One of my favorite annual membership subscriptions of all time is a digital one: MasterClass! My New Year's resolution for 2020 was to take as many MasterClasses as I can this year, and I'm really enjoying it. In case you've been thinking about subscribing, or you want to learn more about this online learning platform, I put together a quick guide on what it is, how it works, and how I've been using it.
What is MasterClass?
MasterClass is an online online education platform of exclusive courses created by industry experts. (Including many celebrities.) Each MasterClass course is taught by a different instructor and the lessons are all videos. (There is a downloadable MasterClass workbook with each class, too.) If you've ever wanted to learn more about a specific industry like filmmaking or wine making, I've found these online learning courses to be entertaining and educational. If you're looking to grow your expertise, there are a lot of great online course options, too.
Who are the MasterClass instructors?
There are 80+ instructors and the MasterClass community seems to grow at least one new instructor/class a month. The classes cover categories like cooking, TV and movie making, writing, business, fashion, sports, and science. Here's a small sampling of the instructors: Natalie Portman, Neil Degrasse Tyson, Anna Wintour, RuPaul, Bobbi Brown, Annie Leibovitz, Serena Williams, Steve Martin, Bob Iger, Ken Burns, Shonda Rhimes, Aaron Sorkin. See the full list of instructors here.
How much is MasterClass?
It's $90 for an individual class, or $180 for an annual subscription which includes unlimited access to all classes. (There are 80+ classes, so the annual membership option is a better choice if you are planning on taking more than one online class.)
How long is a typical class?
A single class is usually broken up into an average of 20 lessons. On average, the lessons are about 10 minutes long each.
Where can you watch MasterClass?
In addition to watching on your computer or tablet, MasterClass is also available through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, and iPhone + iPad apps as well.
How I'm using MasterClass:
I primarily use MasterClass on my iPad, and I usually watch 2-3 lessons on the treadmill a day. Outside of work, if it's the only thing I get done that day, I feel pretty accomplished! 🙂
Also, a week ago, I came up with a new way to use MasterClass. I do daily calls with my mom, but found that we would really only talk about the news, which lately gets pretty tiring. So, I bought her a MasterClass subscription, and we decided that we would take the same MasterClass lesson and then talk about them during our calls. So far, we've been progressing through Kelly Wearstler's Interior Design class, and it's been a wonderful new topic to discuss. Want to share MasterClass with a friend, too? Right now, when you purchase an annual MasterClass subscription, you'll get a free annual subscription to gift.
3 classes I've taken so far and loved:
Sara Blakely Teaches Self-Made Entrepreneurship: She is one of the most inspiring entrepreneurs ever! (If you aren't familiar, she's the founder of Spanx). Sara walks you through the entire process she followed (and at times created), including the patent process, prototyping, getting her product in stores, etc. (And she never took on any funding - she owns 100% of her business today!)
Jeff Goodby and Rich Silverstein Teach Advertising and Creativity: I have zero knowledge about how the advertising world works (outside of watching all of Mad Men), so this was a very interesting and eye-opening class for me. I always appreciate learning how other people approach creativity and brainstorming, too. Plus, I got to see how some of the iconic commercials of my youth came to be. (Anyone else remember the Aaron Burr Got Milk? commercial?)
Chris Voss Teaches The Art of Negotiation: This online class is taught by a former FBI lead international kidnapping negotiator. I learned about mirroring language, and found the case studies to be helpful and fascinating, too.
Are you a MasterClass subscriber? Any recommendations on which class I take next?
Found this Masterclass review guide helpful? Leave a comment down below!
Please do not enter your email address in the Name field or in the comment content. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Remember to post with kindness and respect. Comments with offensive language, cruelness to others, etc will not be approved. See our full comment policy here.