DIY Education

[veritasnoir]

Thought you mustachians might enjoy these. There are a few great resources on finding a University education online for free. This is especially great for those looking to learn a new skill before hopping into a new industry.

For creative people, I found out that Brandon Sanderson sets up his entire writing course as a free video service on YouTube. Looks like a great way to audit a University class without having to pay anything.

This is the link to all of his lectures: http://www.youtube.com/user/WriteAboutDragons/videos?flow=grid&view=1

For business and general education, iTunes U is free and had courses from everywhere. Just download iTunes and go to their store. iTunes U is listed as one of the categories alongside podcasts, books, and everything else.

For coding, Code Academy set up a free service to help people learn how to code. It is free and pretty easy to use.

Code Academy link: http://www.codecademy.com/#!/exercises/0

For math, Khan Academy is unbeatable. The guy who set it up originally did it for a few kids in his own life. Now, it covers every level of mathematics from addition to differential equations.

Khan academy link: https://www.khanacademy.org/


I'm sure there are other great resources out there. Anybody know of others that they like?

[FitStash]

I've just started using Coursera, but I like it a lot so far.  They have a wide selection of classes from top notch schools, and it is also free.

[CptPoo]

I get a free subscription to Lynda.com from my school and I have been using the crap out of that while I still do. I have always struggled to learn programming languages in the past, but I quickly learned Javascript and the basics of Java with Android using their videos. In addition, I have learned the basics of Adobe illustrator and I am currently learning Dreamweaver.

If you aren't like me and don't get it for free, the price is pretty reasonable. $25.00 a month gets you access to all of their videos, and a few extra dollars also gives you access to their exercise files. The exercise material is not important for all of the subjects. I used it for the illustrator and Java courses, but I could have easily done it all without.

The thing I like most about lynda is how well they outline all of the basics of the subject matter. The stuff I learned on Java is not complete, but it at least got me to the point where I can learn whatever else I need on my own now. I've taken courses at my college on Java before, and it was nearly impossible for me to understand anything I was reading from the programming books. After spending a couple of weeks on Lynda, I am now able to easily understand educational books on the language.

If you have an interest in learning any sort of digital software, I highly recommend lynda.com.

[StarswirlTheMustached]

MIT Open Courseware would, in theory, let you get the equivalent of an MIT degree for free in your own time. It's a bit spotty just what is posted for which classes (sometimes full coursenotes, assignments and practice tests; sometimes just one or two of those three) but the breadth of what's available is astounding. They're supposed to have just about every class the school teaches.

EDIT: unfortunately, excepting perhaps computer science, the true value cash value of an education is the credential, not the knowledge gained. You can know your shit six ways from Sunday, but it's a rare beast that will consider employing you without external proof of that. The degree provides that proof.
If you're FI and curious, though, good for you! These tools are awesome. In terms of cash ROI, though... well, you get what you pay for, I guess.

[sol]

the true value cash value of an education is the credential, not the knowledge gained.

Speaking as someone who holds a bunch of fancy credentials, I suggest that the true value in a fancy education is the contacts you make there, not the piece of paper they give you at the end.  You can buy a fake diploma online.  A network of peers from all of the top schools will serve you well in any field, though.

Don't be fooled into thinking that a Harvard MBS is any better, in terms of what you learn, than a community college MBS.  But the people you meet there, and the access the Harvard experience provides you to titans of industry and scions of legacy families, is a priceless leg up on the hard-working and equally knowledgeable competition.  Even in America today, it's more about who you know than what you know.