Ever up for getting a new skill?

Then maybe, have you ever signed up for a MOOC (massive open online course), such as Coursera?

If yes – have you ever finished one?

Just asking; Financial Times wrote that “barely anyone who starts a Mooc completes it” and “online courses had an astronomical dropout rate of about 96 per cent on average over five years”.

I know what they’re talking about

Over the past 5 years, I registered for about ten courses – and completed only the last one.

What made the last one stand apart?

For all the previous courses, my motivation was curiosity. An example for all: “I wonder what would it be like to understand Systems Thinking…” I thought on one Sunday afternoon. I registered for the course and took the first class. It was interesting. Then the reality of daily life hit me; the next weekend a trip to Romania, the weekend after a training in Kyiv. I found myself three weeks behind schedule in the course – and dropped out.

The last course I took was for Time Management. My motivation: I was scheduled to give a training on Time Management in three weeks’ time. Searching for potential sources on the subject (books, blogs, TEDx Talks), I had a brilliant idea: “While I’m preparing a training, why not get inspiration from a training that already exists?”

I registered for the Course, even taking a risk of being charged $40 (7-day trial, pay $40/month after that). I sat in front of my computer, got myself a big glass of water and a cup of black tea and began the course. I wrote down quotes, took screenshots and reproduced the templates for the exercises I did.

In one long sitting, I went through content scheduled for 4 weeks. And yes, I withdrew from the course and did not pay for it.

Maybe you too have sometime the feeling of “curiosity” to learn something new. Chances are, that’s not enough.

If you want to learn something new – commit to doing something new.

The best way to learn something is by struggling to find out how to do it.

Photo by Vasily Koloda on Unsplash