6 Ways to Get a Free Education

It amazes me how small our world has become and how accessible everything can be. You can do almost everything with just a click of a button: buy furniture for your home, meet your soulmate, order a car to come and pick you up, help save a life by donating to relief funds, and also learn about virtually anything – for FREE. There are so many ways to get a free education today!

Knowledge is in the palm of our hands now. We can learn so much with so little effort.

Mobile University

According to a survey conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic and Safety, Americans spend an average of 17,600 minutes driving each year! That is a little over 293 hours. That is a lot of time that is wasted…

But what if it wasn’t wasted anymore? What if you could use that time more productively?

A while back I was introduced to the term Mobile University. I cannot remember where I first ran across this phrase, but I believe it was coined by the business speaker, Brian Tracy. Originally, he used the phrase University on Wheels. They can be used interchangeably.

A Mobile University is this idea that we can change our time in the car from being useless to being extremely useful. Instead of listening to music or riding in silence, what if we were to listen to something educational? Over time, the knowledge and education that we would acquire could be equivalent to a college education!

1. Audiobooks

There are so many books now that have been converted into audiobooks. Which is wonderful for those of us who spend a lot of time in the car. I like listening to audiobooks when I know that I’ll be able to listen to big chunks at a time – at least an hour or more. I do this because audiobooks are longer and sometimes it can be hard to start and stop a lot. I usually end up rewinding a bit to remind myself of what I listened to last. This is the opposite of my husband who listens to an audiobook every chance he gets in the car and goes through roughly one book per week!

I like getting the audio version of books because I typically read very slowly. This gives me the opportunity to get through more books every year because it takes me less time to listen to them.

There are a lot of libraries that offer audiobook rentals. I highly suggest looking into your local libraries to see if they have the book you want to read before purchasing it. This will save you some money in the long run if you’re like me and fly through these books.

My Recent Audiobooks:

2. Podcasts

Podcasts are my favorite form of learning at this moment in time. They are fairly short and packed with great information. I can fit one in on my commute to and from work, while I workout or I listen to them while doing chores around the house!

I keep my podcast library pretty diverse so that I am always learning about a broad range of things. My subscriptions range from topics like Real Estate, Finance, Leadership, Faith in Work, and Sermons. One of my goals for 2019 is to listen to at least one podcast per week. So far in the first couple of months, I have listened to almost one per day!

There are so many different types of podcasts out there on plenty of different topics! Each one is unique in their own way – though not all of them are good, so listen to a few and find your favorites and subscribe to them!

My Favorite Podcasts:

When I’m not driving around a lot there are some other forms of learning I like to indulge in. These require sitting and spending some time reading.

3. Blogs

Just like Podcasts, there are so many different types of blogs out there. Chances are if you have a specific topic in mind, there is a blog about it. If there isn’t, start one! (That’s what I did here with this Blog).

There is so much content on the internet. I love reading blogs about how people tested out different ideas and concepts. Recently, I read about how someone tested out both a Vanguard IRA account and a Fidelity IRA account to find out which one was better in their opinion.

Like anything you find on the internet, you need to be careful with Blogs. People can basically write about anything – even things that are not true. For this reason, I like to read multiple different articles on a subject in order to get the full picture.

My Favorite Blogs:

4. Videos

Not everyone learns well through reading or listening. If this is you, there is good news! There are plenty of podcasts that are recorded as videos as well, and there and a lot of stand-alone videos to learn from.

This is helpful for me when I need to see something done or want to have a visual of what someone is talking about. I watched a lot of videos when I was trying to understand how to calculate numbers on investment properties.

There are a few YouTube channels that I subscribe to. I like these videos specifically because they are high quality and extremely informative.

My Favorite Youtube Channels:

5. Forums/Online Communities

It can be hard to find good Forums or Online Communities but the few that I have found have been extremely helpful. Online forums are places where the public can post questions and others can answer those questions. They can be helpful if you have a specific question, but I actually learn a lot by reading what others are asking.

In addition, online forums can be a great place to meet other people in your area. You can make a couple of new friends who have similar goals to you.

I have only come across a couple of online networking places that I have truly gained something from. It is hard to create a space online that is full of authenticity, and people who are actually trying to learn.

My Favorite Online Forums/Communities:

BiggerPockets Forums
ChooseFI Facebook Group (They also have a group specific to each city)
Christians of Real Estate (CORE) Facebook Group
By His Grace Bloggers Facebook Group

6. Others

You could say that you are learning from other people in all the above topics. However, what I mean by learning from others is more like a mentorship. Or maybe not even a mentorship, but even just sitting down with someone and talking with them about their experiences.

This is one of my favorite ways to learn, because not only can you learn from someone’s experiences and mistakes, but you make lifetime connections this way. If you’re active on an online forum and find someone in your area, find a time to meet up for coffee. Or start attending some local conferences where you can network with others.

It is a great feeling to have someone on your side encouraging you to continue forward in your journey! Get to know others who have been successful in the niche you are pursuing. Learn to model after what they are doing so you can also succeed.

If you’re looking to get into a specific industry, there is no need to pay thousands of dollars to learn from a guru. There are plenty of resources out there for you to learn, you just need to find them.

The Bible tells us in many ways that life is better with others, and learning is good. Spend time in the Word to gain wisdom, and spend time in these resources above to gain knowledge. Get to know others who can help you learn or even learn along with you!

Make it your goal to learn some new skills this year!

I still believe that a college education is important and there is a lot you can learn from getting a degree. But try to make it as inexpensive as you can! Start learning other skills through these different mediums as well. There is so much information out there that is free, take advantage of it!

Blog Article Spotlight!

Check out this blog post from SeedTime on 7 Ways to Go to College for Free. There are so many ways to get a free or low-cost education. If you are looking to get your college degree, I would encourage you to get creative and figure out how you can pay less.

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