5 Mistakes I've Made in My 7 Years of Taking Online Courses

Hey everyone,

I've spent thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours on online courses over the past 7 years. And for a lot of that time, I was making mistakes.

These are the subtle errors that cap your ROI, causing the knowledge to fade and the momentum to die. I see people making them all the time. Today, I’m sharing the five biggest ones I've made, and more importantly, how I've learned to fix them.

Taking courses without a plan is like joining a gym and never going

Mistake #1: Signing Up Blind 🤦‍♂️🧑‍🦯 

This is the classic error of impulse. You see a course with a great title and compelling marketing, and you click "enroll" without a second thought. This is a gamble with your time and money.

The Fix: Know Your Learning Style First. Before you spend a dollar, understand how you learn best. This is your most important filter.

• Ask yourself: Do I need a live cohort to stay accountable, or am I disciplined enough for a pre-recorded course? Do I thrive with direct interaction, or am I okay in a large group?

• My rule: I now know that I won't pay for a live class with over 50 people because I value direct Q&A.

• Answering this one question prevents you from buying a course you'll never finish.

Mistake #2: Showing Up Cold 🤷‍♂️ 😕 

You log into the first session with zero preparation, treating it like a random webinar you just stumbled upon.

The Fix: Do the "Pre-Game" Work. The most successful students treat the first session like a meeting they are leading.

• Navigate the learning platform and download the materials in advance.

• Do the pre-reading. You'll be one of the few who does.

• Research your instructor on LinkedIn. Understand their unique genius so you can ask specific, high-quality questions later.

Mistake #3: Being a "Silent Spectator" 👀 💤 

You stay muted, camera off, and never type in the chat. You listen, but you don't participate. You're a ghost in the machine.

The Fix: Engage in the "Margins". The highest-value moments of a live course are often unstructured. They happen just before and just after the official session time.

• Show up 15 mins early. This is when you can have a casual, human chat with the instructor and other keen learners.

• Stay 15 mins late. This is when only a handful of people are left, and you can get your specific questions answered without feeling rushed.

• During class, don't be afraid to ask a clarifying question if you're lost. You're probably not the only one.

Mistake #4: Letting the Learning Evaporate 💭📚💨

You take meticulous notes, feel a rush of inspiration, close your notebook after the final session... and never look at your notes again. The Forgetting Curve is real, and it will win if you let it.

The Fix: Build a Retention System. The course isn't over when the last class ends. The real work begins after.

• Teach it: Grab a colleague and explain one key concept you learned. If you can't, you don't know it well enough yet.

• Schedule it: Open your calendar right now. Go one month into the future and block 30 minutes. Title it "Review X Course & Commit to 1 Action."

• Partner up: Find one person from the cohort and agree to a 30-minute check-in call in three weeks to discuss how you're actually applying the material.

Mistake #5: Ghosting the Instructor and Cohort 👻 🏃‍♂️ 

The course ends, and you disappear without a trace. This is a massive missed opportunity to build relationships.

The Fix: Close the Loop. You've just spent weeks learning and growing with these people. Solidify those connections.

• Write a testimonial: Spend 10 minutes writing a few specific lines for the instructor about the impact the course had. It helps you synthesize your own takeaways and is an incredible act of gratitude that will be remembered.

• Follow up with peers: Don't just let the WhatsApp/Slack group die. Intentionally reach out to 1-2 people you found insightful. These are your future collaborators, clients, and supporters.

Avoiding these mistakes has been a game-changer for me. It's the difference between collecting certificates and building real skills.

Your next course could change your career—if you do it right. Are you ready to show up differently?

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