsible for paying for the full year, but will not be billed again after the year is up.

What other online learning platforms are there?

If this doesn’t sound like the platform for you (or even if it is), there are other online learning platforms you can explore as well. Check out our article top 10 online learning platforms to see what other options might appeal to you!