Mindset, or, Continuing Education on the Cheap

While at my parents' house for New Year's in January I borrowed from them a book by psychologist Carol Dweck titled Mindset (which, it turns out, has an accompanying Web site). I finally finished it a couple of days ago (shut up), and from the book I learned two things: 1) we can benefit by adopting a "growth mindset", and 2) we can profit by writing a popular book (more than by writing an academic book).

Although that second lesson wasn't new (I've never seen any earnings from my dad's mathematical theory books), I did find Dweck's ideas about the two mindsets insightful. (I'm late to the party because the book was published in 2006, but) the book argues that there are two mindsets: fixed and growth. Fixed mindset thinking assumes our abilities are fixed, and that the way things are are the way things will be; and growth mindset thinking assumes that abilities can grow with effort, and that things can change.

Those ideas sound like "duh" ideas, but it helps to have them articulated—so please borrow the book from your local library if you want to learn more.

So in an effort to engage in more growth mindset thinking, I'm taking seriously the idea of continuing education. No, not "Continuing Education" like the stuff they try to sell you in online ads; I'm talking about the simple act of "continuing (your) education". And while I lied about getting a second Ph.D. in my previous post (surprise), I do like to learn—but I'm also hella cheap. So I decided to figure out how to continue my education for free (or, at least, for very little money)—without compromising on quality. Here's what I've got:

1. iTunes U: Hands down, my go-to place for free edumacation. I can download audio and video files on all sorts of topics, and I can go through them while I'm making the bed or cooking dinner. And since I access the courses through the iTunes interface, the system doesn't present a learning curve. Score.


2. Podcasts: This is how I'm learning Dutch. Unfortunately I haven't actually learned any Dutch yet (not even how to order a drink), but that's OK—most bartenders in Holland speak English anyway.


3. YouTube: What's not to love (except for the ads you can't skip)? I go here to learn how to cook things by watching some lady wearing a sweater with a plunging neckline. But with its subscription system and suggested videos and channels, YouTube is great for learning via entertaining videos. Seriously—subscribe to YouTube channels, people. (And I don't say this because a relative works there...)


4. TED: Ah, the home of inspiring talks. I mean, who can resist a site that tags videos based on just how jaw-dropping/courageous/ingenious they are? Plus the site design is gorgeous.


5. edX: Yes, it's a MOOC-provider. But at least it's not-for-profit, and I can't criticize MOOCs unless I've taken one (though taking the demo course and learning how essays are "graded" made me want to throw up). But I'm signed up for a jazz appreciation class in winter, and I must say: I'm pretty jazzed.


6. Webinars: Companies often offer free Webinars, which are awesome when I just want to hear people talk about topics that they know a lot about who also give out free PowerPoints. I've attended a Webinar on financial education through UC Retirements and another on long-distance relationships through SARC. I'm also eyeing future Webinars through Charles Schwab...I'm such a greedy learner.


7. COLLEGE: I admit, I've never seen Animal House (and my undergrad advisor told me I hadn't lived), but institutions of higher education are good places to, well, continue education. And since there are a myriad options for how to take classes—for a degree or for a certificate, full-time or part-time—places like university extensions and community colleges make it easy to take courses one at a time. (The price, however, is becoming increasingly prohibitive—which is a whole 'nother conversation.)

And of course, anything you can read for free—newspapers, magazines, in print, online, whatever you can get your hands on—should be food for thought. In which case, the only thing I have to be careful about is overeating.

What am I missing? There must be some magical site that aggregates all sorts of inexpensive educational Web sites and tools. Any tips? Also, what to do with all this awesome continuing education we can get for free/at a low(ish) cost? No one's going to get me to write a term paper for some class I'm not getting credit for, but having periodic output required makes the input so much more worthwhile...