First introduced onto the scene in late 2011, online learning and e-courses have since risen in popularity owing to their ability to modernise learning and bring education to audiences in the comfort of their own homes.
However while we are all for e-courses here at The Inspired Boss, we do have to admit, e-learning isn’t for everyone.
To ensure you get the most out of completing a course online, and to make sure it is right for you, we’ve put together three sharp-shooter questions for you to consider:
Are You Self-Motivated?
E-learning definitely has its perks – it’s location-less (think beaches, not cubicles) and you’re able to go at your own pace (meaning there is no calling in sick for a cheeky three-day weekend).
But the benefits of freedom mean that you need to be even more aware of how you use your time and efforts. While happy hours and footy are some of our favourite after-work activities, they may not always be a good choice in lieu of finishing a reading or completing an assignment.
So can you dedicate X hours each and every week?
You and you alone have to push yourself to get the most worth out of a course, dedicating both your time and energy to ensure the training’s impact.
Why Are You Doing It?
Your reason for taking an e-course – your own ‘why’ – has to be what drives you to learn and to act.
Completing a course to uplevel your social media skills or financial acumen will take time and effort (not to mention money). And no one can afford to waste any of those with our already competing priorities.
Signing up for a course for the wrong reasons (and not what YOU and your internal inspirations are seeking), it’ll eventually be a misuse of all three because it won’t stand up as priority on your daily to-do list.
So crap a cuppa, and really hone into your “why” so that you can ensure that your chosen e-course aligns with your personal motivations.
Are You Ready to Put Ideas/Learnings into Action?
An e-course is exactly that – an e-course. It will house all the essentials you need to go-go-go and can no doubt be a powerful instrument in your arsenal. However, it’s up to you and you alone to take the next step by putting the knowledge and skills you’ve learned into action.
And this in itself can be one of the hardest steps!
Because it’s a transition from the ‘book world’ so to speak, to the real world – where things are not cut and dry, and changes can happen on the fly.
And look, no one is expecting you to take over the world in one night. Changes will take time, however it’s about progress over perfection, small steps towards the big steps and the notion of simply “starting”.
So consider the above #RealTalk questions to ensure you get the most out of e-course learning.
E-courses are easy, convenient ways to learn. For some. But it means asking yourself some tough questions prior to getting started. And if you have the motivation, pinpointed your ‘why’, and the drive to move past the learning phase into actioning your new knowledge and skills, e-courses are an extremely powerful useful tool to step up and expand your game with new confidence.