TIL I spent $60 on a Python course that was just YouTube videos

I bought a 'complete beginner' coding course online last week, thinking it would have projects and help. It was just a playlist of free YouTube videos someone put behind a paywall. The guy even used the same intro from a video I watched for free six months ago. I feel pretty dumb for not checking reviews first. Has anyone found a good real course that doesn't cost a ton?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_uma2mo agoMost Upvoted

Honestly, that's just how the online course market works now. You're paying for the playlist curation, not the free videos.

margaretrivera2mo ago

Remember my buddy who paid for that coding bootcamp playlist? He found every single video free on YouTube later, just scattered across different channels. The course basically gave him a list in order and some sample files. He said the hardest part was already knowing what to search for, which the paid list solved. Kinda wild when you think about it.

kevin_schmidt9721d ago

Wow, that's frustrating. I actually think there's a bigger problem here nobody's talking about - these paid rehashes of free content are killing the incentive for creators to make new, actually useful tutorials. Like, if someone can just repackage your free stuff and make money off it, why bother building real projects or interactive exercises? The guy who made that original YouTube video probably has no idea his work is being sold. Maybe it's just me but I'd rather pay $60 to support the actual creator directly than some middleman who just organized a playlist.