If you’re someone who lives for a good, meaty podcast, watches YouTube tutorials or enjoys diving down the rabbit holes of Reddit threads, this surprisingly good Black Friday deal may be just what you need: The MasterClass subscription loaded with tutorials and pre-recorded lectures by worldwide experts is offering 50% off the annual MasterClass Premium subscription.
To better frame how good this deal is, the lessons aren’t from just any self-professed expert with a verified check.
You can get exclusive cooking lessons from Gordon Ramsay, learn about “The Magic of Menopause with Halle Berry,” or dive into scientific thinking with world-renowned astrophysicist and author Neil deGrasse Tyson. And where else can you nab fresh leadership tips straight from the former First Lady and United States Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton?
From science to politics and cooking to sports to comedy, MasterClass likely has a course for you.
Whether you’re a hobbyist who’s run out of Disney+ and Netflix documentaries or a true academic with a yearning for knowledge, this may be the route to learn a new trait or skill. MasterClass pairs A-lister celebrities with real experts to teach courses on virtually any subject you can think of, including parenting, conservationism, mathematics, negotiating, branding and business.
In “The Magic of Menopause,” for example, sees Halle Berry and health experts educate viewers on strategies for navigating menopause. They go into topics such as hormonal impacts and how to manage symptoms like hot flashes, brain fog and more. The course is just over 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in “Dr. Jane Goodall Teaches Conservationism,” you can learn all about animal intelligence, how climate change impacts the world and humanity’s impact on the natural environment. This course is just over 5 hours long and broken up into 29 lessons.
Want to learn the art of TV writing? You can learn it from the Shonda Rhimes of “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal″ and “How To Get Away With Murder” excellence.
Always loved comedy but never understood the strategy behind the art form or how it could help your daily life? Kevin Hart and Steve Martin are on there, presenting comedy in a way you’ve never seen before.
Beyond the A-list names, several reviewers really do think the service is worth it.
A few of my HuffPost colleagues say they’ve had fun using MasterClass to learn the basics of cooking and techniques, how to prepare and cook regional foods and even cocktail mixology. Others on Reddit say it’s pretty great, too, with one user saying it’s a great way to “learn a variety of random subjects.”
That said, several Redditors note that, like anything you learn, it’s only as valuable as your interest in the subjects and your application. ”...It’s worth it if you actually apply what you learn,” one Reddit reviewer wrote. “The production quality’s top-notch and the insights hit deeper than YouTube fluff, but it’s not magic unless you put it into action...”
If you love learning or want a new hobby or trade, it could really help you bust a move. One Redditor noted that it’s been especially helpful for widely expanding their writing.
″[Masterclass] really helped me write a novel and was the supportive jolt I didn’t realize I needed,” subscriber, Marc, shared. “I’ve watched somewhere between 20 to 30 classes (not just on writing) and I actually don’t think I could find what I’ve seen on Masterclass online for free Nope... Really cuts through the noise and free YouTube and TikTok advice. Love that masterclass even exists. I’ve been able to dabble in tv writing, screenwriting and songwriting in addition to the novel writing... I’ve had subscriptions to Masterclass and The Great Courses/Wondrium for more than five years. Lifelong learner here. I’d say that if you’re a curious person then it’s definitely worth it.” [Review condensed for length.]
This is probably one of the cheapest chances you’ll get to learn directly from the world’s biggest thinkers. Grab an annual MasterClass Premium membership while it’s sliced in half for Black Friday, and invest in yourself — or gift a sub to someone else— to harness creativity and learn some new skills.
The Real Deal: We use deal trackers and commerce experience to sift through “fake” hike-and-drop deals and other deceptive sales tactics. Products will usually be rated at least 4 stars with a minimum 15% discount. (And when there’s an exception, we’ll tell you why.)