I've been thinking for months about whether I should get MasterClass. The courses look cool, but 180 euros a year isn't exactly cheap either. Has anyone of you actually tried it? Does it really help or do you just watch the videos and then forget everything again?
I got MasterClass for a couple months and pretty quickly realized I'd much rather just Google specific techniques or watch YouTube videos instead of working through entire courses. For me personally, I don't sit down in the evening thinking "now I'm gonna learn something new" - I've got concrete questions I want to solve. If you're the type who actually carves out time for structured learning and actually sees courses through, it could be worth it - but honestly, you really underestimate how much self-motivation it takes. Maybe try Skillshare first or check out some free content before you pay, so you can figure out if you'll actually use that format.
Don't just blindly subscribe if you're not sure you'll actually do the courses. That's the most common mistake - people pay and then watch two videos, because real learning is actually work. Better to check out a few free tutorials on YouTube about the same topic first and see if you actually stick with it or if it gets boring after five minutes.
As for the subscriptions themselves: MasterClass looks fancy because of the big names, but the courses are pretty shallow and expensive for what you get. Skillshare is cheaper and has more practical stuff, but a lot of their courses are mediocre too. If you really want to learn, you're usually better off paying for individual courses on specialized platforms - or finding a YouTube channel that covers exactly your topic. Saving money isn't really the core problem with learning anyway, it's whether you have the motivation to actually see it through.
The honest answer: Yeah, you forget a lot if you just passively watch videos. You have to take your own notes, practice yourself, actually do something with it. Then it works, no matter what platform you're on. Without that it's just entertainment, and spending 180 euros on that is a waste.
The best test is to take a single course first - with MasterClass you can often buy individual videos or watch for free, and Skillshare offers a free trial subscription. It sounds obvious, but a lot of people skip that and just pay annual fees straight away. My trick: after each video, jot down three concrete things you're taking away in a notes app, and set yourself a small deadline to actually put them into practice - whether that's a design project or whatever. If you can't pull that off after three or four videos or just don't feel like it, then you know the subscription isn't worth it for you. Forgetting stuff is normal, of course, but if you apply things right away instead of just passively watching, something actually sticks.
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