University Degree VS Short Course VS Tutor - How to choose?

Hi there! It’s Megi.

Today, I would like to share my experience identifying which educational approach you need for learning. I focus on the learning options with an instructor in business education.

During the past 12 years, I’ve been both a student (I studied in the Universities for my degrees, I completed specific courses for specific skills, like programming languages, and also studied with tutors) and a lecturer (I developed and taught marketing courses in the University, I participated in the commercial course development, and I acted as a tutor for more than 10 years with 2500+ teaching sessions).

Today, I unify all these experiences to help you decide which learning option you will benefit the most for a particular purpose.

Here is a table of three options I discuss today: Academic Education in the form of a degree (University Education), Specific short courses for certain skills development, and individual (or small group) tutoring.

Academic Education in the form of Degrees (University Education)	Specific short courses for certain skills development	Individual tutoring (or in small groups)
More general overview of the field you are interested in with the potential to find your specialisation	Focus on the specific skill, for example, a programming language for marketing analytics purposes, where you can practice and ask the practitioners specific questions	Request-based learning
Networking with students / colleagues and with lecturers / practitioners	Possibility to improve your qualification in a relatively short period of time for better job opportunities	Individual learning trajectory and pace based on your specific needs
Access to different projects and training	Insight into a new direction of potential employment to check, whether that’s something you’d like to pursue	Variety of possible formats: one-time consultation; individual request-based program; learning in small, fixed, or changing groups
Access to the entry-level jobs during the studies	Various platforms to identify the most convenient for you, online or offline	Possibility to set convenient time slots for studying
Access to other universities within the partner programs	Possibility to earn a certificate or specialisation confirmation, if the course is accredited (can be a corporate establishment or the university)	Possibility to select the tutor based on their qualifications and your preferences, availability of different platforms for learning process
Potential competitive advantage to the higher paying employment	Possibility to select the particular lecturer/educator you wish: professionals offer independent, author’s courses for those who seek not only skills development but also the teaching style and qualification of a lecturer	Better awareness of your own needs: during the learning with your tutor, you can identify complementary fields to improve in addition to your initial request
Foundation to be able to further continue with the academic career	Networking and support groups can be available	Tasks and workload are structured based on your needs and time opportunities

Academic Education in the form of a degree is offered at the University, and based on the degree's level, it lasts 2 to 5 years. You get an accredited degree from the Higher Education establishment as you graduate.

This option is beneficial for you if you are at the beginning of your career and you know the field you are interested in, in general, but are unsure about the specialisation - during the studies, you get to learn about the majority of business fields and get to understand which direction interests you the most, you learn how to systematise and perform based on a variety of subjects.

You can build your network with other students and lecturers; alumni groups are also available for further networking. Moreover, the practitioners in business are also invited to the courses, and you can meet them as well.

While you are a student, you are invited to the projects and different types of training - it is your opportunity to get hands-on experience in different types of business fields, for example, marketing, project management, event management., etc. Hence, you can determine your preferences during the educational program and receive entry-level jobs at the company as many of them are looking for employees among the recent graduates.

If your University has a partner program, you can apply for the exchange or the double degree programs. Some companies look for degrees when they accept employees; hence, you can have this competitive advantage. And, if you are interested in an academic career, you usually need degrees up to a PhD to qualify.

The selection of the University that you would like to apply to is based on various factors; I will discuss them in another publication; nevertheless, these are the aspects to look for when you would like to benefit from your University degree.

Another type of education is present in the form of specific short courses for certain skills development.

Courses are offered in the form of a developed set of lessons for a short-term period, and usually, they are focused on a specific skill, for example, a programming language for marketing analytics purposes, where you can practice and ask the practitioners specific questions. This gives you the possibility to improve your qualifications in a relatively short period of time for better job opportunities.

Moreover, if you are considering a new type of job, through these courses, you can get an insight into a new direction of potential employment to check whether that’s something you’d like to pursue. There are various platforms to identify the most convenient for you.

You also can earn a certificate or specialisation confirmation if the course is accredited (it can be from a corporate establishment or the university).

If you follow someone, professional or educator, on the social networking platform and want to learn from them, you can select the particular lecturer/educator you wish: professionals offer independent, author’s courses for those who seek not only skills development but also the teaching style and qualification of a lecturer, the author’s course. Moreover, some platforms offer networking and support groups.

Again, the selection of the course that you would like to attend is based on various factors; I will also discuss them in another publication; nevertheless, these are the aspects to look for when you would like to benefit from the short courses.

And, the third type of learning I discuss today is tutoring, individually or in small groups. Such type is request-based learning with an individual learning trajectory based on your specific needs.

You can select your own learning pace in various possible formats: first, the one-time consultation, when you have to work through the case or the question; second, an individual request-based program to dive deeper into the development of your skills; and third, learning in small, fixed, or changing groups to communicate not only with the tutor but also other people.

You can set convenient time slots for studying regardless of the time requirements in the fixed schedule of the courses.

Also, when applicable, while you discuss your own professional needs and show your knowledge to the tutor, you become more aware of your additional needs for other skills development: during the learning with your tutor, you can identify complementary fields to improve in addition to your initial request.

Learning, regardless of its type, is accompanied by the tasks for individual work (the home tasks), and instead of the standardised tasks from the University lecturers and courses, you can receive tailored home tasks from your tutor based on your specific needs and based on the time available within your workload.

Again, the selection of the tutor and platforms is based on various factors; I will also discuss them in another publication; nevertheless, these are the aspects to look for when you would like to benefit from the tutoring sessions.

If you have something to add, disagree, or would like to ask me a question, please let me know!

Thank you for staying with me. If you are interested in educational collaboration, please visit my website to learn more about my education and marketing services.

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It was Megi. Good luck, and see you in future videos & publications!