Are you looking to learn something new without spending a cent? There’s great news for you if you are, that’s because there are so many ways to learn something new for free!
These days there are so many options and avenues to kick start your learning and expand your mind. It’s really empowering to acquire new skills and understand different ways of looking at life and so I hope that you take advantage and use this list to start to take steps towards building the life of your dreams.
I’ve broken this list up into a few parts that will help you to learn something new for free no matter whether you are stuck in traffic, or holidaying in Paris. You can always find freedom in learning without spending a cent.
Free Learning on the Go
1. Youtube
If you’re looking to learn something for free there is probably no better way to get started then to check out Youtube. Whether it’s learning how to fillet a fish, or how to build a vegetable garden or take better photos there’s a channel or ten that can help you learn more.
If you create an account you can even make playlists on different topics and save videos to watch later. I find Youtube a good option when I’m on the move, whether it’s on the bus or driving in my car, I tend to listen and absorb the material and then if the content is practical I can always put it into action later.
A channel I particularly enjoy is CrashCourse. I recently completed listening/watching CrashCourse Economics as I really wanted better understand this part of the world we live in. I never did Economics in school and I found myself hearing about all of these terms and phrases and never quite understanding what they meant. So I went looking for some information to help me figure this all out and I found CrashCourse. Their videos have cool graphics and animations which help you to understand what would otherwise be quite complex subjects. They give the basics with plenty of detail and their videos don’t stop with just economics, they cover topics such as the history of science, statistics, engineering, world history, biology, ecology, the list keeps on going on and on. So there is something for everyone just on this one channel. Enough information to prime you on a wide variety of topics and you just never know which one will spark a little fire in you and make you want to know even more!
2. Podcasts
A similar but totally auditory method of learning something new for free is through podcasts. There are many different providers or apps that collate and provide you with the ability to search for, play, and download various podcasts. You can subscribe to all kinds of podcasts on a huge variety of topics and keep your ears and your mind entertained for hours.
A few examples of podcast apps that I found using good old Google:
- For Apple iOS: Overcast, Castro, Breaker, RSSRadio
- Apple iOS/ Android: Castbox, Spotify, RadioPublic, Stitcher Radio for Podcasts, TuneIn Radio, Podbean
- Android: Google Podcasts, PodcastRepublic, Player FM, Podcast Addict
Apps I’ve personally used to find and listen to Podcasts are Spotify, Stitcher, and Podcast Addict and I find they all work really well.
3. MOOCS
Otherwise known as Massive Open Online Courses are a fantastic free way to learn about things that you might otherwise have to go to college for. With some facilitators there are interactive chat rooms or forums where you can discuss with other like-minded individuals. And there may also be options to purchase a certificate at the end of the course which you could add to your resume. You could even start pursuing a new career path this way gaining an introduction to what a full time course might cover, which is a great solution if you’re not quite sure what you want to do with your life!
There are a number of websites that offer MOOCs and will help you find the MOOC for you. Though there are four big providers that can get you access to high quality content from universities like Harvard these are Coursera, Udacity, and FutureLearn, and edX.
But I think the trick here is to know what you’re aiming for. A MOOC can be a bit more intense than a casual Youtube video or Podcast, but it is definitely a great and easy way to get access to wonderful free learning.
And although you may not be quite ready to tackle a MOOC you can sign up to a mailing list and receive updates to remind you that this is something you want to do down the track. For me I’m currently receiving email updates from FutureLearn about courses that might interest me on a regular basis.
Free Learning Hands On
Ok so say you’ve got some time on your hands and you’re wondering what you could do to expand your horizons, well this portion of the list is made for you! Here are some free ways to learn that are a bit more hands on.
4. Museums
Museums are a fantastic resource and often have free exhibitions that tour from all over the world. Most small towns and every large city has at least one museum of something. In our neighbouring town we have a bottle museum, and locally we have a war museum, and the state museum.
In the bigger cities like London and New York you’ll have you huge museums that could take a week or two to get through if you were on a mission to see everything in record time. Often there is almost more then you can absorb especially if you read all the information boards.
You might even have questions from your museum visit which you can research later or you can ask someone at the museum as they can have some fascinating stories to tell about the different exhibitions.
It’s in museums where you can find ancient mummy’s and relic pottery, you can see old texts and photos, vintage clothing, rock and mineral specimens, and even dinosaur bones. So whether you’re in your home town or visiting a new place check out the museums to learn more about this world that we live in, you never know you might just discover a new passion!
5. Library’s
There are two kinds of libraries that you can visit and as library’s are a great place to learn something for free. Apart from the many thousands of books that you can check out and read, there are often events and activities that are organised here. State and city libraries also collect documentation about that place that might be rather rare as well which may be of interest if you enjoy finding out about little known facts or history.
6. Galleries
Art galleries are another great place to start expanding your mind. Truth be told I used to get dragged to art galleries by my parents when I was younger. I didn’t really enjoy many of the pieces that I saw, but occationally I’d see a painting or a drawing that spoke to me. Eventually, I learned to appreciate and even enjoy going to art galleries and seeing the art works. It is always a cool sensation to walk into a room and have a piece of art tap into some part of my soul and give me this intangible enjoyment.
It’s also special to see works of the great artists in the flesh. Often these artworks have shaped our contemporary world and pop up so often in the media that even the most art illiterate person would recognise without much trouble.
Art works by Vincent Van Gogh, Picasso, Salvador Dali, Leonardo Da Vinci, Botticelli, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, and Claude Monet, all in some way or another have shaped us and have helped capture moments in time long before photography was invented. And all these works are far more impressive in real life than they are in any other format.
But art galleries aren’t all about the paintings, you can also expect to find fashion, pottery, jewelry, sculptures, and textiles as well. Many galleries will have tours that you can join in on where some one may explain the history of a selection of pieces and some offer self-guided tours where they give you a set of headphones plus a device that may scan codes on the plaques next to the art works or have a searchable menu where you can listen to the explanations at your own pace.
7. Free Concerts
Exposing yourself to music is a great way not only to unwind but also to learn and there are many free ways to broaden your horizons when it comes to music. Free concerts are by far the best way to experience music because live music is completely different to when you hear something via speakers.
Even if you don’t think you like a certain kind of music I think it’s really good to at least listen to some of it before you can legitimately say “no thanks, that’s not for me.” It’s a bit like vegetables, most kids don’t like them but they’re good for you so you tend to try and encourage them to eat their vegies.
Well it’s a bit similar with music, we tend to get stuck listening to music we know and become resistant to other kinds of music. So I think it’s a good idea to at least test out different genres.
Try listening to jazz and classical music for a change, and like any other kind of music there might be some songs you enjoy and others you can do without. So listen widely and expand what you listen to even if it’s to say it really doesn’t do anything for you at least you’ll be informed and have a view point.
An alternative to free concerts is to use a streaming service or Youtube to access these performances or types of music. It’s not exactly the same as live music but at least you get the exposure to a variety of tunes, an excellent way to spice up your life!
8. Public Lectures
Sometimes there might be a public lecture on about a topic these may be organised by libraries, or small community organisations. Depending on where you live these may be more or less accessible but if you can why not attend one of a topic you know little or nothing about? You may be surprised by what you learn or who you meet.
9. Community Groups
Community groups are another great place to go to to learn something for free. There are special interest groups that specialise in crafts, book clubs, historical societies, and other groups that may be run by a lot of likeminded volunteers. There is a lot you can learn from these groups and you have the added benefit of a social outlet as well which is wonderful.
Especially if you are feeling lonely or isolated going along to a group like this will help you feel connected at the same time as learning. You may even decide you enjoy the group so much that you choose to get more involved.
For example I have tried out rowing, like the kind where you’re in a team and been along to the air force cadets. And whilst I didn’t end up pursuing either of these avenues I learned some very interesting things and had some memorable experiences that I will never forget.
Not so obvious ways to learn something new for free
10. Observing Others
It’s one of the most interesting ways to learn something for free, but not always obvious, and that is observing others. Just by watching the way other people interact with the world and how they approach things you can learn many valuable lessons. You can discover alternative ways to tackle a situation you might find yourself in.
You can note qualities in others that you admire and then try and replicate them yourself. You may use other information sources to support this way of learning and be able to follow up you observations with research.
11. Talking to Others
Everyone has a story to tell and at least one topic they know about in depth that you may not know anything about. You may sit next to a guy on the plane who is an expert in plastic manufacturing like I did. I noticed this gentleman studying this plastic cup with a unique intensity that got me curious. Eventually, I just outright asked him what was so fascinating about that cup and the information tumbled out. The man was so passionate about the plastics industry as he had spent his entire career working in this arena.
I learnt about the different kinds of plastics, how they’re made and what kind of chemicals are used to give the different plastics their rigidity and stiffness versus those that are flexible or super thin like cling film. It was a fascinating half an hour or so of conversation that gave me a greater appreciation for an industry that I have never even thought about looking into.
I encourage you to connect with people and ask them questions. Ask them what they do and how they got into that job, and my favorite is asking what the best part of their job is, and conversely what they don’t like about their work – every job has a downside and sometimes you never even consider what those would be.
This is a fun and once again quite a social way to learn something new and it’s free! Who could ask for more?!
12. Studying Yourself
The last tip I have for you to learn something new for free is to study yourself. This is a pretty easy one as you have unprecedented VIP access to you. So, why not study your patterns of behaviour and figure out what makes you tick?
If you have a bad habit you want to break figuring out why you do what you do will be important. Once you know why you do a certain thing then you can make plans to swap that habit for something more desirable.
As I grow older I learn things about myself and have realisations that challenge how I see the world around me. You can study the way you interact with people and perhaps experiment with different behaviours to see which ones attract others to you and which ones repel others. You can study how you feel and react to situations and figure out why you are the way you are.
This learning is invaluable as it gives you the power to control and change your behaviours and steer your life in the direction you want it to go. Because ultimately the thoughts and actions we have are what defines who we are as people.
Keep Learning
Whereever you are and in whatever stage of life you’re in it’s important to keep on learning. Learning something new expands your mind and your opportunities and gives you the power to choose and change your life as you wish.
These days there is so much free content available it is almost overwhelming. But if you have something specific in mind these tools are magic!
Be warned though, Podcasts can be addictive and as with Youtube you can easily get distracted and end up spending hours captivated by cat videos or sucked down a random rabbit hole of clicks to tiny topics that won’t add to your bank of knowledge or empower you to find fulfillment in your life. But that’s the only caveat with using these methods of teaching yourself.
Once you start looking you’ll start to see free or affordable ways of upping your knowledge base almost everywhere. The most amazing thing of all is that you have the power right now to improve your life and change any of the bits you don’t like. You don’t need money all you need is time and energy and if you have the desire to learn you can do anything!
If you enjoyed this post check out our related post “How to Invest in Yourself,” which explains more about the most important investment you’ll ever make, and that is to invest in yourself!