What's the Difference, Anyway?
Click the play button ▶️ below to hear this page being read.
If you've searching the internet for information, chances are you've come across some websites asking you to pay money to learn more.
What you may not be aware of is that not all online learning options are the same.
Probably the number one thing you should be aware of to avoid getting scammed is that many online education sites are owned by people looking to make "passive income".
If you haven't heard this term before, it's basically getting paid for doing nothing.
A course creator may have spent a lot of time and money creating their course, but if they are trying to make passive income, they don't want to be involved in teaching the course. Why is that important for you to know? It depends on why you are looking for online education.
The Different Reasons for Taking Online Education
There are basically only two reasons to sign uo for an online learning platform:
1) The learn something
2) To learn sometime that other people are willing to pay you money for.
A prime example is music.
You can sign up for a lot of learning options that will teach you a lot about music, but people would only be willing to pay you if you could actually play an instrument, and really well.
This gives us our first differentiation between online courses and online training.
Online courses are for people looking for more information on a subject. Online training is for people looking to learn a skill that others are willing to pay for.
Since people are going to pay you for this skill, the school is justified in charging you more money, hence, online courses are usually less expensive than online training.
If you take online training in order to charge others for your skill, you are going to have to prove you have acquired this skill. For that reason online training usually involves an expanded final exam or evaluation and then provides a certificate with letters you can add after your name.Online courses usually just have you fill out a multiple choice quiz and then you can download a diploma with your name on it.
Because the content is so important to acquire, online training usually involves specific units you need to follow as well as having live interactions so that students don't get confused.
The following table lists these and other main differences between online courses and online learning.
ELEMENT | COURSES | TRAINING |
|---|---|---|
COST | Less expensive | More expensive |
LENGTH | Shorter, a few weeks/months. | Longer, up to a year and maybe even longer. |
RESULTS | Unpredictable | Specific, related to the specific commercial skill |
GOALS | General knowledge | Specific commercial skills that can generate revenue. |
EVALUATION | Multiple choice quizzes | Advanced personalized evaluations |
FORMAT | On your own | Regular scheduled lessons |
LESSONS | Watch videos, etc. | Private instructor |
CONTENT | Lessons containing videos and articles. | Specific units to follow that are outlined in a specific order for the purpose of making sure all the content and skills are acquired. |
CONCLUSION
Before signing up for an online learning option, be sure you know what you want to get out of this learning experience.
If all you are looking for is a little bit of knowledge in a subject, an online course is fine.
However, if you are looking to acquire a skill that will make you money, be sure to pick an online training program.
How to Know the Difference!
The problem is, online schools and websites do not use the terms "course" and "training" the same way we are talking about here.
So how can you know the difference? It's simple. If you are looking for online training, just look for the elements listed above.
Online Training Looks Like This
- More expensive
- Longer
- Specific skills taught
- Revenue generating skills
- Evaluations, not online multiple choice quizzes
- Personalized instruction from a real human-being!
- Regular scheduled classes
- Some element of live instruction. The more; the better.
- Specific units to follow
If you are looking for online education that you can use to generate income, make sure you sign up for online training, and not for an online course.