For me, you don't really have to pay for these lessons, or seek for 'lessons that pay' if you really want to know about crypto. A simple research IMO is already sufficient to enrich one's knowledge without the false promise of getting something in return. These promotions are just like free trials that asks for your credit card that will bill you once the free trial is expired.
Agreed, this is the sad truth.
Lately, it's all about money from the never-ending greedy chaps, Coinbase, in particular, used to so rigid even when listing coins. To them, it was like they had achieved everything they had ever wanted. And then came more flexible and friendly exchanges Like Binance, People migrated... This plus the current market condition has made coinbase to succumb to pressure.
So they are looking for all ways of attracting users back to their platforms and then start charging them right after. The same can be said of the Blockchain wallet with their current Stellar Airdrops. They lost the battle a long time ago.