So I did it – I just published my first Udemy course! Will I make another one? Honestly, it depends on how this one goes. I’m not sure how well I handle rejection 🙂
While making this course, I kept thinking, “I wish someone had told me this stuff before I started.” That’s exactly why I’m writing this post.
Here are six things I learned the hard way about creating a Udemy course – from the shocking time investment (hint: way more than you think) to the weird technical hurdles nobody talks about. If you’re thinking about creating your own course or just curious about what happens behind the scenes, this might save you some headaches.
The truth about why I kept going
70 minutes of finished course = 100 hours of work
Let’s be real – I first thought about creating a Udemy course for passive income. Then reality hit. For just 70 minutes of actual course time, I spent nearly 100 hours working on it.
Will it even sell? No idea. I could have spent those 100 hours researching stocks instead. Probably would have been more predictable.
So why didn’t I quit?
First, I was teaching stuff I just learned in 2023. It was fresh and exciting to share.
But what really kept me going was that I was growing in ways I didn’t expect:
- Getting more comfortable on camera (huge for me)
- Improving my English speaking skills
- Understanding the material better by teaching it
- Working my memory muscles for the on-camera parts
Plus, I had fun! I kept making silly faces when things got too serious 🙂 These little moments helped when I wondered if all this work was worth it.
Do you find yourself sticking with projects for totally different reasons than why you started them?
What you actually need to get started
Before you buy anything, check out Udemy’s free guide ‘How to Create Online Course’.
Sound matters most
I was most worried about sound quality. Bad audio can ruin a course faster than anything. I bought a $40 mic that clips to my shirt (you can spot it in my videos 😃). Nothing fancy, but way better than my laptop’s built-in mic.
Budget video setup
For video, I just used my MacBook camera. My secret weapon? An ironing board as an adjustable stand for recording my face. Weird but it worked!
Udemy’s actual requirements
The Udemy guide covers important stuff like:
- How long videos should be
- How to speak clearly
- How to make content accessible
- What fonts work best
- Video quality standards
Pro tip: Upload a test video before making your whole course. Udemy will check if your setup meets their standards, which could save you from re-recording everything.
What’s the weirdest DIY solution you’ve used when creating content?
The boring stuff nobody warns you about
Let’s be honest – some parts of course creation are mind-numbing.
I eventually got used to watching myself on video and hearing my own voice (weird at first, then you get numb to it). But making those videos actually watchable? That was a different story.
The repetitive stuff that made me wild:
- Editing videos over and over to cut out mistakes
- Removing background noise in Audacity – a multi-step process for EACH video
- Uploading videos one by one to Udemy (their bulk upload was broken)
- Writing unique titles and descriptions for every single video
For my course with 50 videos, these little tasks added up fast. What made it worse was knowing some of this could be automated with the right tools.
What’s the most repetitive task you’ve ever had to do for a project? Did you find any shortcuts?
The energy drain is real
Course creation is surprisingly exhausting. I didn’t expect that.
Recording videos was the biggest energy killer. You need constant focus, good posture, clear speech, and a brain that doesn’t wander – all at the same time. And when you mess up (which happens constantly), you have to start over.
I noticed something interesting: some lessons I genuinely found fascinating, others I was teaching because they were necessary but didn’t excite me. I wonder if students can tell the difference in my delivery?
My energy-saving tips:
- Record your most complex videos when you’re fresh (morning for me)
- Take real breaks between recordings – not just coffee refills
- Split recording days from editing days (they use different brain muscles)
- Accept “good enough” – perfection will drain you completely
How do you manage your energy on projects that require intense focus?
When you’re both the maker and the critic
Solo course creation means you’re constantly switching hats between creator and critic. It’s exhausting.
The endless internal dialogue: “Is this good enough?” “Should I re-record that section?” “Does this explanation make sense?” “Is the audio quality acceptable?”
For my course, I created:
- 5 chapters
- 50 videos (including the promo)
- A detailed cheat sheet
- Code explanation documents
- Summary slides
- All the Udemy landing page stuff
Each piece needed decisions about quality. When is it good enough? When should I redo it?
The hard truth: If I demanded perfection, this course would still be sitting on my hard drive. At some point, you have to say “this is good enough” and hit publish.
My rule: If it’s clear, accurate, and doesn’t have major distractions (like loud background noise), it passes.
Do you struggle with being your own harshest critic? How do you decide when something is “good enough”?
Get creative with your process, not just your content
Creativity isn’t just for the course material – it’s also about how you approach the work itself.
When my motivation started to drop, I had to get clever about keeping momentum.
My creativity hacks:
- Task rotation: I jumped between different parts of the process. While recording new videos, I’d also edit older ones and upload completed ones to Udemy. This created a constant feeling of progress.
- Visual satisfaction: I spent extra time making my documentation look good, not just read well. When materials look polished, I felt more motivated to finish.
- Problem-solving: For my promo video, I couldn’t remember a full minute of script. Solution? I recorded it in 4 shorter chunks and added transitions to hide the cuts. Nobody could tell!
These little creative solutions kept the project moving when motivation dipped. Sometimes the best creativity happens when solving problems, not just creating content.
What creative workarounds have you found when tackling a big project?
The bottom line on creating your first Udemy course
I honestly thought I could knock this course out in a weekend. It took weeks! Maybe by my fifth course, I’ll be fast enough to do it in a weekend.
Quick takeaways if you’re thinking about making a course:
- Plan for 10x more time than you think it’ll take
- Expect to learn skills you didn’t plan on learning
- Find ways to make it fun or you’ll burn out
- Use what you already have – fancy equipment optional
- Break big tasks into smaller chunks to see progress
Creating a course is a brave move. Whether it sells well or not, you’ll definitely get something valuable from the experience.
Got questions or your own course creation stories? Reach out to me via LinkedIn – I’d love to hear them!
Want to see how my course turned out? Check out Introduction to Neo4j with Python, LangChain & OpenAI
It walks through using Neo4j with Python and AI tools – all stuff I just learned recently and shared in my other post about Neo4j Professional Certificate.
PS: I’m already planning my next course with some teaching tips I’ve picked up along the way 🙂
Cheers, Ali
