The education system is one of the most important sectors of human civilization. And, as time has passed, this whole infrastructure has evolved. A decade ago, learning something required you to go to a given location regularly until you passed an examination or test to prove that you had discovered the skills. Today, however, learning is as easy as firing your web browser on your laptop, desktop, or smartphone. Even with this amazing convenience that digitization has brought to us, there are a few things you need to keep in mind before starting your journey down your dream career path. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of online training institutes in the market right now. But, not all of them are equal. In this blog, let’s look at five factors you need to consider before opting for an online course at an institute.
#1 Mode of Training
Unlike traditional classroom training, where there is only one mode of training, i.e., a trainer or teacher teaching a whole class at once, online training offers several options for you to choose from. These include, but are not limited to:
- Self-Paced Video-Based training
- Live Instructor-Led training
- A combination of self-paced and instructor-led sessions
- One-to-One training
Depending on your availability and comfort, you can select any of the abovementioned training models provided by different training institutes. Further, a few e-learning websites like Edureka give a mix of all the other models on other courses to ensure that your learning is flawless.
#2 Instructor Quality
Another key factor you should remember before enrolling in any course at an e-learning institute is the type and quality of instructors they provide. Depending on the website you are looking at, instructor quality can vary from inexperienced amateurs to actual working professionals with a hefty amount of hands-on experience. Our suggestion here would be to make sure you enroll at an institute with good quality instructors to get a seamless learning experience.
#3 Out-of-Class Support
A major factor that ensures great learning is being doubt-free and understanding concepts perfectly. But, it is impossible to understand everything the first time you are taught. To help clarify your queries, several online training websites have a Support/Personal Learning Management team that assists you with all your technical and non-technical issues. The next time you are hunting for an online course, ensure that they have a support team that works round the clock so that your learning never stops because of one small query.
#4 Practical and Hands-On Knowledge
Nowadays, the highlight that most recruiters are looking for in your portfolio is whether you have hands-on experience with technology or not. Hands-on practical experience increases your odds of getting selected by almost 200 percent. To help you with this, several e-learning platforms provide modules dedicated to practical training and help set up the necessary environments for these tools to work. Going a step further, a handful of online training platforms provide ready access to virtual machines or cloud labs with everything prepared so that you do not have to worry about setting anything up and dive right into the learning.
#5 Certification
Getting certified in technology or skill helps recruiters screen you as someone with proven skills in that domain. Because of this, several online training institutions provide certifications at the end of the course. But, be wary of this, as not all certificates have the same value. There are several training institutes whose credentials are of no importance to companies. On the other hand, getting certified by a globally recognized institute could be the necessary cherry on your cake. These were just a few important factors before opting for an online course. There are several others, and if you know any, we’d love to hear from you in the comments below. Now that you know five important factors before choosing a training institute, what are you waiting for? Start learning now and future-proof your career.