Education is free! You pay for credentials.

Before we get started with the post, I have a request to make.

If you like reading this essay, please share it with your friends.

Now, let’s jump into our topic for the day!

Online education

While online classes in the form of MOOCs and university-provided degree certificates are well-known, there is a new trend that is emerging – online free education through YouTube.

With the democratization of technology with mobile phones and YouTube, anyone, including you, can start a class of your own. At the same time, learning a new topic is as easy as typing a few keywords on Google.

It is safe today to say that education is free; what you pay for when you get a degree is an access to a network, a dedicated schedule, and a certificate. While it is true that in some cases these are absolutely necessary, the online education ecosystem is radically changing our current education system

For today’s post, I want to delve deeper into one product that has fascinated me for the past few weeks.

WifiStudy – a YouTube channel.

This channel was created on July 26th, 2014. Within 5 years, it has grown to amass almost 10 million subscribers and is rapidly growing. Let’s look at what the channel does and why is it important to recognize how it works.

What is WifiStudy?

WifiStudy is a YouTube channel where instructors help you prepare for Indian competitive exams for jobs. These can include Bank POs, Central and State Government jobs, etc.

What differentiates this channel is their live classes.

I stumbled upon one of their General Knowledge videos and saw that they have a daily schedule for studying. Just like a coaching class for an entrance exam, Wifistudy schedules begin at 5:00 am in the morning and go on till afternoon. For those who have been through coaching classes for entrance tests, this will should feel familiar.

The only expectation for students is to open YouTube and join the live stream of classes. Every day, instructors follow a set routine for entrance tests, just like you would do if you were studying in an actual class.

The instructors writing things on the whiteboard live in front of viewers makes the videos a lot more engaging, as opposed to recording and uploading videos on YouTube. At the same time, viewers can ask doubts in live comments and can get them resolved right away!

WifiStudy doesn’t charge students to watch their YouTube videos. Imagine, you are sitting in a coaching class while not paying anything! This is a huge milestone in making education accessible for all. Imagine people in remote parts of the world learning only over the internet.

To date, WifiStudy has uploaded almost 14500 videos on YouTube, which means on average they have uploaded 200+ videos every month. Clubbing such a platform with other preparation platforms like Unacademy or Byju’s, you have access to enough material for preparing for exams.

Leveraging the technology to suit your needs is important. Wifistudy is a perfect example of that. They’ve utilized several features of YouTube to turn into a high-value product for their viewers.

Summary

I still remember preparing for my twelfth class board exams using an online course, when it seemed so novel to do so. I was impressed. I learned a lot in a month studying using an online portal at the time.

To see online education growing into such a fascinating enabler humbles me, and encourages me to believe in the world. I am hoping that a lot more new businesses come up focussing on revolutionizing specific aspects of education for all age groups.

From ages under 5 to ages above 50, every individual needs to keep learning. We need more and more businesses that cater to specific groups of individuals and specific businesses. I am excited to see how many businesses spawn up around online education.

And that’s where I would end today’s essay –

What opportunities for businesses do you think exist in the online education domain?

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