Do you want to improve your CV and get ahead in your career? Courses can be a fantastic way to do this or simply to explore new subjects but there’s a bewildering array out there. Here’s how to narrow it down.
What do you want the course to do?
If you’re hoping that it will lead to a new career you need to make sure that the course is recognised by potential employers. If you just want a bit more information then accreditation and recognition is less important but you still want to be confident that the course content is accurate. Deals through sites like Wowcher and Groupon may look great but they don’t lead to recognised qualifications and you may end up paying money, and putting time in, for nothing.
Find out who wrote it and what you study.
There’s not point paying for a course to teach you things you already know. You want to learn new things, and preferably from someone who is an expert in the field.
What are the reviews like?
Satisfied customers are an excellent sign. Most Facebook pages now have reviews enabled which means you can check out what people are saying. Be wary of companies with reviews that don’t add up. It’s easy to get your friends to leave reviews for you to cover up bad ones.
Call the company.
See if you can speak to a real person about the course. They may not have all the details but they should to take your number and have someone who can answer your question call you back. Be wary of companies who are too eager to take your money or demand a membership fee in order to access the courses.
Talk to your friends.
Word of mouth is a great way to find out about what a course was really like, and hopefully your friends will be honest with you. Do bear in mind that you’re likely to get a slightly biased response towards the positive because they chose that course over other ones, so ask what other courses they considered and why they decided not to go with another company too.