A lot of people debate whether online learning is as effective as offline learning. But what if it’s not just as effective as offline, but better than offline?
IBM did a study and found that students learn five times more material when they are in online learning. First of all, this is because online courses give the student full control over their learning, and they can allocate their own time and resources as they feel comfortable. For example, to go through simple lectures twice as fast, and on the contrary, to stop and focus on complex topics. And it is also proven that high-quality multimedia content for self-study is very effective.
While studying at offline universities, almost all students miss classes from time to time. Some of them have important reasons, and some of them simply could not wake up on time, but the result is the same – the lecture was missed. The online learning format allows students to study on a more flexible schedule, they can watch a lecture anywhere, even from their phone. For these reasons, attendance in online classes is much higher than in traditional classes.
As we said above, it’s about the individualized schedule and pace of learning that helps the student learn more efficiently. And students also don’t have to spend time commuting to their place of study. For some people, the time spent on the road is very valuable.
No one needs to explain how important the topic of sustainability has been to everyone in recent years. We try in every way possible to minimize the damage we do to the planet. The Open University in Britain have found that online courses equate to an average of 90% less energy and 85% fewer CO2 emissions per student than traditional in-person courses. So students can feel like they are contributing to the environment simply by learning online.
The QA area attracts both recent graduates and adults who want a career change. So what’s the secret, why does everyone want to work as a QA Engineer? Today we’re going to talk about the top 5 reasons.
QA Engineer jobs pay well, even if you’re just starting. The average junior`s salary is $70,000 a year, the middle gets about $100,000 a year, and the senior can have a salary from $115,000 a year. The QA field has many growth opportunities, as it is constantly evolving, so you can build a career here quickly and start earning more. This factor is also important for those who are completely changing their career field. It’s easier to move into a new profession if you start making good money right away.
QA is considered the IT field with the lowest entry threshold. That doesn’t mean you don’t need to know anything to be a QA Engineer. It means that you can learn the skills you need pretty quickly by spending enough time studying. For example, Manual QA can be learned in a month and you’ll know so much information that you’ll be able to get a job to start your career off almost immediately.
Most companies focus on the speed and quality of product development. Therefore, they all need a team of QA Engineers to oversee these processes. Although it seems that more and more people are entering this profession, the demand for good specialists is still higher than the supply.
There are many career paths open to the QA Engineer. For example, you can develop skills in QA automation and other areas of IT. You can also study business analytics and build a career here. Or become a project manager and manage projects.
Although it is not studied in traditional universities, now you can choose any course or school and learn QA. It can be either online or offline learning format. The average length of a QA Engineering course is 16 weeks.
Over the past year, many offline educational projects went online because of the quarantine. But should this be perceived as a temporary forced measure or a great opportunity to make sure that online education is no worse than traditional on-campus schooling?
The online format increases the accessibility of education. Previously, to get an education at a prestigious university or a course, some students had to move to another city. Online, you can study any discipline from the comfort of your own home, no matter where you live. It’s also worth mentioning the difference in the cost of offline and online courses: studying online is cheaper because it doesn’t include the rental costs, equipment for students, etc.
Online courses allow students to study on a more leisurely schedule than the traditional offline format. On the one hand, this is a plus, because you can get knowledge and do assignments when it suits you. But there is another side, a student of online courses has to manage their own time and be disciplined to learn effectively. This may be a problem for some people, but it is actually a positive aspect that teaches you an additional skill that is important in life — time management.
Students who are used to traditional education say they find it difficult to learn online because they do not feel in contact with the teacher. If the online course is well created, this problem will not arise. You will be able to ask the instructor questions at any stage of the course, this is also convenient for shy people who are afraid to raise their hand in class. And the best advantage of online education is that all the study materials are always available to the student, you can revise the lecture as many times as you want.
Undoubtedly, socialization is important in all spheres of life, including education. It is true that for many people there is a lack of communication with classmates when they study online. But all online courses try to make up for this lack of communication by engaging students in activities where they need to connect.
So you can conclude that online learning is not much less effective than offline education. Moreover, the field of education is very promising and rapidly developing, becoming more and more comfortable for students.
Is it possible to get a job in Software QA Testing field without having Bachelors’ or Master’s degree in Computer Science or related field? Is it possible if I have no college degree at all?
There are two parts to our answer:
1. Yes it is absolutely possible to get a Software QA Testing job. We have sometimes 18-19 years old students joining Portnov Computer School right after getting their high school diploma. And they get jobs as fast as other graduates. Not having college degree at that age is very natural.
Even if you have no college degree being twice as old – it is not a big deal.
2. There are many limitations though, which you would have to overcome within a few years to grow professionally.
Software QA Testing is more accepting of recruits with non-engineering degrees than any other niche of the IT job market.
At Portnov Computer School out 3000 successful graduates we had many hundreds with non-engineering degrees: accountants, financial analysts, bankers, teachers, musician, business major graduates, graphic designers and other artists.
As long as you enjoy intellectual challenge, working with computers and technologies, have logical mind set – you can successfully transfer your career into Software QA Testing. It will take 3 months in the School and 2-3 months of internship to become employable. Lots of hard work and commitment are required though to be invested on your side. It is not an easy transition but it might be very rewarding.
Information Technology field is very dynamic. To grow professionally in the field over time even with formal Computer Science degree you would become the life time Computer Science student.
At Portnov Computer School we have career changers coming from all the thinkable engineering and scientific backgrounds including but not limited to Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Architecture, Electronics, Telecommunications, Chemical Engineering, Biology, Micro-Biology, Transportation, Marine navigation – you name it.
If Engineering and/or Science is not just what your diploma says but it is also the way you think and the way you approach problems to be resolved, the work environment and the way of life you strive for – then Software QA Testing is definitely the are where you will prosper real fast. We know that from 17 years of experience helping thousands (not hundreds) engineers and scientists just like you to establish themselves in the new professional field.
You will discover that most of the skills and qualities you have developed in yourself over years of employment and education are transferable when it comes to Software Quality Assurance Testing. Working with requirements, Quality control, writing and validating technical documentation – all these skills are very helpful in Software Testing.
Very often your knowledge of a particular professional field give you the job. We have seen doctors (new immigrants with limited communications skills) hired to test medical or hospital management software. We have seen mechanical engineers hired to test CAD applications. We have seen former accountants hired to test accounting and/or financial software applications.
It does not have to be necessarily how you get your first job. Your previous profession just broadens the QA job market for you sometimes, offering niches not available other job seekers with different professional backgrounds.
Close to 50% of our students have Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science or Electrical Engineering. Some students have degrees in related fields such as Mathematics, Applied Math, Electronics, Computer Applications.
Not many of them have related work experienced though. And most of those with experience would have 2-10 years gap in employment resulting from visa (no employment authorization) or family situation.
Software QA Testing is a perfect path to explore if you are coming from Computer Science or related background and want to start working in IT field as soon as possible.
There is a very strong demand on the job market for Software QA people coming from that direction. The more challenging the software testing project technically, the less choices companies have hiring testers. They simply cannot settle with candidates not having enough technical skills.
There is also a very special niche on the Software QA job market – Test Automation. Those with coding experience or even educational exposure to programming languages might easily grow to the senior level in test automation within 2-3 years and even much sooner sometimes. We teach all the major test automation tools at Portnov Computer School, where you can learn from the test automation gurus.
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