Podcasts are really an extraordinary development in technology, and an amazing tool for any insatiable learner or curious soul. Most of them (many of them) are free and they are essentially a chance to listen to experts teaching you about a variety of subjects. For us manufacturers, it’s fairly exciting that there are some absolutely fantastic podcasts out there that discuss manufacturing and entrepreneurship, helping us delve into the industry on a more in-depth level.

Put one on during your commute to work or school, while you’re doing busy-work tasks like laundry or dishes, or even play that podcast while you’re cycling or walking on the treadmill. Think of them as an opportunity for free education. You’ll be surprised on how much filling your empty time with learning helps enrich your day, and possibly, even your future.

So here are a few of our favorites to get you started. There’s a wide, wide world of self-publishing podcasters out there, and a lot of interesting material– so spend an hour or two scouring the web to find your new favorites. If you find one we missed, please share! We’re always interested in discovering more.

1. : Each of these podcasts is around 25 minutes, and deals with some sort of topic involving, you guessed it, money and the economy! And as it turns out, this is very highly intertwined with manufacturing topics. With over 301 podcasts available for free on iTunes, it’ll take you a while to make your way through all of these, and each involves an in-depth discussion of a particular topic. Start out with #336, The Past and Future of American Manufacturing, #485, What’s Your Major? #576, When Women Stopped Coding, and #551, The Case Against Patents.

2. : This BBC podcast covers a variety of topics relevant in America today, and as we know, one of the most relevant topics of all is manufacturing (and hand in hand with that is manufacturing education). Podcasts generally come in around half-hour, so put one on while you’re getting ready in the morning and enjoy! Start your American journey with #9, Manufacturing in the U.S., #2, Detroit, and #19, University Education in America.

3. : So let’s say you don’t have time to go back to school, but want to learn more about manufacturing. Well, MIT actually posts free downloads of class slides for full courses (take , for example). Course videos and podcasts cover everything from use of experimental design to an in-depth look at the physics of manufacturing. This will be a little more challenging to grasp than the first two, but is a fantastic resource for absorbing information on your own.

Try them out, and let us know what you think! If you find others that could be useful, please feel free to them at us or leave them in the comments section below!

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