I am a proponent of learning in any fashion. Although I learned how to become a freelance writer using nothing but Google, taking Reedsy’s masterclass to learn how to write a novel made a profound difference in my skills as an author.
All of my beta readers have mentioned how there was a stark difference between Kingmaker (my first fiction book) and Shadows of Atlantic City (my second fiction book).
A well-designed masterclass can go much further than trying to use Google to determine what you need. While Google is an incredibly good resource for learning, you also take the risk of getting incorrect or incomplete information.
That’s not to say that all masterclasses are good, mind you. Some will be shy on the “master” part of the teaching. It’s important that you go through the reviews to determine if a certain course is going to be right for you.
Luckily, most of the best courses online will show you the syllabus and give a synopsis of what you’ll be learning.
Masterclass or College Degree?
College degrees can be useful, especially since you’ll often get an in-depth perception of the course. However, they are usually far more expensive. Even a master’s degree (2-year college run) can run you more than $20,000 in tuition debt.
Some masterclasses will deliver a similar, and more focused, experience for a fraction of the cost.
Of course, this all depends on the masterclass or the college. Not all education is treated equally, and some colleges come up lacking when compared to some of the more in-depth masterclasses out there.
The only downside is that some masterclasses don’t provide a degree or certification of completion. You just learn what you need and move on.
Reedsy provides a certificate upon completion, which you can then print out and hang if you’d like. But some would rather have that master’s degree on the wall.
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