Digital Marketing is emerging as a potential career option, primarily because a lot of companies are preferring to have a digital presence. In one of my earlier blogs, I have highlighted the kind of growth opportunities in this field, and the limited availability of trained resources. Various Institutes have cleverly identified this gap and are providing training to upskill interested professionals. In the last one year or so you would have come across numerous training institutes that have mushroomed in your locality, offering courses in Digital Marketing. I went through a similar experience, read about a course in an advertisement in social media and went ahead and enrolled myself. After joining the course I realized, had I consulted someone within the industry or had a done quick comparison with other institutes around, I would have made a better choice. To help you make the right choice, I thought of highlighting some aspects which one should consider before enrolling into any course. So this blog is for all the budding Digital Marketers who are still exploring a suitable options to learn about the field. 5 key points that one may consider are as below:
1. Get as much information as possible about the Institute: This is an extremely important step. Seek answers to some of the below questions:
- Since how long is this institute offering the course?
- What affiliations or certifications are they talking about? Can you get a copy of the certificate to understand more about the same.
- What about the opportunities to work on Live Projects?
- The placement track record. If possible, try to find someone who has completed a course from the institute. This person can give you real time feedback. Finding someone should not be a difficult task in today’s digital world. You can communicate on various social forums on social media to get more information.
2. Research the Syllabus: One should go through the entire syllabus to understand the topics which are covered. It is important, as some of the institutes advertise saying Digital marketing program, however when you actually see the syllabus, it touches only on certain areas. Hence it’s important to completely check the syllabus, and understand what is applicable in the current market. One of the things to do is to look for current job openings and the kind of skill set that companies are looking for to hire someone. This will help you understand if the institute is covering the current scenario.
3. Faculty from the industry: As a student, one can definitely enquire about the faculty on the panel of the Institute. This will help you to understand the industry experience, which in turn will help you in your longer goal. Once should also check if there will be other industry experts visiting besides the regular faculty to give you more insight. You will also be able to build contacts and hopefully approach them for jobs once you complete the course.
4. Inclusion of Live Projects: One should ensure that there is enough live practice available during the course. Learning theory is different, and when you actually do it yourself it is quite different. Hence hands-on experience is a must. As a prospective student, you should get as much details as possible about the various platforms on which there will be live trainings and opportunities to complete a project. If possible you should get this in black and white, to avoid any unpleasant situation later.
5. What after the completion of the course: This I would say is the most important part. This is as good as post sales service that we encounter after buying a product. Once you are done with the course, is it that only certification will be provided; or the institute will have continuous learning sessions scheduled and invite you. Also, will they help in getting you placed. No institute can definitely guarantee you a placement, even if they do; one need to take it with a pinch of salt. However the efforts that the institute takes after the completion of the course, will tell you more about the institution. I have seen that some of the institutes, invite their students to attend various current topics on Digital Marketing; while for some it’s the end once the certificate is issued. There is absolutely no communication with the students.
So, for all the new entrants planning to enroll themselves for a course in Digital Marketing, do consider the above points, which will help you take an informed decision. I am sure there will be other points too, but from my personal experience I think these are the most important ones. Do share your thoughts here.
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