17 Best Skillshare Courses 2022 – Top Classes | Speed Reading Lounge
A Review of best Skillshare classes for entrepreneurs and creatives
Skillshare is a popular online educational platform for non-accredited e-learning. Practitioners and teachers from all over the world can launch Skillshare courses and interactive sessions to educate individuals on a wide variety of subjects.
Topics covered by these classes include, but aren’t limited to, animation, design, illustration, photography, writing, and much more. Below, we will give you a tour of some of the best Skillshare courses for students, professionals, and individual learners.
Skillshare Classes – Overview
Living up to its name, Skillshare provides learners with an economical opportunity to get inspired, share skills, and craft them to precision. From college-bounds to graduates on the brink of their professional career and beyond, anyone can join this online community. It is also a sound platform for teachers looking to share their talent, spark creativity in others while doing so, and gain some financial flexibility from it.
Topics – Skillshare classes are divided into four categories: Business, Technology, Creative, and Lifestyle. While most of the 35,000+ Skillshare courses are pre-recorded tutorials, you can also access live sessions, and attend workshops.
Credits – Since Skillshare courses are non-accredited, you will not be awarded any certificate at the end of the class. Learners can, however, list completed Skillshare classes to embellish their resumes. Upon completing a project, for example, you’ll be provided with a URL that you can drop on your resume, online portfolio, etc.
Pricing – Skillshare provides you with a cost-effective way of learning useful skills. Unlimited access to over 35,000 Skillshare classes will cost you $15/month or $159 per year. Alternately, you can become a free member with access to selective content or get their free 1-month Premium trial (view offer) to see if you like it.
Skillshare Courses 2022 – Best 4 Classes
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To help quench your curiosity a little, we have curated a list of some of the best Skillshare courses with details on the skills taught, and the range of their application.
1. Speed Reading Mastery – Double Reading Speed
Designed by speed reading coach Jordan Harry, this Skillshare class (visit website) will walk students through the art of efficient reading and greater retention. Furthermore, learners will master the craft of memorization, comprehension, and retention and apply them to various domains of education and learning.
Upon enrolling, you will begin with lectures based on shifting your readership mindset, training your memory, and aligning them with your near-term goals. From here, students will proceed towards application. Some core concepts include mind mapping, storytelling, and memory-improving habits. The last lessons will appraise learners of various drills that can help them retain information and process it faster.
Jordan’s class also offers a certificate of completion towards the end and some bonus content that includes lectures on speed reading with Dyslexia and the e-book, “The Quick Guide to Speed Reading.” It is certainly one of the most popular and best Skillshare courses available on the platform.
Instructor: Jordan Harry | Rating: 4.7/5 ★★★★☆
Info: View Course page. Get 1-month Premium trial to test all Skillshare classes.
Doctor and Youtuber Ali Abdaal has curated his popular masterclass (visit website) on the principles of productivity for individuals of all professional and educational levels. Abdaal begins with a productivity equation and dives deep into related concepts.
Enrolling in this Skillshare class, learners will follow the lecturer as he dissects some long-standing myths surrounding productivity. Next is an incisive breakdown of important laws of physics and their applicability in real life to boost work efficiency.
Other concepts taught include myths about multitasking, productive downtime, productive procrastination, and the power of habits. Learners will finish off each lecture with a reflective practice for improving their soft skills. To get the most of these practices, students must engage with the given writing prompts each time they finish a lecture.
With an almost exclusive assortment of favorable reviews, Abdaal’s class remains one of the best Skillshare courses reviewed by learners.
Instructor: Ali Abdaal | Rating: 4.8/5 ★★★★★
Info: View Course page. Get 1-month Premium trial to try all Skillshare courses.
3. Creating Your Dream Career: Uncover & Apply Your Creative Strengths
Taught by artist & cultural geographer Holley M. Kholi-Murchison (visit website), this Skillshare class targets creatives and entrepreneurs. In it, you will get tools that can help you shape your vision. These include writing exercises and PDF worksheets you can use while unpacking your past.
According to Holley, the influences of your past experiences can “become the building blocks to a more meaningful career”. She shares stories from her own journey to deliver her insights and guidance. You share your action plan or vision in the hands-on project.
This is one of the best Skillshare classes in the career section that just about everyone can take and find value in for themselves. With a premium membership, students can access all other Skillshare courses to further advance their career and business skills.
Instructor: Holley M. Kholi-Murchison | Rating: 4.8/5 ★★★★★
Info: View Course page. Get 1-month Premium trial to test all Skillshare classes.
4. Graphic Design Basics: Visual Design
Graphic Design Basics (visit website) is a collaboration between Ellen Lupton and Jennifer Cole Philips from the Smithsonian Design Museum. Lupton and Philips are currently co-directing the Graphic Design MFA Program at the Maryland Institute of art. This class has been inspired by their textbook Graphic Design: The New Basics.
The nine lessons will teach you how to crack the code to great designing. Your journey in this beginner-level Skillshare course will start with identifying and defining the 5 basic design principles. These include differentiating between symmetry and asymmetry, scaling, framing, hierarchy and grids.
If you like to approach graphic design from an art and product design perspective, this is one of the best Skillshare classes to consider. Students will finish off this course with a real-life project that will help learners with concept applicability and to create a project from scratch or improve something from their portfolio.
Instructor: Ellen Lupton, Jennifer Cole Philips | Rating: 4.7/5 ★★★★☆
Info: View Course page. Get 1-month Premium trial to test all Skillshare courses.
5. Fundamentals of DSLR Photography
Fundamentals of DSLR (visit website) is a beginner-level course designed by Justin Bridges, a New York-based fashion and portrait photographer. His Skillshare class teaches the core concepts in DSLR photography. These include manually balancing shutter speed, aperture, and ISO for perfect exposure. Lecture videos also include taking students on the streets of New York for more action-oriented learning.
Coming out of the hour-long class, you will have gained some working knowledge on adjusting apertures to control blurs, understanding freeze and blur motion, and editing photos in 5 minutes. In the hands-on project, you will be asked to upload your photographic creations in the Photo Gallery and share your process.
In a way, this will be another reflective practice that will help you uncover what you do right and wrong during the shooting process and the camerawork. This is one of the best Skillshare classes to improve your photography skills.
Instructor: Justin Bridges | Rating: 4.8/5 ★★★★★
Info: View Course page. Get 1-month Premium trial to test all Skillshare classes.
6. Animation for Illustration: Procreate & Photoshop
Animation is an intermediate course on Skillshare (visit website) that teaches aspiring illustrators how to animate using Procreate. Comprising of 11 video lectures of less than ten minutes each, the class is one of the top-rated and best Skillshare courses.
You will begin by learning about storyboarding, building and refining characters, consolidating layers, and animating these layers. Next, comes animation and the use of additional elements in photoshop. Once your creation is finalized, you can export and bring it to life.
Animation for Illustration has been designed by Artist and Illustrator Libby VanderPloeg and her team at Snyder NY. She boasts experience with some great names in the industry, including the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Boston Globe, and Netflix. Her class continues to be one of the best Skillshare courses.
Instructor: Libby VanderPloeg | Rating: 4.8/5 ★★★★★
Info: View Course page. Get 1-month Premium trial to try all Skillshare classes.
7. Web Design Essentials: Marketing Homepages
Designed by product evangelist and educator Dennis Field, Web Design Essentials is a beginner-level class (visit website) for novice learners. Anybody associated with website designing, product designing, and web layout can benefit from these lectures.
In the eight short lessons, learners will pick up core concepts in web designing. These include goals of the webpage, sketches concerning user patterns and hierarchy, creating designs in Photoshop or Sketch, and collaborations using InVision.
Your final project would be to create a homepage prototype that drives conversions. It will be up to the learners whether they will design for a real business or the mock social media app “Simply Social”. This Skillshare class has been reviewed as a “quick one” so students looking to hone their skills from scratch must look elsewhere.
Instructor: Dennis Field | Rating: 4.7/5 ★★★★☆
Info: View Course page. Get 1-month Premium trial to test all Skillshare classes.
Tip: If you look for Skillshare alternatives, browse our lists of the best speed reading classes or LinkedIn Courses and Udemy Courses.
8. Discovering Success – Uncover Your Purpose, Passion & Path
Contrary to what many may believe, success is a highly subjective concept. This Skillshare class (visit website) is taught by author and podcaster Emma Gannon. She aims to help you “define success on your own terms” in this compact class.
Guided exercises help you with your introspection. Among the tools you will get are PDF worksheets, and a “first step” plan to start acting on your intentions. The class project gives you a chance to share a bit about your own journey with other learners.
If you feel like you are losing your sparkle, this could be one of the best Skillshare classes to get your plans, projects, career, and relationships back on track.
Instructor: Emma Gannon | Rating: 4.6/5 ★★★★★
Info: View Course page. Get 1-month Premium trial to test all Skillshare classes.
9. Context is Key: Social Media Strategy In A Noicy Online World
If your goal is to build a high-impact brand, this Skillshare class (visit website) can help you use social media to do just that. In less than 90 minutes, Gary Vaynerchuk, founder of Wine Library and CEO of Vaynermedia, breaks down “the right story for every relevant platform—Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram and Pinterest”.
His strategy has been used in the growth of huge brands like GE, PepsiCo, and the NY Jets. You will learn how to build long-term relationships with your customers and tailor your content. Real-world case studies give you a chance to see his concepts in action.
By the end, you should be able to create your own social media strategy on any given channel. This is among the best SKillshare classes for marketing professionals, social media managers, and entrepreneurs looking for hands-on expertise.
Instructor: Gary Vaynerchuk | Rating: 4.6/5 ★★★★★
Info: View Course page. Get 1-month Premium trial to test all Skillshare classes.
10. Going Freelance: Building Your Own Success
Instructor Justine Gignac is the founder of Working Not Working, an invite-only platform for veteran creatives. Gignac offers a Skillshare course (visit website) for individuals looking to build and expand their careers in the world of freelancing.
It’s a compact one-hour class distributed that finishes off with the chance to share portfolio ideas and test side projects to get real feedback from the community. Some core concepts covered in the class include working with side-projects, creating great portfolios, marketing the right way, and becoming part of an authentic network.
Learners can look forward to gaining skills in entrepreneurship, personal branding, business, and creativity. Throughout the lecture, students hear about real-life stories, lessons, and tips that will ideally bring them clarity and put them in the right mindset.
It is a foundational class aiming to enlighten, empower, and equip individuals who are ready to start a tangible phase for their freelance careers. Going Freelance has received good reviews and is among the best Skillshare courses in business.
Instructor: Justine Gignac | Rating: 4.7/5 ★★★★☆
Info: View Course page. Get 1-month Premium trial to test all Skillshare classes.
11. Mastering Productivity: Create a Custom System
This popular Skillshare class (visit website) is designed by entrepreneur and author Thomas Frank. Within 10 lectures it will teach you the techniques to be more productive and efficient in your work environment. Learners from varying professional levels can enroll and lay their hands on important takeaways.
Whether you are a struggling freelancer, a grad student with a side-gig, or an amateur looking to season their craft, the lessons are designed to help you streamline your goals and achieve results faster.
Productivity Masterclass is aimed at helping learners replace disorganization with an improved workflow. Frank claims in his lectures that his assortment of simple and straightforward techniques can generate a foolproof efficiency system that works regardless of your work environment.
Core concepts taught in this class include task management, organization of digital and physical files, taking notes more effectively, emailing tricks, and more. The class has garnered favorable reviews and remains one of the best Skillshare courses.
Instructor: Thomas Frank | Rating: 4.8/5 ★★★★★
Info: View Course page. Get 1-month Premium trial to try all Skillshare classes.
12. Find Your Style – Unlock Creative Identity
Designer and Podcaster Andy J. Pizza (visit website) has curated this Skillshare class for all levels based on managing your style to become a better creative. Andy’s Find Your Style is an engaging class that specifies five rules to unleash your artistic potential. His principles will benefit each one regardless of their medium of choice.
Some important concepts and skills taught in the class include uncovering influences to find your real identity, translating your taste into your products, experimenting, and the art of creating successful projects.
Each lecture in the class comprises anecdotes, lessons learned, and tips to hone your style for greater productivity and yield. The hands-on class project involves a self-reflective question exercise on a defining piece of work that will help you uncover your creative abilities. One of the best Skillshare courses to develop a creative mindset.
Instructor: Andy J. Pizza | Rating: 4.7/5 ★★★★☆
Info: View Course page. Get 1-month Premium trial to try all Skillshare classes.
13. iPhone Photography: Take Pro Photos
Dale McManus’ iPhone Photography (visit website) is a compact 1-hour class directed at beginners. It covers most of the foundational principles that rookies aspiring to become professional digital photographers must know. All of the skills taught in the course can be applied without any heavy-duty camera equipment.
Your iPhone camera or a similar smartphone device would more than suffice. This best-rated Skillshare course is categorically designed for beginner-level photographers looking to hone their skills without having to spend thousands of dollars.
Upon enrolling in the class, you will learn how to create stunning photos using shot composition, optimizing iPhone settings, creating depth, telling stories with pictures, and other valuable tricks. In the capstone project, learners will have the opportunity to show their creative improvement by uploading pictures to the photo gallery.
Instructor: Dale McManus | Rating: 4.6/5 ★★★★☆
Info: View Course page. Get 1-month Premium trial to try all Skillshare classes.
14. The Writer’s Toolkit – 6 Steps to Writing Habit
Designed by award-winning writer Simon Van Booy, The Writer’s Toolkit (visit website) is a foundational class for aspiring writers. Within eight lectures, Simon will teach you six essential steps to inspire creativity and productivity. It is a class aimed at beginners to help individuals create a basic blueprint for a more efficient writing environment.
The class begins with teaching subtle practices that make writing both accessible and fun. Other topics include optimizing your writing space, creating a daily writing routine, and getting inspiration. Students should revisit the lessons to build a lasting system of productive daily practices that writers can depend on in the long run.
As part of the class’s hands-on project, students will be asked to show how they have practically applied the ideas learned to their creative art. It is one of the best Skillshare courses if you want to increase the impact of your writing and seek guidance.
Instructor: Simon Van Booy | Rating: 4.7/5 ★★★★☆
Info: View Course page. Get 1-month Premium trial to test all Skillshare classes.
15. Social Media Marketing – Tips for Going Viral
Artist, Entrepreneur, and Educator Cat Coquillette walks her students through the essential steps for strengthening their online presence and building a brand using virtual tools. It is a beginner-level class (visit website) aimed at individuals looking to kick-start online businesses and utilize digital tools for greater exposure.
In this Skillshare course of eleven short lectures, you will learn how to leverage the four big digital beasts in the online world: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.
Some of the key strategies taught include crafting the perfect profile, choosing the right platform, writing the perfect posts and hashtags do’s and don’ts. Coming out of the course, individuals will more likely have a greater understanding of creating a following, decoding analytics, and optimizing photos with the right editing skills.
Instructor: Cat Coquillette | Rating: 4.6/5 ★★★★☆
Info: View Course page. Get 1-month Premium trial to test all Skillshare classes.
16. Basic Skills – Getting Started With Drawing
Master Artist and Illustrator Brent Eviston teaches students basic skills in art and design of all kinds. This Skillshare class (visit website) is the first of Eviston’s The Art and Science of Drawing series.
Prepare for a compilation of short lectures that break down how art is more of a skill than a naturally acquired talent. The entire series is designed to teach learners the basics of drawing and honing their skills one step at a time.
In this class, students will focus on the science of shapes. More importantly, the focus is on simplifying complex-looking objects into their simplest shapes as the starting point. It is a good opener for aspiring illustrators on the watch for some accessible instruction.
Coming out of the entire series, learners will have developed skills in fine art, sketching, creativity, and illustration. It’s one of the best Skillshare courses to learn drawing.
Instructor: Brent Eviston | Review: 4.6/5 ★★★★☆
Info: View Course page. Get 1-month Premium trial to try all Skillshare courses.
17. The JavaScript Toolkit: Write Better Code
If you want to become a JavaScript (JS) expert, this Skillshare class (visit website) can prove to be a quick yet in-depth guide to get confident in the language. Javascript has transformed greatly from its earlier days, and there is much that developers can learn about its more modern development stack.
Besides this, the course will also offer an understanding of the dev environment to prevent mistakes and the most viable JavaScript tools. Christian Heilmann, Senior Developer at Microsoft, offers this Skillshare course for all levels. Nevertheless, learners should possess a working knowledge of programming and Javascript.
Within 12 lectures, you will learn about various uses for JS, finding JavaScript Zen, evolved dev environments, vision control, debugging, and keeping current in the script language. Enrolling in the program will also bring learners the opportunity to find a Javascript community for greater involvement.
Instructor: Christian Heilmann | Review: 4.7/5 ★★★★☆
Info: View Course page. Get 1-month Premium trial to try all Skillshare courses.
Skillshare’s chief strength lies in the sheer variety of courses available on the site. Compound this with unlimited access to over 27,000 Skillshare courses all for a reasonable price and you understand the acclaim the site has accrued over a short period of time. There are however a few bumps to keep an eye on.
Bear in mind that Skillshare does not define any prerequisites for teachers who wish to feature their classes on their platform. Anyone can become a teacher on Skillshare. However, some of the best Skillshare courses certainly come from the Original series.
Because of this, there is sometimes a trade-off in terms of lesson quality. Not every class available on the platform will be a great source of learning. This is why individuals are advised to pay attention to related reviews before opting for a course.
Recently, the platform has also garnered some negative attention for its pricing policies. Many users see Skillshare as an economical e-learning platform providing unlimited learning for a yearly subscription of just $99. However, complaints have been registered against the ways the company charges its users. Some complainants also claimed getting charged even after canceling subscriptions.
At the end of the day, user experience and learning outcomes will vary for everyone. We can only hope the company continues to incorporate user feedback for better future experiences.
Best Skillshare Courses 2022 – Verdict
Summarizing our tour of the best Skillshare courses and classes. Despite some imperfections, Skillshare has emerged as a popular e-learning platform for learners, practitioners, and teachers alike. Its great asset is the sheer diversity of skills taught in exchange for a reasonable pricing model.
In the end, the individual differences between learners and instructors will perhaps be the greatest determiner in deciding if this popular online community is the right fit for you. Taking the $99/year subscription plan into account, Skillshare courses are accessible at an affordable rate. You can claim your free 1-month Premium trial here.
- Speed Reading Mastery – Double Reading Speed
- Productivity Masterclass – Principles and Tools
- Creating Your Dream Career: Uncover & Apply Your Creative Strengths
- Graphic Design Basics: Visual Design
- Fundamentals of DSLR Photography
- Animation for Illustration: Procreate & Photoshop
- Web Design Essentials: Marketing Homepages
- Discovering Success – Uncover Your Purpose, Passion & Path
- Context is Key: Social Media Strategy In A Noicy Online World
- Going Freelance: Building Your Own Success
- Mastering Productivity: Create a Custom System
- Find Your Style – Unlock Creative Identity
- iPhone Photography: Take Pro Photos
- The Writer’s Toolkit – 6 Steps to Writing Habit
- Social Media Marketing – Tips for Going Viral
- Basic Skills – Getting Started With Drawing
- The JavaScript Toolkit: Write Better Code
What are the best Skillshare classes? Please share your favorite list in the comments below. If you have any questions, feel free to use our contact form to get in touch.
Sources: What is Graphic Design? – 1 | What is Productivity? – 2 | What is Illustration? – 3 | Javascript Overview – 4