I love online learning. It’s my job. I think people offering quality courses online right now are great and you can learn a lot.

~but~

I caution anyone to think critically about a course that constantly updates in a membership portal w/ a monthly fee. #onlinelearning

While the intention might be good, this *could* be a method employed by creators to continuously charge you for material they know you will never have time to access.

This is a sneaky tactic that keeps you on the hook for way longer than you intended, & you barely notice.

Some of these courses are PACKED with modules. Some of them may not even apply to you, but you convince yourself you need to watch everything because it’s there. This is false & is feeding on your insecurities and perceived knowledge gap to draw you in & keep you paying.

Before locking in to one of these models, consider:

1. Is there a community component that will benefit me & keep me motivated?

2. Do I have time in my schedule to complete these lessons?

3. At what point will I evaluate whether this membership is still serving me well?

Without a plan, these knowledge bases will do two things:

A. They’ll suck out a monthly fee that you could use for alternative professional development.

B. They’ll create a guilt spiral that feels like you have to keep paying to learn, but you’ll be too overwhelmed to begin.

Courses with no deadlines and learning portals with no deadlines are only a gift if you yourself are intrinsically motivated.

If that’s not you, test yourself for the first month of said membership. Most creators offer the first month at a lower intro rate. #onlinelearning

During that month, set a schedule to get through a certain amount your chosen material.

After the month, check in with yourself. How did you do? If you’re way off your goal, this model may not be the best for you. #onlinelearning

If you enjoy the info but need help, set up an accountability system. If the course has a community portal, see if anyone wants to partner up as accountability buddies.

If that’s not possible, ask a friend if they’ll serve as someone who can freely ask about your progress.

Option 2 requires that you not get snippy when they ask you how things are going. They’re doing what you asked!

After 2-4 months, see how things feel. If you’re still consistently missing your deadlines, exit now. Stop the guilt cycle and $$ loss. You can always re-enroll!

As a designer and educator, I have courses I’ll recommend in a heartbeat because I trust the creator and believe in the content.

But I also know that there’s plenty of stuff out there that preys on overwhelmed folks just trying to learn & do their best. Know the difference.