How to Choose a Course: 10-Pointer Checklist
Learning how to choose a course has become equally important as learning and upgrading your skill set. With so many institutes, colleges, and universities pouring and making far cry claims of providing the best course, choosing credible course become an overhaul. For that very fact, you must sense and tick all the boxes before making up your mind for investment.
Indeed in the cut-throat competitive world, staying ahead of the curve is more than vital. Incessant upgradation of skills, acquisition of new knowledge, and practical cognition of these novel learning is all the way more necessary than ever before. And how do you do it? As simple as that with short-term courses that enable you to pace up with the world with the recognized skills, knowledge, and certifications.
Whether you are a newbie, working professional, or businessperson- the new-age courses are one-size-fits-all. Each and every one of you has your own pack of beliefs, requisites, and needs from professional courses. One may prioritize budget, other people may put weightage on practical training, another person may want an online program (provided that one is a working professional and doesn’t want to compromise on the work front). Synthesizing, combining, and analyzing such varying needs- we have come up with the 10 pivotal pointers to choose the best course.
Now, without rambling here and there, let’s walk straight into the tips on how to choose a course.
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How to Choose a Course: 10 Integral Indicators
Goals and Objectives
Goals and Objectives are the first things that take up the center stage when you are on the lookout for a suitable course. Your aesthetic aspirations, niche needs, and requisite requirements are the indispensable components that should form the basis of your discretion.
Ask yourself these questions:
Do you want to upscale yourself?
Do you want to expand your horizon to completely new skills?
Do you wish to learn generic new skills?
Do you want to pursue a specialization in your core strength area?
What are your learning objectives?
How do you aim to benefit from the course?
Are you interested in learning a new skill?
Do you want to beacon your skill towards job orientation?
Once you are well-off with these answers, you are clear-headed about what to seek from the course. Congratulations! You are on board with the first step. Moving ahead, let us mull over other essential points to help you make an informed course choice decision.
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Course Content and Curriculum
Once you have reflected and speculated upon your mind and thoughts, it is time to see what the course has to offer to you. An assiduous breakdown and detailed investigation of the course content and curriculum will be the next thing you need.
Whether the program contains generic course content or it offers specializations, the course curriculum must strike a chord with you as a learner. If the course curriculum is quirky and suits your savor, then you can put that particular one on the consideration list. If not, simply strike that one off the list and propel it forward with your research.
Another game-changing spot in the curriculum is the room for regular refurbishment and rationalization. Accepting the complacency and stagnate course curriculum is a poor feat on your part. The course content must enclose the nitty-gritty of the topic or skill that you are intended towards learning.
Indeed, the beauty of short-term online and offline courses is that they are easy and open to incorporate perpetual updates. Hence, by and large, choose an updated curriculum above stale content.
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Course Fee and Duration
Though they may not be the most intrinsic factor for consideration, yet course fee and duration hold conceivable importance. If you are someone, who is on a tight budget, then the course fee may be a contemplative point. As a person of interest in fee consideration, you can choose a pocket-friendly course, for there are a lot of online courses, which are positively affordable and easy on the pocket. On the other hand, given that you have no shackles of money problems, you can skip this part.
For many out there, time is money, and that’s why duration becomes an inevitable determinant. In view of the fact that many are working professionals and have time-ticking schedules, course duration and batch timings are notably pivotal. With that being the case, find out if the program befits your duration confines- be it 1 month, 3 months, 6, months, or more. Also, don’t forget to gleam through weekend batch availability. Weekend batches are a thumbs-up given that you have a hectic weekday working schedules.
Pro Tip: Taking into account the current scenario and time-bounds, online courses are the tandem alternatives that one can opt for. Don’t sign up for anything that doesn’t fit your time and money bills.
Proficient Professional Mentors and Training Approach
Who would want to waste money on a course delivered by amateurs? No one and that’s absolutely what one should do. Being elusive of draining your money relentlessly, you must do an out-and-out background check of the mentors and program deliverables.
Search about them, go through their social media profiles, verify their experience and expertise, and pull any other strings to know more about them. It may be a time-consumptive task but of great essence.
Next in line is to scrutinize the training approach and methodology that they put into practice. If mentors are instructing using recorded PPTs, swipe left as that it lacks the human touch. By contrast, swipe right for the one that offers immersive and interactive learning programs with on-the-spot doubt resolution disciplines. Besides that, a self-paced program with flexible training is in your best interests. Altogether, these are much-needed integrations that set up the stage for a reliable and gasp-worthy course for you.
Practical Training, Hands-on Learning
The new age era hinges on practical skill adaptation; theoretical knowledge is minimized to the base foundation stance. Thus, most of the vocational and job-oriented courses focus on practical training more than anything else.
Nothing can match the prominence of real-time experience and practice. For this reason, the programs embed practical training and hands-on learning experiences. Willing takers must assimilate practically-oriented courses to wake up to the benefits of the course in the real world.
A course wrapped merely around the what, why, and how of the topic is as good as half knowledge. As they state half knowledge is dangerous, the same applies to such a course.
Pro Tip: Many institutes use 100% practical training as a marketing gimmick; don’t fall for such contrivance unless you have attended the demo session and witness the real worth presentation.
Certifications
Let’s be honest, who hasn’t thought at least once-why should I invest in a course program when there is a slew of online free material available on the internet? To that, I would say- you aren’t buying the course, but the incredible experience and expertise of the mentors. The fact is experience is the master of all learnings.
On top of that, the certifications that come along with a good course are evidential proof that you can carry along. Moreover, you can crown them in your resume and LinkedIn profiles. After all, the first reflection of your skills, experience, and knowledge get across the HRs through resume and LinkedIn profiles.
Tools and LMS
The laudable breakthrough churned by technology and digitalization is uncalled-for. Every day a new invention and innovation are born to make hard-nut tasks an easy play. In the work world, these inventions show up in the forms of software and tools.
As they say- work smart, not hard; likewise, the course you are looking for must acquaint you with the advanced and useful tools to simplify hard-core jobs. Moreover, given that you are opting for an online course, ensure the course is well-organized through Learning Management System (LMS).
Testimonials and Review
In the discretionary process, reviews and testimonials are all the more important. A concrete and credible review from alumna does half-the-work for your choice. You can read these reviews and testimonials at the institute’s website and a vivid platform Quora. If you haven’t heard about Quora, wake up! It is a popular platform where people share their genuine views, reviews, and opinions about the deliberative questions.
Going the extra mile, if you can lift 1-2 students’ numbers and have a chat with them over a phone call or through facetime- there is nothing better than that. As they already have experienced the course, they can adequately equip you with the pros and cons of the discipline. Consider their reviews, affirmations, and highlighting points reflectively before making an adept choice for your course.
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Internship and Placement Opportunities
The proactive learning experience doesn’t end with practical and experiential learning. There is more to it, provided that you have got a solid course on your list. While choosing the program, have an assurance that the institute offers post-course internship and placement assistance.
Internships are an extended version of what you learned through the course, and what better experience can you gain than doing an internship with the organization from where you learned. Secondly, it is hard to break the truth that a 100% placement guarantee is a marketing gimmick that most institutes play to entice you. In reality, they can help you out to arrange and schedule interviews and prepare for the same through mock interviews.
Post-course Assistance
Most institutes say you “tata-bye! bye” as soon as the course program ends. Their job is done, and it’s time for good riddance. But you hold on; there is more that you must ask for! While it’s a hard feat, but a few institutes are pulling off every string to provide you post-course assistance.
The thing is that you have some goals and objectives that you marked in the very first point. Now is the time to check if you achieved it all! Post-course assistance helps you realize those goals and ascertain access to updated knowledge throughout life.
Sign up for a course that is willing to illustrate your mind whenever you face trouble in your career. This feature is well-known as lifetime access or lifetime guidance by some of the institutes. Try finding it, definitely worth a million.
FAQs
Q1.How do I choose the right course for me?
Follow the following steps to choose the right course for yourself:
- Make a list of your goals and objectives
- Check for course content and curriculum
- Compare for course duration and fees.
- Do a background check for mentors and trainers.
- Check if they focus on practical training or not.
- Go for only courses with recognized certifications.
- See if they provide tools and LMS support.
- Must go through reviews and testimonials by alumni.
- Ask if they offer internships and placement opportunities.
- Claim post-course assistance.
Q2.What is the best course to study in 2021?
A few of the most popular and in-demand courses are:
1.Digital Marketing
2.Content Writing
3.Technical Writing
Q3. Which job is best for the future?
The best jobs that offer lucrative career prospects in the future are:
1.CyberSecurity expert
2.Digital Marketer
3.Data Analyst
4.Software Developer
5.UI/UX designer
Q4. What is the best course to take?
Without a shadow of a doubt, the “Digital Marketing Course” is the best course to opt for in contemporary times. With the “Digital Indian Mission” and Covid-19 push, digital marketing has aesthetically stormed the nation. Thus, digital marketing is the most in-demand skill not only in the present but future times.
Q5. What course will make you rich?
Courses that can make you rich are as follows:
1.Digital Marketing
2.Cybersecurity
3.Finance or GST
4.Accounting
5.Content writing/ Technical Writing
Putting It Altogether
As a matter of fact, while degree courses enjoy their own importance as the foundation step, short-term job-oriented courses are attracting immense popularity for employment basis. From digital marketing courses to content writing courses to GST and finance courses to cybersecurity and AI and machine learning courses- all have gained amassed popularity in the past few years. Most likely, they are going to witness an upsurge in the coming years as well.
With that being the case, it is as obvious as it is to keep learning, upscaling, and investing in your skills time and again. The only hurdle people face is to choose the right course and institute for themselves, and I hope with the article, that problem vanishes. The 10 pointer checklist corresponds to all the chief considerable factors that cook up a good course. If you have any relevant point to add to the list, do mention in the comments below.
