In order improve ourselves, in any form, we must first look within, and find a desire and passion to learn.
Many people’s reaction to the idea of having to ‘learn’ something is usually not positive. This is fairly understandable, since we spend most of our childhood years being forced to learn many things that we aren’t necessarily interested in. In adulthood, many people forego learning anything new and simply go through with what they already have. While this is certainly one strategy that exists, I feel that the want to learn and grow is a crucial part of living a fulfilling life.
That being said, learning needs to be enjoyable for it to stick as a positive in people’s lives. While there are many methods of learning that aren’t enjoyable, there are also many that are. This is especially true in today’s world where what we can learn is no longer simply limited to books and in-person classes. The internet has given us many more tools to learn and grow, and it would be a disservice to not talk about them from time to time.
So today, we are going to talk about some YouTube channels with content that I believe is excellent to learn from! These are all channels, with large followings that I try to watch and learn from on a routine basis.
Entry #1: Medicine – Doctor Mike
In many complex fields such as medicine and law, being able to spout information might show that you’re good in your field. The ability to present it in a way that is understandable and entertaining, however, is a hallmark sign of someone who knows how to teach well.
Doctor Mike is a family medicine doctor who creates content revolving around teaching people how to live healthier lives. This could be through discussing current events, dissecting interesting topics, and reacting to other popular medicine-themed content.
He also takes it upon himself to try and fight against the spread of misinformation – something prevalent throughout the internet (and medicine especially). He has shown through many videos that he is open-minded, constantly trying to learn, and is willing to admit when he doesn’t know something and needs further research. These are telltale signs of an entertaining educator who you should take the time to learn from if you have an interest in health and wellness.
Entry #2: Science – Kurzgesagt
As someone who initially went to school to study Astrophysics, I have a soft spot for many things related to math and science.
The videos produced by Kurzgesagt cover many branches of science, math, and even philosophy. Their videos are designed to be entertaining, but also educate us and make us think. I have found myself more than once pondering my place in the universe after watching one of their videos. Pair that with their unique animations and entertainment tools, and you have something that is both entertaining and educational.
Although science is not something everyone finds interesting, I believe anyone can find something interesting here to watch. They don’t necessarily produce content as often as some other channels do, but this is only because they prioritize the quality of their videos over the quantity. Even if a video comes out on a topic I’m not particularly interested, I can’t deny that they put everything into each video and work hard to make it compelling.
Entry #3: Finance – Graham Stephan
If you’re someone who finds interest in all things financial (stocks, real-estate, budgeting, cryptocurrency, etc.), then this is a person that you will likely find a great deal of interest in.
Graham is a self-made millionaire who primarily focuses on real-estate and stock investing, although he covers many topics related to financial growth and productivity. Although his videos aren’t as flashy and edited as others on this list, I believe that is for the better. When I see a video related to finance or self-growth that I want to watch, I tend to be looking for something more serious and to-the-point then some of the other topics on this list.
That being said, his content is entertaining nonetheless. He injects humor where appropriate and likes to poke fun at some of the more “stiff and serious” aspects of finance. Everything he says is generally sincere, and he uses many of his videos to help educate and diffuse some of the mania that oftentimes pops up around certain financial markets (I’m looking at you, bitcoin).
Entry #4: History – Oversimplified
History was actually one of my least favorite subjects in-school. While I did find ancient history and mythology pretty interesting, I always hated learning about things from the Renaissance era and beyond. It could be because that was what was primarily focused on in school. I’m pretty sure I was taught and re-taught about the Civil War at least 3 times.
That being said, I do believe that a society that doesn’t learn from its history is doomed to make the same mistakes. As such, I was quite thrilled to find content that presented more modern history in a way that I find super entertaining to watch and easy to remember. They are another channel that doesn’t post videos very frequently, but post phenomenal content when they do.
I have admittedly come to like history as a subject, primarily from the content presented on this channel. There is plenty of humor baked into the videos, and they do a fantastic job of displaying how different historical events are linked across the globe. They also do a great job of talking about why things happened the way they did. In this way, learning about world history is much more like reading a novel rather than slogging through a textbook to memorize names and dates.
Entry #5: Miscellaneous – The Infographics Show
The Infographics Show is a channel that has many different topics they discuss. From science, to what-if scenarios, to historical figures – the list is endless.
Admittedly, not everyone will appreciate that many of their videos are a bit darker than the other channels I’ve discussed here. They have videos on historical events that some people may find uncomfortable (Serial killers, genocides, ancient torture methods, etc.) Given that background, this is not a channel I’d recommend letting a child roam free on as it might be a bit mature for where they’re at.
That being said, they also have some content that is child-friendly and is quite interesting. Their videos all ensure the same attention to detail and try to be as entertaining and factual as possible. Even when I see a video on a topic I know absolutely nothing about, I have a tendency to watch it and learn if I know it came from these guys.
Conclusion
Knowledge is available to us in ways that were completely unthinkable fifty or sixty years ago. There was time (not so long ago) that the only way to learn was through books or through finding an expert in a field. Now, the entirety of human knowledge can be accessed instantly. While this can be a negative (especially with the spreading of false information) this is a major positive for those who know how to utilize it properly.
I hope you can learn something interesting from these channels. Those who embrace change (whether they are comfortable with it or not) will be able to learn in ways never thought of before. The generations who have grown up with the internet have potential that no previous generation has, so long as they are shown to wield that potential properly.