Do you want to know different ways to get an education without going to college? Are you ready to take that next step in your education, but can’t afford the tuition or time commitment of going to college? Then maybe you’re ready to think outside the box and explore alternative education options.
College isn’t right for everyone and every situation. Some people thrive in a structured environment with other people their age, while others are just not cut out for that sort of lifestyle; either way, there are plenty of ways you can get an education without going to college.
Educating yourself is one of the most important things you can do in life. You don’t need to attend an expensive university or get a degree from one in order to learn new things and advance your career.
You can get as much, if not more — out of reading books, watching videos, listening to podcasts, and taking online courses as you would from attending a college campus five days a week. Here are a few alternatives to get education without going to college.
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Online Courses
This is one of the best ways to get an education without going to college. There are plenty of websites out there that offer free or low-cost courses in all sorts of topics.
These can be a great way to learn something new and put your newfound knowledge and skills to use right away in your career or personal life. Some websites that offer online courses include:
Coursera – This site has over 2,000 specializations that you can complete online, including topics like data science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.
edX – With edX, you can take interactive online classes from many of the world’s most prestigious universities, including Yale, Cornell, and MIT.
Skillshare – Skillshare is an online platform that lets you take classes in many different subjects, from business to design.
Udemy – Udemy offers online courses on a wide variety of subjects, many of which are offered by well-known experts in their fields.
Udacity – Udacity is another great website that offers free and low-cost online courses.
Expert Meetings and Lectures
This is another way to get education without going to college. If you can find a local speaker or expert in your field, you might be able to meet with them and attend a lecture for free.
Many universities host lectures from industry leaders and experts each year as part of their visiting speaker series, and many of them are free and open to the public. You can also find events hosted by local organizations and non-profit groups that often feature guest speakers, again at no cost to you.
You can also look online to find podcasts and videos featuring experts and leaders in various fields, many of which are free to listen to or watch. If you have kids, you can also look for children’s programming that features experts in different fields.
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Free Seminars and Workshops
Many universities and community organizations offer free seminars and workshops on a wide variety of topics. You can find online listings of these events, or you can just search for your nearest city and “free seminar” or “free workshop” to see what comes up.
Another option is to contact your local government or non-profit organizations to see if they offer free seminars or workshops on topics that would be relevant to your field.
You might be able to find events that are intended for people in your profession or people who are in your situation in life.
Reading and educating yourself with books
Yes, you can read books for free. Many libraries offer free memberships or low-cost annual memberships, and there are plenty of websites that let you read books online for free.
You can browse online bookstores like Amazon for e-books that you can download. You can also look up the author of the book you’re interested in reading and see if they have a free book like an e-book sample or an online book you can read for free.
Finally, you can check out Goodreads. These sites let you create a virtual bookshelf of all the books you’ve read, are reading, and want to read. You can use this as a virtual reading list, and many books on the site are available to read online for free.
Volunteer While Learning
Many organizations offer paid apprenticeships or paid internships where you can learn a skill that would otherwise cost thousands of dollars to learn through a local college or university.
In exchange for your time and effort, you’ll receive hands-on experience and a skill set that is highly sought-after in many industries. You can find organizations in your local area that host apprenticeships or internships by visiting the website Volunteer Match or by Googling your city plus “paid internships” or “paid apprenticeships”.
If you’re not quite sure what you want to do with your life, you can try volunteering with a bunch of different organizations and see which ones you enjoy the most.
Once you’ve found a few that you feel are a good fit for you, you can ask if they offer any sort of paid program where you can get hands-on experience while also helping them with their work.
Tapping into your local community
Your local community is full of people who would love to share their knowledge and expertise with you, often for free. You can also try contacting your local libraries and museums to see if there are any free events or exhibits coming up that you’d be interested in attending.
You can also try contacting your local community colleges and universities to see if they host any free events or have any programs you can take advantage of.
Conclusion On How To Get An Education Without Going To College
All the above-listed tips can help you get an education without going to college
Pursuing education doesn’t have to be expensive and it doesn’t have to take up a huge portion of your time. With many of these options, all you need to do is sit down, open a book, and start reading.
No matter whether you want to learn new skills or become more knowledgeable in a certain subject, there are plenty of ways you can educate yourself without ever setting foot on a college campus.
