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Comment by djhworld | Hacker News Reader

Maybe in some areas (software) but I'm finding YouTube a goldmine for my current interest - learning to drive in the UK

When I was 17 I started learning for about 8 months but then stopped due to various reasons. I'm 35 now and picking it back up again and the most mind blowing aspect of it is how much content there is on YouTube to help learner drivers, compared to back then!

There are loads of creators (usually driving instructors) creating really good instructional videos with helpful visuals for everything you could think of for driving in the UK and how to pass the high bar of the UK practical test.

It's been an invaluable resource and new content seems to come out everyday exploring different topics. Yes some of the channels are sponsored, usually by car insurance companies, but it's not intrusive

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> I'm finding YouTube a goldmine for my current interest

Same here. I exercise daily at home. A few months ago, on a whim, I bought some kettlebells, which I used to see in the gym but had never used before. Once I started searching for and watching kettlebell instruction videos on YouTube, I started getting more such videos as recommendations. Some of the videos were really good, and they helped me learn how to exercise with kettlebells safely and effectively.

Among the recommendations were also some videos about maces, or macebells, which I had never even heard of. Intrigued, I ordered a couple, and now I have added them to my daily workout, too. I never would have discovered them, or learned how to use them, if it weren’t for YouTube.

Occasionally I dip into YouTube rabbit holes for subjects I was interested in when I was young (I’m sixty-five now), things like music theory or woodcraft or typography. I am always impressed at how much easier it is to learn such things on one’s own now than it was fifty years ago. Instruction books and searches of the wider web are also useful, of course, but for learning anything with a visual and/or audio component YouTube is fantastic.

I went down a similar kettlebell rabbit hole, now it's one my favorite ways to exercise. I'd highly recommend the Mark Wildman videos on kettlebell technique if anyone else is interested in giving them a go.

I agree. The trick is not to search for your ${dayjob} related content. I no longer watch software or hardware, learning K8S or iToys reviews. I mean, how many iPhones, ThinkPads or MacBooks will I buy each year? Instead, I found small family vlogs much better. Also, stuff like repairing old watches, documentaries/vlogs about ships, aeroplanes, or manufacturing goods, offbeat travel or learning a new foreign language vlogs are good.

100% agree with this. I passed my test in 2018, but YouTube was a game changer. The UK driving test is pretty difficult, and everyone always tells you horror stories about it, so being able to watch test videos reduces anxiety so much.

When you face the facts, it's just two 45-50 minute tests and each has a 45% pass ratio, so it's nowhere near as bad as people make it sound. You can easily pass on the first or second attempt if you study enough.

Failing your test can cost you loads of money in extra lessons, car hire, testing. It's so useful to be able to see lessons online and get better. Financially, I think YouTube lessons and tests can save the average learner £500-1000.

I'm glad someone else has noticed this. There are tons of good vids showing mock driving exams with the faults highlighted and explained which I found really useful.

It's mostly good marketing for the instructors, I think - you get to know their personality and chops before you put down the quite large amount of money required for a full suite of lessons. And it's just good PR - adding value and all that...

I know you're not telling this with bad faith, but not everything has to be done with a financial/economic objective. Some people likes to share their knowledge just for the sake of it and that's one of the things that made Internet great... Now it all has to be related with views, monetization and brand content...

If you're seeking a horrorshow of real life "don't do this" examples of questionable driving practices I recommend DashCamOwners:

UK: https://www.youtube.com/c/UKDashCameras/videos

AU: https://www.youtube.com/c/DashCamOwnersAustralia/videos

both drive on the same side.

DashCamOwnersAustralia has destroyed the productivity of too many of my work days.

"I'll just watch one while I eat lunch" is a slippery slope.

I'm in the exact same situation but in Germany! The best content I found is a channel of a driving instructor who puts up long videos with barely any editing where he lets pupils drive the exact routes used in driving tests and explains what went wrong or what to watch out for.

Please share some channels that you found helpful

https://www.youtube.com/c/ConquerDriving

https://www.youtube.com/c/AdvanceDrivingSchoolThurston

https://www.youtube.com/c/GetDriving

> When I was 17 I started learning for about 8 months but then stopped due to various reasons. I'm 35 now and picking it back up again and the most mind blowing aspect of it is how much content there is on YouTube to help learner drivers, compared to back then!

YouTube hadn't been founded when you were 17, so it isn't particularly surprising that it didn't have eLearning content back then.

phrased that bit poorly, I meant "easilly accessible content for learning to drive" is leaps and bounds better than it was back then - with YouTube being the platform.

Back then the best you would have got was some onerous DVD-ROM software with low resolution videos and poor presentation, or at least very awkward. Like the training videos you get given at work...

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