Why Go for Training with Ed Techs instead of universities & free sources?

If you were already employed before the era of fast-speed internet, it might not have been necessary to up skill consistently because first, things weren’t changing all that fast, so competition in the job market was not as stiff. Second, professional certification was a difficult and expensive process that few people had the bandwidth to undertake.

But today, we have fast-speed internet and cutting-edge computer hardware and software that have accelerated the rate of economic change and growth, made idea generation and implementation easy, and, increased competitiveness not just among businesses but also among countries. This means that whereas before you could get by with only your diploma or degree, you no longer have that luxury. The ever-changing business environment compels companies that want to be the best in their industry, to seek out employees who constantly up skill. Ups killing today is made possible by Ed-techs.

EdTechs provide online learning to any professional who wants to gain new skills or sharpen their current skills. The physical-class model has been the main way of learning for a long time. However, over the ages, some educators have had the zeal to get knowledge out to as many people as possible, with the highest possible speed. That kind of thinking is what led to the fast evolution of virtual learning, and hence EdTechs.

There is a popular misconception that online learning is a 21st-century invention. This couldn’t be farther from the truth, as records show that as far back as the 18th century, educators were exploring the idea of distance learning. The University of London was the first university to offer distance learning in 1858. 

Years before that, on March 20 1728, Caleb Phillips put an advertisement in the Boston Gazette that read "Teacher of the New Method of Short Hand," advising that any "Persons in the Country desirous to Learn this Art, maybe having the several Lessons sent weekly to them, be as perfectly instructed as those that live in Boston."

Fast forward to 1969, when the United States DoD commissioned ARPANET (the first version of the internet), Stanford University transmitted engineering courses via their Instructional television network. Around the same time, a device called DOTTIE was developed. DOTTIE used the household phone to link TV sets to online services.

A few years later in 1976, Coastline Community College, an institution without physical premises, became the first college to offer virtual classes in the USA.

Although this is just a summary of some of the many notable developments in online learning, it is clear that throughout history, people have used the technology of their time (including post, radio, television, and the internet), to improve how they access and disseminate knowledge.

Why you should train with Ed Techs and not universities or free resources

While you have probably heard of online (or virtual) learning, they are not all equal and quite frankly, some might be as rigid as traditional learning institutions, only without the commute. For example, most universities now have an online learning curriculum. Here’s the problem that such institutions tend to pose:

• Most university courses take 1 year or more to complete. Because of the agility of technology, it’s likely that most of what you’ll learn may be obsolete and not applicable by the time you graduate.
• Most University professors specialize in academia. Rarely will you find a lecturer who is both an academic and a successful entrepreneur. This is because of the distinct differences between both fields.
• The enrollment process for online curriculum s in universities is long, cumbersome and limiting.
• You have to wait for semester entries before you start your course.

For these reasons, if you want practical knowledge that is readily applicable to your daily tasks, you may not find it in a university setting.

Free online study resources, popularly known as MOOCs (Massively Open Online Courses) are also available. But they have their place. If you want professional certification, you should avoid free courses for these reasons:

• One study showed that people are likely to put the effort in a course they pay for. If you don’t pay, you can drop out whenever you want.
• Online certification has been shown to increase tangible benefits such as increased salaries. You can increase your return on investment by investing in certification from a credible institution.
• Courses offered by free sources are hardly ever exhaustive. Course material tends to be disjointed. You can browse through countless articles before you piece together a complete course curriculum.

With that said, below are reasons why you should train with Ed Techs as opposed to the two options mentioned above:

1. You can schedule your learning around your work and personal life. Log in for your class at a time that suits you and if you have any questions, interact with the instructor on the discussion board.
2. There’s no need to travel, hence you save on time and money. Additionally, you minimize the likelihood of missing a class.
3. The option to study at your own pace. If there is a concept that you don’t understand, you can revisit study material at your own time.
4. Lower costs. You don’t need to incur the costs associated with learning in a physical classroom such as:

• The costs of textbooks. No need to buy textbooks as everything is available online.
• Boarding. You can study from your house or office.
• High tuition fees. Tuition fees for a university course, even an online course can range in the tens of thousands.

1. You have access to everyone in the classroom through discussion forums. This increases interaction and a broader sharing of ideas.
2. You will be forced to become comfortable with technology, a skill that is invaluable in today’s workplace.
3. Taking responsibility for your own learning builds up-starter tendencies, which are important for career development.
4. The ability to get feedback instantly. If you fail a class, you will get instant feedback on the areas that need improvement. Then you can retake them.
5. By perusing through information collected by the site’s analytics, instructors can understand each student’s level of interest in certain subjects or the challenges they face with each subject.
6. To sum it all up, online certifications have been shown to lead to faster progress in the job market. 44% of respondents in a survey conducted by the learning House obtained full-time employment within a year of taking their course while 45% reported they received a salary increase.

Which Online learning Platform should you use?

Choosing an online learning platform depends on your learning goals. But, as mentioned earlier, EdTechs are not all created equal.

Although most learning institutions offer online learning or virtual classrooms, EdTechs such as SimpliLearn take it to a whole new level of efficiency and relevance. This is because our course curriculum makes it possible for professionals to upskill while remaining productive at work and keeping their lives stable.

Besides being named the 8th most influential education brand in the world by LinkedIn, SimpliLearn is one of the best online educators in the industry for reasons such as: 

• The company has World renown. Professionals and companies from over 150 countries have been trained and certified by Simplilearn.
• The instructors work with a large crowd of industry experts to create insightful training material.
• You will be exposed to a teaching approach that incorporates online training, virtual classes, project work, and around-the-clock instructor assistance.
• SimpliLearn instructors are drawn from industry. Our instructors are not your regular teacher; you will learn from CEOs and other senior officials from notable and successful companies.
• You will have access to a vibrant and active community of like-minded individuals. This provides a forum for holding discussions on anything from the courses offered to general questions and topics.

To back up these claims are the thousands of reviews on our site, from satisfied professionals who have acquired certifications from a wide variety of courses such as SAS Course, digital marketing, sales-force, project management, quality management courses like six sigma, cloud computing, web app development and programming, to mention just a few. 

Bottom Line

Taking an EdTech course works. If you are in doubt or if you don’t think it is your cup of tea, the two main question to ask yourself perhaps, are For whom is EdTech learning designed? What do I want to get from my course?

With that in mind, to succeed in an EdTech class, you should:

• Have self-discipline and be capable of self-motivating
• Have good study habits, time management skills and a tendency to follow deadlines. This also means that you should set some time aside daily for taking your classes.
• Be comfortable with working outside a structured classroom setting
• Be comfortable learning on your own without the company that comes with a physical environment.
• Have a fast computer and high-speed internet connection. If you don’t have these, gaining access to course material or keeping up with the instructor will become frustrating.
• Be computer savvy. This means that you should:
• Know how to use different applications such as Microsoft Office, browsers, and email clients.
• Understand simple commands for working with files, such as copy, paste, save, move, zip among others.
• Know how to use browsers to search, download and backup files.

You are likely to fall behind in your studies if you lack these traits.