Content
Content is key. You need to know about what you’re going to learn in the course. There’s no point in learning outdated technologies. There’s no point in learning things that are irrelevant to your career. There’s no point in touching the crust when you need to get to the core. For example, there are many students completing their degrees in network engineering, but lack the practical skills in designing and implementing a simple LAN with a firewall. So what’s the point?
Therefore, what you learn should be your key factor to consider on any course. This cannot be a secret. Simply request for a summary of modules or areas that you’ll be covering, in advance.
Delivery
How the course is delivered is the next most important thing to consider. Especially when it comes to skills courses, getting first-hand experience is a must. There’s little good in courses that are mere video recordings. Every live and interactive lesson is unique. The examples we take are different and the exercise carried out will often be adjusted according to the students. This is not the case if the course is a mere recording.
Similarly, there’s no point in a mere textbook transfer of information. You could do that alone – to just sit and read a textbook. However, what you need is to get the application knowledge. Many people will parrot out equations and definitions, but they lack true practical application skills.
If for example, you’re learning web development, you have to try out every possible exercise on your own. If not, you just become another bystander or spectator.
Employability
No course in the world can guarantee employment – this is true for any university in the world. However, there are certain expectations. At the end of a course, you should be able to achieve additional skills and knowledge that would make you more employable. It should teach you a set of skills that you may use for career progression. If not, you’ve wasted your time.
Look around you and take note of how many institutions of higher studies exist and how many people undertake various courses of study. They maybe national or foreign university colleges or other private institutions. Look at their numbers. Ask your direct contacts about these places before you enroll. If they produce freshers who are easily employable, that’s where you should consider for your higher studies.
Apart from these three, there are other factors as well to consider. They however, are secondary. The following are a few additional considerations and aren’t listed in any particular order.
- Instructor/Lecturer/Teacher – Who your instructor is truly matters. For example, the coding skills and techniques taught by a teacher who has worked in industry is far superior and useful than a mere academic.
- Location of study – Why this matters is because depending on what you’re learning, you may have good internship opportunities and you maybe better exposed to the subject. For example, someone studying robotics in Singapore will be more exposed to the subject than someone in a less industrialised country.
- Duration – Some courses run you through the content so fast that you aren’t able to absorb or try out what you’re learning. Their objectives are more towards finishing off syllabuses to please the management or get you pass an exam. If your goal is to merely pass an exam, this maybe the right approach for you. But in my view, building your skills and knowledge is far more important than mere exam prep.
- Cost – Do not measure the worth of a course by cost alone. However, it is worthwhile comparing costs with similar programs. See if you can justify what you’re investing in.
- Method of assessment – There are different methods of assessment – online, open-book, closed-book, practical, project-based, assignment-based and so on. Especially with regards to skills and vocational training programmes, it’s important that you be assessed on practically implementing what you’ve learnt. What’s the point of scoring a 4.0 GPA on written exams if you cannot practically carry out what you’ve learnt.
- Internships – An internship is your bridge between the course (or classroom) and the real-world. If your training programme gives you the opportunity to intern on real-world activities, that’s a definite plus.
- Counseling – As students or freshers, you will often need direction and advice during, and after your training programme. A counseling service is a great opportunity to get this advice and share your problems and challenges.
- Career guidance – As you progress in your career, you will need guidance on making key decisions and in taking your immediate next steps. In this regard, having someone to guide you is a great benefit.
- Support – Not everyone in a classroom is at the same level. Sometimes you may fall back or face challenges in your lessons. Having a good support system will help you get back on track.
- Language – Especially in the case of students from countries outside of the US and UK, they will often need language flexibility. Make sure your training programme is in a language that you are comfortable learning with. Alternatively, it will help if you have instructors who can help you in your own language, even if the programme is in English or another language.
- Community integration – When I say community, I’m referring to the community in the classroom and the community in the field of study. As a classroom, there’s greater benefit if your colleagues work together with you, discuss issues, help each other and build team spirit. But as you step into the real-world, you need to fit into your community of professionals. If for example, you’re learning web development, you will need to connect with the right developers, designers, graphics artists and so on. This will also help you transit from the classroom to the workplace better.
- Path of progression – It is getting highly popular to see an increasing number of training programmes being offered in what is known as "bit and byte-sized courses". This is because people are starting to realise that building skills on a short-term basis and in a modular form is more effective than long-term courses. This is particularly true in the tech industry where things change and go obsolete pretty fast. So make sure that your courses fit in to your profile like the right pieces of a large jigsaw puzzle. Otherwise you’ll find yourself undertaking random courses with no proper pathway to progression.
