“Whether you are five, or fifty, or five hundred. We need to keep learning.” – Janine Allis

In today’s day and age, we are somewhat expected to continuously upskill ourselves to remain relevant and keep abreast of all of the changes and advancements happening in our industries. Majority of us do not have the luxury of taking an extended amount of time off to undertake the learning that we need to advance in our roles. Thankfully, online learning is now a viable option for us!

In 2017, over 4.2 million people were enrolled in a certificate or diploma course across Australia with many of them being online students. With the advancement of technology, our busy lifestyles and the need to provide for our families, there is no surprise why many are opting for online learning instead of face-to-face learning.

With a new dimension to learning, there will always be questions on whether it will be the right fit for you and whether you have what it takes to succeed in learning a course online. Read on to find out more!

What do I have to do to succeed in my studies?

• Manage and plan your day well– I could not stress this enough – plan, plan, and plan some more! It is important to have a workable plan in place to make sure you are able to manage your study and your other commitments efficiently. Craft a plan that you can follow, that is easy to move around when needed, and that is balanced. Ensure you have sufficient time allocated for other things such as exercise and catching up with family and friends – as these activities are really important in keeping you motivated and sane! It is also important not to leave things to the last minute! Don’t wait till you have 2-months left on your enrolment to try and get through all of the learning material and assessments! Don’t wait till the night before your deadline to write up a 2,000 worded report. By setting up a schedule for yourself, you can avoid these last minute horrors and actually excel in the course!
• Be organised and set achievable goals – Read through your course requirements and skim through your assessments when you receive them to understand what is required of you and for you to gauge how much time is required to be spent in order for you to accomplish the tasks. Set yourself mini-achievable goals (instead of deadlines as our brain works better when we view these tasks as goals) and a checklist on what you need to have or what you need to do for the unit. Setting goals and writing up a checklist can help you feel in control and hold you accountable by removing obstacles that might be in your path. It helps to keep you on track rather than lose focus and forgetting where you left off. It also helps you visualize and communicate the details of your goals to yourself which is an important factor in keeping yourself motivated!
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help – Nothing great is ever achieved alone. Seek the help of your Trainers, ask your mentor for assistance, call your best friend in to help you study and research on the problem you are stuck on; whatever you do, don’t be afraid to ask for help. I know for some, asking for help is an uncomfortable thing to do, and understandably so. However, we don’t get to where we want to be if we don’t stop and ask for directions. By courageously seeking out help, you can save hours (or for some even days!) of fury and disappointment and understand a problem or a concept better. Lee J. Colan once said, “Nothing we achieve in this world is achieved alone. It is always achieved with others teaching us along the way.” Remember that!
• Be resourceful – In the pursuit of success, there is not a more useful or important trait to possess than resourcefulness. Being resourceful is not simply being able to Google for information, it is a mindset, particularly when the goals you have set are difficult to achieve or you cannot envision a clear path to get to where you desire to go. You need to be driven to find a way to get what you want. So, don’t just settle on reading the given texts, find other resources that can help you with your learning and truly immerse yourself in the learning experience. Use your own initiative to go out and meet people that can help you answer the questions you have in the industry and don’t just rest on your laurels. You will be surprised how useful it is when you have to be resourceful in your future careers and you have already been practicing it all along.

What are the advantages of online learning? 

• Improve technical skills and knowledge whilst working around your own schedule – ideal for those who have work and family commitments that they cannot skirt. Without the option of studying online, these students would have less likely been taking on further education to enhance their career options and we would not have a competitive and advanced workforce that can be relied on to take us to the next level.
• Study at your own pace – no rushing to meet the lecturer’s deadlines. You can read through your course material at 2pm on a Saturday instead of rushing to attend a lecture on-campus at 9am on a Monday morning. You get a set enrolment period in which you will have to complete your units in, but you are given that entire length to complete the course.
• No commuting required – all you need is your computer and a stable internet connection. No need to be spending hours in traffic or on public transport just to get to classes! On top of saving time commuting, you would also save on travel costs!
• Access to a variety of courses regardless of your geographical location – you get the option of studying the best course for you regardless of where you live. Be it in another city, or even across the country! You might find that you have more options not just in the types of courses, but you can also be more selective with which college or university you want to study with.