There's no such thing as "free". And there’s no age limit to learn.

While compiling the list of resources for the two lists (USA and General/Worldwide), some of these thoughts linger through my brain: "Who takes care of this?" "Why would they share it for free?" "Why would they make it so low cost...?" "Did they pay someone to make this...? Did they make it truly for “free” — or is there a different hidden cost...?"

And there's different answers.
Some programs are funded through the government (through people’s taxes), others by private organizations, grants, others given for free by their own creators.

Behind these initiatives, however, lies an extensive amount of labor. Developing an online course, for instance, typically involves comprehensive research, organizational planning, and the structuring of learning modules. Furthermore, the process requires video editing, rigorous audio quality assessments, the curation of educational resources, content drafting, and technical deployment. Such multifaceted projects generally necessitate the coordinated efforts of a professional collective.

And they're not doing it for free.
Why would anyone do so? Unless they've got no financial pressure, most people are not willing to take the risk — they cannot afford to do so, even if they wanted to. Their work deserves compensation, their lives are not sustained by just breathing or imagining food.

In my case, if I wanted to do this without knowing how to — I'd have to get a team for: Research, planning, structuring, coding, making the website responsive, legible, UI/UX design, how to make it cognitively easy to process the information and how to present it, take the time to research and list the resources, decide who I'm talking to, make the calculators, and... well, other processes behind it all.

All of this is thanks to paying attention in classes back in high school, by taking different certifications and courses using these very same resources.

I have to admit it, I am thankful. I am very thankful for the internet and being able to use these tools. I have no idea what I would’ve ended up doing, I like this, a lot!

But, things go away eventually. Just because there’s availability now, it doesn't mean that they will be there forever, that they can be maintained just because or that there’s no deadlines they’re shared under.

Many of us have been in moments where it is unimaginable to pay for educational resources, or other things — the internet is big… there’s many things you can use to learn a bunch of different things. You don’t have to be living under certain conditions to be able to search for more things to learn. Even if you’re older or don’t understand too much about technology, there is always going to be someone out there sharing examples and guides on how to get started. Education isn’t only what you learn in a classroom, and it does not end after getting your degree or certification.

What are you looking to learn next?