A mere 20%
That’s the completion rate of MOOCs and that too from reputable universities.
Investing in MOOCs and pre-recorded courses are more common than you think. But do people actually complete those?
If you are also on the lookout for some preparation courses, you will most probably be browsing the internet for the best option.
You will stumble upon both self-paced learning courses and mentor-led learning programs.
How to assess which one's for you?
Will you get your money's worth?
The number of courses has increased exponentially during the pandemic but the completion rates have not improved.
This is one of the biggest challenges of pre-recorded online courses.
With mentorship, you get a career development strategy. You gain new perspectives on your professional goals.
It is not limited to learning a skill to show on paper. It is a combination of learning and practical application.
It hides away the limitations of pre-recorded courses.
In this article, we have discussed how mentorship can accelerate your growth.
Pre-recorded Courses vs Live 1:1 Mentorship
Why choose mentorship?
Mentorship is based on a trusted relationship and a meaningful commitment.
It is not a new concept.
Originally it started with in-person interactions. But thanks to technology, now it's possible to connect with a mentor in any part of the globe.
There are no geographical limitations.
The importance of mentorship goes beyond imparting knowledge. It is the ability to help the mentees develop skills and become confident.
Everyone is striving to become better. They are on the lookout for ways to improve and succeed.
Success is a collaborative effort. Almost all successful professionals had a mentor beside them. 🤝
Take Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs as an example. During the initial tough days of Facebook, Mark took the guidance of Steve.
There are so many similar stories of successful mentoring relationships.
Even the mentors had a mentor. It is a continuous cycle of sharing knowledge and experience.
Let's take a look at how mentorship fares better compared to pre-recorded courses.
We have also clarified some common misconceptions and arguments you might have against mentorship.
Benefits of Mentorship Programs
🟢 Human element
Even the most advanced pre-recorded courses lack the human element.
Pre-recorded courses are created keeping the subject matter in hand. There is no scope for interaction, discussion or engagement in those.
Enters mentorship.
You get advice and opinion from experts on the same subject matter. You get to learn it from different angles.
A two-sided discussion takes place. An environment is created where it is okay to make mistakes.
The basics of pre-recorded courses are to provide information. It doesn't matter if the concerned person understands it or not.
The mentor is sensitive to the mentee's level of knowledge. Based on that the learning road map is planned and modified along the way.
🟢 Personalised 1:1
There is no one size fits all solution in mentorship. It's good to upskill. But if upskilling is in the wrong direction or does not align with your goals, it is futile.
In pre-recorded courses, you have to go through a fixed curriculum. It's not just you who is taking the course. Thousands of other people are learning through it.
Some may understand it, some may not. You can be on either side of this arc.
In a 1:1 live mentorship program like Preplaced, you get to decide,
👉 What do you want to learn?
👉 Where are you lacking?
👉 What skills to develop?
Context is focused more than the content. There is no fluff.
You will receive individualised attention, support and assistance. This increases your chances of success.
🟢 Engagement and clearing doubt
Research show that MOOC programs have a completion rate of 15% or less on popular platforms like edX, Coursera, etc.
What about the rest 85%? 🤷
The three components affecting the low completion rate are low engagement, agency and assessments.
There is only a limit to how much the course creators can create engagement with their pre-recorded videos.
The opportunity to discuss can only come from mentorship.
Under pre-recorded courses, whether you are learning or improving, there is no way to check.
Technical knowledge requires a hands-on application.
Course assessments only gauge the ability to memorize.
They don't measure how actively you can use that knowledge in real-world scenarios.
You need a chance to discuss whether you understood the topic or not.
For example, you are learning programming through different online courses. You face a hurdle. But there is no immediate solution. This hinders the process of learning.
Mentors can push you to complete the curriculum when you might have given up.
🟢 Continued Motivation
Self-learning requires internal motivation to follow through till the end.
Procrastination dulls the spark of internal motivation.
Until and unless someone keeps an eye out on you, making progress seems like an unachievable task.
The cycle of "I'll do this tomorrow or later" will keep on repeating.
It is very easy to get distracted in the process. Motivation leads you to work harder and go that extra mile.
Mentors are equally engaged in the learning process.
They provide incredible motivation to help achieve your goals.
They help you to get out of your "being content" mindset and take up new challenges.
They encourage and empower you. 💪
They share both your struggles and successes.
🟢 Evaluation and feedback
The biggest advantage of mentoring is getting personalised timely evaluations.
Having a 1:1 mentoring session will give you the chance to receive unbiased constructive feedback.
This is not possible with pre-recorded videos.
By setting regular goals and scheduled evaluation sessions you can track your progress.
Reflecting on the preparation and assessing the lacking areas will lead to self-improvement.
A mentor will also help you explore areas out of your comfort zone.
There is nothing better than having an experienced person walking side by side on your learning journey.
🟢 Managing time
Time is of the essence. ⌛️
There is an argument that pre-recorded courses are self-paced and can be learnt whenever you get time.
But with a lot of flexibility comes an urge to keep postponing your tasks.
In mentor-led sessions, you have to communicate and make time for learning.
You'll be with a person who is equally enthusiastic about your growth and development.
You will get there, work on the assessments and get things done.
This schedule develops a sense of discipline that will help you manage your time and complete your preparation within the set deadlines.
🟢 Updated resources
Most of the pre-recorded courses have a lifespan.
Technology is dynamic, something that was working a few months ago may no longer be needed.
Suppose, you want to learn DSA and search a related course on Google, the approx results are around,
How many can you go through?
Searching for the “right” course is a time-consuming process.
You can feel overwhelmed with so many resources and not knowing where to begin.
Mentors can suggest various resources for your reference.
Since they are industry experts they have a fair knowledge of the changes and challenges.
Other than that, instead of blindly following a course, they provide context to it.
✅ What do you need to learn?
✅ Why do you need to learn?
✅ What process to follow?
They also share updated information with you and keep you away from redundant knowledge.
🟢 Cost-effective
Some people might argue that online courses are comparatively cheaper than mentorship programs.
But is this true?
Small investments can be more endearing if the output is zero.
Purchasing courses that are likely to never be finished or investing in a mentorship program that you will be following through the end, which one is better?
In which option are you getting the most ROI?
I am sure you know the answer. 💫
Mentor-driven learning measures the effectiveness throughout the program duration.
With mentorship getting popular, different platforms are emerging.
At Preplaced, you can find mentors from all sorts of professional fields, you also get the option to have a trial session with your chosen mentor before going for the many 1:1 sessions that we provide.
To sum it up
Successful preparation goes beyond pre-recorded online courses and mentor-led preparation.
The line is blurred.
Mentors won't tell you to memorize blocks of text but rather help you to learn "how to learn".
They will help you with critical thinking, problem-solving and visualising. These three are the "pillars" of finding solutions.
The final verdict is to go for a blend of both. Mentors can tailor the learning process by identifying knowledge gaps.
That learning can happen either through pre-recorded courses or live mentoring sessions.
It is the approach that matters. And with mentors guiding you, a personalised approach will lead you to your goals.
Connect with mentors at Preplaced and be part of a fun community where you don't need to keep struggling all alone.
Because you will have a pretty amazing expert by your side to help you win all the battles of this career quest. 🙌
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