Continue Your Education Without Going Back to School

I can’t tell you how many times over the past 9ish years I’ve felt like the only answer was to go back to school. Have you ever felt that in order to make a career change or push your career forward, you need to enroll in a graduate program? Tell me I’m not alone in this! Over the years I’ve realized that there are so many ways to learn that don’t involve college. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of education and am grateful for the higher education that I have, but if I’ve learned anything since graduating college it’s that you don’t need to officially “be in school” to expand your knowledge.

Why Continue Your Education?

Why not continue your education? I think some may get overwhelmed by this and think they need to be furthering their craft professionally but what if I told you it’s okay to learn for fun! I have set out to learn handlettering so bought a workbook and some paints and am learning just for fun. I want to take a pottery class… not to sell pottery but to learn something new and create! Continuing your education does not have to be for your career. It can, but it doesn’t have to be.

5 Ways to Learn Without Enrolling in College

Community Education Program – Have you ever checked out the adult programming for community education in your area? They have everything from computer classes to art classes. If you don’t live in a big city, it’s worth checking out neighboring towns to see what they offer as well. Obviously this isn’t happening right now but it’s worth looking into as many have waitlists and eventually we’ll all be able to congregate again!

Online Education – There are so many amazing platforms for online education. If you want to learn photography, photoshop, web development… almost anything! there’s an online class for you.

• Udemy
• Skillshare
• Lynda
• Adobe Creative Could Courses
• Masterclass
• Have a specific skill you want to learn? There are schools for just about everything. When I wanted to learn more about herbalism I enrolled in the Herbal Academy and absolutely loved it!

YouTube – Yep, good ol’ YouTube has everything you need to know. If you want to learn a specific skill or how to do a task on a certain platform, YouTube likely has a video for you. For example, I learned how to shoot and edit videos entirely from YouTube tutorials. Yes it will take a bit more digging and it isn’t as easily laid out but you can find just about everything you need from YouTube.

Books – There’s a book for everything! Not everyone can learn by just reading but it’s a great way to get new information or see if it’s something you’re interested in. Pro-tip: Join your local library so you don’t have to pay for books. Many libraries also offer continuing education courses.

Workshops – I mentioned this earlier under online education but a lot of professionals are offering workshops specific to their craft. Whether it’s a business bootcamp, a photography workshop, a mastermind – there’s likely an offering for you! If you look up to a professional or aspire to be in a certain field, find a professional and see what they’re offering. Even reaching out and asking if they offer mentorship or courses is a great way to let them know that this is something that is desired.

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