The Uncomfortable Truth About Online Courses (And Why 93% of People Never Finish Theirs)
The $2,000 Guilt Trip Sitting in Your Browser Bookmarks
Let me guess, you have at least three online courses you never finished.
Maybe it's that web development bootcamp you started six months ago (you got through the HTML basics). Or the data analytics course that's been haunting your browser tabs since January. Or that digital marketing certification you bought during a "New Year, New Me" moment that now feels like expensive digital wallpaper.
If you're nodding right now, you're in good company. 93% of people who buy online courses never complete them. That's not a typo. Ninety-three percent.
But here's what's interesting, and a little maddening: The 7% who do finish? They're the ones getting hired, launching freelance careers, and completely transforming their professional lives.
So what separates the finishers from the forever-browsers? After talking to dozens of successful African tech professionals who went from online learner to employed, I've found some patterns that might surprise you.
The Real Reason You're Not Finishing (It's Not What You Think)
Everyone blames time. "I'm too busy," "Work is crazy," "Family responsibilities."
But here's the uncomfortable truth: You're not failing because you don't have time. You're failing because you're treating online learning like entertainment instead of education.
Think about it—you found time to binge-watch that Netflix series last month. You scroll social media for 90 minutes a day without thinking about it. Time isn't the problem.
The problem is that online courses feel optional. There's no professor taking attendance, no classmates to disappoint, no immediate consequences for skipping today's lesson.
The people who succeed treat online learning completely differently.
Strategy #1: Stop Learning Like a Tourist, Start Learning Like a Professional
Amara from Lagos had started and abandoned five different coding courses over two years. Sound familiar?
Then she tried something radical: She treated her Blip School web development program like a part-time job.
- Fixed schedule: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 7-9 PM. Non-negotiable.
- Dedicated workspace: Cleared her kitchen table, made it her "office" during study hours
- Professional accountability: Told her family she was "in class" during those hours and couldn't be interrupted
- Weekly deliverables: Set personal deadlines for completing modules, just like work projects
"The moment I stopped treating it like a hobby and started treating it like professional development, everything changed," she told me. "I finished in 12 weeks and had three job interviews lined up before I even got my certificate."
Your action step: Block time in your calendar right now. Not "when I have time"—actual recurring appointments with yourself. Treat these appointments like you would a meeting with your boss.
(Related reading: Mastering Remote Learning)
Strategy #2: Build Your Way to Success (Don't Just Watch Your Way There)
Here's a secret that course creators don't want you to know: Watching videos doesn't teach you skills. Building things does.
James from Accra spent three months watching JavaScript tutorials and felt like he knew nothing. Then he stopped watching and started building—a simple to-do app, then a weather checker, then a portfolio website.
"The first project was terrible," he laughs. "But by the third one, I was solving problems I'd never seen in any tutorial. That's when I knew I was actually learning."
The build-while-you-learn framework:
- Week 1-2: Follow along with tutorials, but type every line of code yourself
- Week 3: Modify the tutorial project—change colors, add a feature, break something and fix it
- Week 4: Build something similar but different using the same concepts
- Week 5+: Combine concepts from multiple lessons into original projects
Pro tip: Every project you build, no matter how small, goes into your portfolio. That "silly" expense tracker you made while learning Excel? It shows employers you can work with data and solve real problems.
Strategy #3: Find Your Learning Buddy (Seriously, This Changes Everything)
Fatima from Kano was struggling with her data analytics course until she found Kemi on the Blip School community forum. Both were working mothers trying to transition into tech.
They started simple: Weekly 30-minute check-ins on WhatsApp video.
- Monday: Share what they planned to learn that week
- Wednesday: Quick progress update and help with any stuck points
- Friday: Show each other what they'd built or learned
"Having someone who understood exactly what I was going through made all the difference," Fatima says. "When I wanted to quit in week 8, Kemi reminded me why I started. When she got stuck on SQL queries, I helped her through it. We both finished and both got jobs within two months of graduation."
Your action step: Find one person—a friend, family member, or fellow learner—who will check in with you weekly. Not to judge, just to witness your progress and celebrate your wins.
Strategy #4: Learn in Public (Even When It Feels Scary)
This might be the most important strategy, and it's the one most people skip because it feels vulnerable.
Document your learning journey publicly. Post about it on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram—wherever your professional network hangs out.
Here's what Taiwo from Ibadan posted that got him noticed:
"Week 3 of learning Python: Built my first web scraper today! It pulls cryptocurrency prices and sends me a daily email. Not pretty, but it works! Next week: Adding data visualization. #100DaysOfCode #LearningInPublic"
That post got 47 likes, 8 comments, and—most importantly—a DM from a startup founder who eventually hired him as a junior developer.
Why this works:
- Accountability: Hard to quit when people are watching your progress
- Network building: People in your field will find and follow you
- Opportunity creation: Employers love seeing genuine learning enthusiasm
- Knowledge reinforcement: Explaining what you learned helps you understand it better
Start simple: "Starting [Course Name] today. Goal: [Specific outcome]. Will share updates weekly. #Learning #TechCareer"
Strategy #5: Bridge the Learning-to-Earning Gap (The Part Nobody Talks About)
Here's where most people fall off the cliff: They finish the course and then... nothing.
They wait for the perfect job posting. They assume someone will discover their new skills. They treat their certificate like a magic wand that will somehow attract opportunities.
The successful learners do this differently:
Before the course ends, they're already:
- Updating their LinkedIn profiles with new skills
- Adding course projects to their portfolios
- Joining professional communities in their field
- Reaching out to professionals for informational interviews
- Looking for volunteer opportunities to practice their skills
The week they graduate, they're:
- Applying for entry-level positions
- Pitching freelance services to local businesses
- Contributing to open source projects
- Networking at virtual tech meetups
One month after graduation:
- Following up on applications and connections
- Taking on small paid projects
- Continuing to learn and add new skills
- Building their professional reputation
"I got my first client before I even finished my course," says Grace from Port Harcourt, who completed Blip School's bookkeeping program. "I started offering simple bookkeeping services to small businesses in my area during my final month of learning. By graduation, I had three regular clients and a waiting list."
The Uncomfortable Truth About "Motivation"
Let me tell you something nobody wants to hear: Motivation is overrated.
The people who finish courses and get jobs aren't more motivated than you. They've just built better systems.
They don't feel like studying every day. They don't wake up excited about JavaScript arrays or financial statements. They just show up anyway because they've made showing up automatic.
The difference between motivation and systems:
- Motivation: "I'll study when I feel inspired"
- Systems: "I study at 7 PM Monday-Wednesday-Friday, regardless of how I feel"
- Motivation: "I'll learn faster if I'm really excited about it"
- Systems: "I'll learn consistently, and excitement will come from seeing progress"
- Motivation: "I need the perfect setup to study effectively"
- Systems: "I'll use whatever setup I have and improve it gradually"
Your 30-Day Course Completion Challenge
Ready to join the 7% who actually finish? Here's your roadmap:
Week 1: Foundation
- Choose ONE course to focus on (yes, just one)
- Block specific study times in your calendar
- Find your accountability partner
- Set up your workspace
- Make your first "learning in public" post
Week 2: Momentum
- Start building your first project
- Join the course community or relevant online communities
- Share your first learning win publicly
- Connect with one professional in your target field
Week 3: Application
- Complete your first project and add it to your portfolio
- Start your second project using the same skills
- Update your LinkedIn profile with new skills
- Research 5-10 companies you'd like to work for
Week 4: Transition
- Finish your course modules
- Complete 2-3 portfolio projects
- Send your first job application or client pitch
- Plan your continued learning path
The Real Promise of Online Learning
Here's what I want you to understand: Online courses aren't magic, but they are powerful tools in the right hands.
The promise isn't that buying a course will change your life. The promise is that consistently engaging with quality education, while building real skills and actively pursuing opportunities, will open doors you didn't even know existed.
At Blip School, we see it happen every month. Students who start with uncertainty but commit to consistency. Who build while they learn. Who share their progress and connect with opportunities.
The difference isn't intelligence or natural talent, it's approach.
Ready to finally finish what you started? Blip School's programs are designed specifically for busy Africans who want to build tech skills that lead to real opportunities. We don't just give you courses, we give you community, accountability, and a clear path from learning to earning.
Your future self is waiting on the other side of that course completion. The only question is: Are you ready to do what it takes to meet them?
Explore Blip School's career-focused programs and join thousands of Africans who turned their online learning into career success.
Stop being a course collector. Start being a course completer.
Your career transformation starts now.
Found This Helpful? Let's Keep the Conversation Going!
If this resonated with you, if you saw yourself in those abandoned browser bookmarks or felt motivated by the success stories, we'd love to hear from you!
Drop a comment below and tell me:
- Which online course has been gathering dust in your account?
- What's your biggest struggle with staying consistent in online learning?
- Have you tried any of these strategies before? What worked (or didn't work) for you?
And if this post gave you that "finally, someone gets it" feeling, please share it with anyone else who might be stuck in the online course completion struggle. Your friend who bought three coding courses last year? Your colleague who's always talking about "getting into data analytics someday"? They need to see this too.
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Because here's the thing—transformation happens in community. When we share our struggles, victories, and strategies, we all get stronger.
Your success story could be the motivation someone else needs to finally finish their course and change their life.