I Tried MasterClass for Six Months, and It’s Reignited My Love of Learning

I’ve always considered myself to be a lifelong learner. I devour one book per week on average and am always looking to master more skills — I think life is too short not to take advantage of everything it has to offer. The internet has made learning even easier than before, but sometimes it can be overwhelming to find exactly what you want to learn and how to find that information. As much as I love reading, I also read words on a screen all day for a living, so I’ve been gravitating toward classes lately (though I’m not about to drop thousands of dollars on a graduate degree). For the past few years, I’ve been curious about MasterClass. I love the idea of experts in their fields teaching me practical skills that I could use more in everyday life, like cooking, interior design, writing, marketing, and more.

When I got the opportunity to try MasterClass, I dove right into this video-learning platform with the hope that I’d work at least a half-hour of learning into my weekly routine. 

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MasterClass is a website that educates through short-form videos. They tap celebrities and experts in their field to create their own courses. There’s truly something for everyone — You could learn about yoga and meditation or business strategy. Insecure creator and actress Issa Rae, Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour, Reddit Cofounder Alexis Ohanian, award-winning pastry chef Dominique Ansel, and dozens more have their own classes. MasterClass also has themed series, like “Food, Stories, and Connections” with José Andrés and “Brain Health.” So if you don’t necessarily want to be lectured by one person, you can opt instead for compilations around specific subjects.

I love MasterClass because the courses are usually less than six hours long and are broken down into smaller lessons. I can easily find stopping points if I have to take an unexpected break. For example, I started with Issa Rae’s “Creating Outside the Lines” course because I had been feeling a bit uninspired and walked away feeling more confident in my ability to come up with new ideas.

Next, I started Kelly Wearstler’s Interior Design course, which features 17 different lessons but all of them clock in under 10 minutes. This makes it easy for me to watch a lesson on my lunch break, instead of just doomscrolling on Instagram. I learn something new, but it doesn’t feel overwhelming. It doesn’t feel as serious as a course on Coursera (which I have used before) or isn’t as much pressure as an in-person class would be. It lets me be a casual learner without overcommitting. I can also pause whenever I want, which will come in handy when I try Dominique Ansel’s class and get into fall baking. And although I do not always get my 30 minutes in a week, I have successfully made it a habit and have gotten through four courses so far. 

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