Everyone knows that the IT industry is constantly evolving. Technological progress does not stand still and every time there is an improvement in everything and everyone. Professional programmers have good prospects. They can work for the international market, and increase their career growth, and wages. Are you planning to master a promising IT profession? One way is to study in online or offline courses but quantity does not mean quality. An incorrectly chosen course can lead to loss of funds, time, and even disappointment in the chosen profession.

Pros and cons of available solutions

First of all, you have to choose the format of studying (online or offline) because each of them has some profits and disadvantages.

Online format

Pros 

  • Availability: you can take the course from anywhere in the world where there is a stable Internet connection.
  • Pace: You can choose the pace of learning that suits you.
  • Communication: it is easy to communicate with the group and mentors through instant messengers and video calls. 
  • Consistency: there is always access to a personal account where training courses are located and the lesson can be reviewed several times. 
  • Discipline and self-study skills: the result is 100% dependent on the student.

Cons

  • Lack of live communication and community feeling but such a peculiarity may be perceived as an advantage for introverts, who are enjoying getting new knowledge without the need to communicate with people regularly.
  • There is no visual contact with the speaker so it might be difficult to keep focus for more than 30-40 minutes. This moment also is fully subjective as all the people are different.
  • The effectiveness of studying depends on the discipline, responsibility, and motivation of the student and is not suitable for those who do not know how to organize the whole process for themselves.

Remember what kind of content format you like in everyday life: short videos, long interviews, or articles. How is it more comfortable for you to work: in one location with a team of like-minded people or remotely? Choose the format that is closer to you based on your preferences: online or offline.

Moments to pay attention to

Program. This is the foundation of any course. Information about the curriculum should be in the public domain, clearly, and easily described: what is studied in each block, how long it takes, what topics it covers, and what skills it helps to develop. DAN IT Education Company records a video review of each module so that students clearly understand what awaits them on the course.

Most unscrupulous companies break the course into several parts in order to increase their earnings. For example Frontend basic, Frontend professional, and Frontend practice. A student who completes a basic course will be forced to switch to a professional course and pay again because the skills acquired at the basic level will not be enough for successful employment. We have a comprehensive approach to this issue. Our Frontend courses cover the entire required technology stack so that after completing the course, the student has all the skills necessary for employment.

Company. Check out as much information about the company as possible. All this is of great importance. If a company ignores everything that builds its image, chances are that the same is true of training. 

Course instructors. The course page should list the specialists who will share their knowledge with you. Information about the teachers should be enough to understand whether he/she has experience in the right field. If there are no teachers, they either have not been agreed upon yet (which means that the course may turn out to be raw) or they have little experience in the field, which makes it difficult to present them.

Feedback on the course. We run consultations for those taking comprehensive courses. Anyone who wants to catch up, clarify something or get any feedback from a mentor has this opportunity.

Reviews and social networks. If the company is large, then its social networks should be active, with fresh and interesting content. Evaluate its quality: usefulness and applied nature and how the topics correspond to the field. Think about whether you like the company’s style of communication with customers. Likely, this style will also be taught in courses. Look at the publications on which the company was tagged: there may be reviews and wishes of graduates.