Suppose you are someone who wants to learn a new skill, like web development or WordPress, what would you do? Watch youtube videos? But honestly, do you really think someone who is a complete beginner can do it? Actually, it varies, some are really good at teaching themselves using youtube, unfortunately, most of them can’t.
Whats the problem? Problem is that the videos in youtube give you scattered information, some from here and some from there. The YouTubers from whom you are going to learn may not be even certified. You are judging them based on the likes and views they got on their videos. The video tutorials may not be up to the par, it may not be complete, there may be some important things missing out. You won’t even have a clue because you are a complete beginner!
So where can you learn new skills? You can learn from online websites like Lynda, Udemy, Codecademy etc. They are dedicated to teaching skills to absolute beginners, their courses are sequential. You won’t be lost as a complete beginner like you would be on youtube. The courses may have a price tag on them but it’s worth it, if you want something good then you have to pay for it. Of course, in websites like Udemy, the instructor’s course materials are checked thoroughly for quality before they can even publish them. How can I say that Udemy is so good? Because I have bought a course on “Machine Learning” from Udemy for only $10 and it’s wonderful. There are over 277 lectures, taught by a single instructor and it is nicely paced. The teaching quality is superb and I get to keep the course forever! Furthermore, I will even get a certification of completion after finishing the course, which of course I can add to LinkedIn.
So is youtube completely useless for learning? Absolutely not, I am talking about who are complete beginners trying to learn a new skill. Suppose you do have some idea about web development prior, then you will know what to learn and what not. You can basically self-teach yourself from youtube. But you do have to get to that self-teaching stage first, which can only come from formal pieces of training or courses.
How to learn something from youtube? Let me give you some tips, suppose you want to learn about a WordPress plugin such as “Yoast SEO”. It will be the best if you watch at least five to six youtube videos on this plugin. Make sure you keep a pen and a notepad with you for taking small notes. You will find something new from each Youtuber on the same topic, you will then combine all their knowledge to get the complete information. Keep on watching until your concepts on the topic is clear. If you have learned something new from their videos make sure you like and comment “Thank you”.
I hope I have made some points clear about how to use youtube and more importantly when to use youtube. Thanks for reading my blog.