Every so often I get an email that goes something like this: “I love your content, but I’m retired and on a fixed income. Will the workshop be free later?” Or a variation: “Will the recording be posted publicly once the cohort wraps up?”
First, I want to say that I never mind these emails. It means you found the material valuable enough to want more of it, and that is the whole point of what I do.
But I also want to give you a straight answer, because I think you deserve one: no, my paid workshops and cohorts will not become free later. They are a specific product for a specific situation. Small groups, live instruction, hands-on files, and direct access to me while you work through the material. That format takes real time to build and deliver, and the price reflects it. The recordings stay with the people who registered.
The good news is that the paid stuff is a small slice of everything I put out. If a live cohort is outside your budget right now, you have plenty of ways to learn from me that cost little or nothing. In fact, I would rather point you to those directly than have anyone waiting around for a discount that isn’t coming.
So here is your roadmap.
Start with your library card
This is the one I wish more people knew about. Many public library systems, including quite a few here in Ohio, give cardholders free access to LinkedIn Learning. That includes my full catalog of courses on Excel, Power Query, Python, and analytics. If you have a library card, there is a decent chance you already have access and just don’t know it.
I wrote up exactly how to check and get set up here:
The same goes for my books. Both of my O’Reilly titles, along with the rest of the O’Reilly learning platform, are available through many libraries at no cost. Here is that walkthrough:
Your library may already have one or both of my books in its catalog, even if it does not provide access to the O’Reilly learning platform, so it is worth searching for the titles separately.
If the books or the O’Reilly platform are not currently available, you can always submit a purchase or subscription request. Librarians track these requests, and enough interest can help get a book or resource added.
I have included all the information you should need below for both books, including the full titles, authorship, publisher details, and ISBNs.
Browse the Gumroad store
My Gumroad store is where I keep templates, guides, and other self-paced resources. Some are free, and most of the rest are priced so that cost is not the obstacle. If you like learning at your own pace with something concrete to work from, start there.
Join a free webinar
And yes, plenty of my live events are free. I regularly run open webinars and demo days where I teach real workflows, not teasers. You can see everything coming up on my Eventbrite page. Follow the page and you’ll get notified when new sessions go up.
Want to give something back? It doesn’t take money
For a solo business like mine, your engagement is worth real money. When you share one of my posts, leave a thoughtful comment, or write a recommendation on my LinkedIn profile, you are doing more for Stringfest Analytics than most paid ads ever could. It takes five minutes, it costs nothing, and it is how new people find this work.
So if you have learned something from me and want to say thanks, that is the way. A LinkedIn recommendation from a real learner is one of the most valuable things you can give me.
And the best thing you can do for yourself: build your own stuff
I will end with a challenge, offered with all the warmth I can put into text. The single fastest way to grow as an analyst is to teach what you’re learning. Write up a workflow you figured out. Post a short walkthrough on LinkedIn. Explain a formula fix that saved you an hour. You will learn the material twice as deeply, and you will start building a reputation that pays off in ways no course can.
And here is my standing offer: if you make something, send it to me. I will give you honest feedback, and if it’s good, I will share it with my audience. I mean that.
I will be honest with you, though. I make this offer all the time, and almost nobody takes me up on it. It is far easier to ask when the course will be free than to sit down and write your first post. I would love for you to be the exception. My inbox is open.
One last thing
You never need to explain your circumstances to use any of the above. The free resources are free for everyone, no justification required. Whether you are retired, between jobs, a student, or just careful with money, the library route alone will keep you busy for weeks.
And if someday a paid cohort makes sense for where you are, it will be there. Until then, I hope to see you at a free webinar, or better yet, in my feed.