Podcasts: The ultimate learning tools

If you’ve read any of my past posts, particularly this one, you might have noticed that I’ve taught myself the majority of the web design/development skills that I possess, without any formal schooling. Self-teaching takes a lot of discipline and devotion, but I want to share one of my favorite ways to learn: listening to podcasts.

Unknown to me until a few months ago is the multitude of great podcasts available for practically any subject matter. There are hundreds of thousands of podcasts available to listen to. Since my interest is in web design and the design community, I regularly listen to about ten web design/development related podcasts. It’s amazing how much I’ve picked up from listening to these throughout my days! Reading articles and blogs all day long is obviously not a productive plan to gaining knowledge, so listening is the next best thing. And since podcasts are generally lengthier than blog articles, there’s more to take in. When I’m designing in Photoshop or Illustrator or working on things that don’t require a “heads down” concentration level, I’ll turn on a podcast and follow along.

I definitely recommend browsing the iTunes store for podcasts related to your subject matter! Here are the top ten podcasts I listen to:

1. Shop Talk Show
2. Founders Talk
3. Young Guns Show
4. The Big Web Show
5. The Non Breaking Space Show
6. The East Wing
7. The Industry Radio Show
8. PageBreak Podcast
9. SitePoint Podcast
10. Motocross