Isn’t it amazing? There are so many opportunities to learn practically anything you’d like with online learning, and it’s free! Here, we answer some of your burning questions about online learning. Have other questions? Please submit them in the comments.

Why do so many people struggle with online learning?

Reason 1: It’s easy to start, hard to finish.

Anyone who has enrolled in a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) such as Lynda.com, Coursera or Canvas.net could tell you their track record. Only a small portion of those who enroll actually complete the course. What prevents people from completing a course? There are many factors – enrolling in too many courses simultaneously, lack of accountability, lack of support for navigating the course or understanding the content.

Reason 2: Many Options = Many Distractions.

Many choices in providers and course content can distract people from selecting the courses that will help them accomplish their professional goals.

Reason 3: It’s lonely.

Without a workplace to go to every day, job seekers can all too easily isolate themselves from the world. Online learning can perpetuate this loneliness. Sure, there is online interaction, but it’s not the same as meeting someone face-to-face, and it’s not what every personality type needs to skill up and stay motivated.

Do online classes mean anything to employers? How does JVS help?

Here’s what we know: demonstrated skills matter. Your future employer may not care if you completed a course, but they will care if you can tell them a short story that demonstrates how you used the skills they are seeking.

JVS is taking online learning to the next level by helping people become successful online learners. Many of our programs blend online learning with face-time learning at JVS.

In JVS’s Job Search Accelerator, job seekers make a plan for how to be successful learners – both at JVS and online. Practical application means that you’ll be able to answer “yes!” when an employer asks you if you can make a pivot table out of a data set (and even walk him/her through your thought process of examining that data set using the pivot table!).

In addition, for many employers and people in your network, online learning shows your ambition and builds your relevancy.

How is online learning important to my long-term goals?

In the new world of work, online learning is essential for continued professional development. Knowing how to build new skills in an online environment is a skill you’ll need for the rest of your life.