--- description: Bill Gates shares his four favorite learning hacks, including resources on how to code and watching educational videos. title: The 4 Learning Hacks Bill Gates Swears By image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteb876f7c4e486460/6988f53fcf40a8a79bc4a9cc/bill-gates-favorite-learning-hacks.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Education](/tag/education/) ## Education Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The 4 Learning Hacks Bill Gates Swears By  by [Bill Gates](/author/bill-gates/)  ## Bill Gates Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 4, 2018 12:00 PM CUT  Bill Gates at Munich Security Conference on February 17, 2017 in Munich, Germany. Bill Gates at Munich Security Conference on February 17, 2017 in Munich, Germany.Michael Gottschalk—Photothek/Getty Images  by [Bill Gates](/author/bill-gates/)  ## Bill Gates Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 4, 2018 12:00 PM CUT There’s never been a better time to be alive if you’re curious. When I wanted to learn something outside of school as a kid, cracking open my World Book encyclopedia was the best I could do. Today, all you have to do is go online. There are many good resources out there, but these are a few of my favorite ways to [continue learning](http://time.com/4825289/world-refugee-day-education-hadi-althib/ "undefined"). ## **Khan Academy** [ Khan Academy](https://www.khanacademy.org/ "undefined")’s short videos are a great way to get smarter in just a couple minutes. My kids have used them for their classes, and I use them to refresh concepts that I haven’t studied since high school. Their videos are a tremendous resource on topics ranging from basic arithmetic to complicated subjects like electrical engineering. ## **Code.org** I think everyone could benefit from learning how to write even some [basic code](http://time.com/4261554/why-schools-should-teach-more-than-basic-coding/ "undefined"). Even if you don’t use it in your day-to-day life, [computer science](http://time.com/4040637/computer-science-girls-stereotypes/ "undefined") forces you to think abstractly and solve concrete problems.[ Code.org](https://studio.code.org/courses "undefined") is a terrific resource for learners of any skill level – and I got to contribute a[ lesson of my own](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2Ux2PnJe6E "undefined"). ## **The Great Courses from The Teaching Company** One of my favorite sources for interesting lectures is[ The Teaching Company](https://www.thegreatcourses.com/ "undefined"). They get incredible professors to teach courses on pretty much every topic you can think of. I always take at least one of their DVDs to watch when I travel. Right now, I’ve got their courses on oceanography, the surveillance state, and physiology. ## **Big History Project** I may be a bit biased toward this one since I helped fund it. If you consider yourself a lifelong learner, you have to check out the[ Big History Project](https://www.bighistoryproject.com/home "undefined"). This free online course gives you a comprehensive look at the history of the universe from the Big Bang to today. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5066247/bill-gates-learning-hacks/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5066247/bill-gates-learning-hacks/"},"headline":"The 4 Learning Hacks Bill Gates Swears By","datePublished":"2018-01-04T12:00:49.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:57:59.825Z","description":"And it's all online","url":"https://time.com/5066247/bill-gates-learning-hacks/","keywords":["Education","Living","Optimist"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteb876f7c4e486460/6988f53fcf40a8a79bc4a9cc/bill-gates-favorite-learning-hacks.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Bill Gates","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/bill-gates/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteb876f7c4e486460/6988f53fcf40a8a79bc4a9cc/bill-gates-favorite-learning-hacks.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Munich Security Conference","caption":"Munich Security Conference","creditText":"Michael Gottschalk—Photothek/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/education/","name":"Education"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5066247/bill-gates-learning-hacks/","name":"The 4 Learning Hacks Bill Gates Swears By"}}]}] ```