Opting Microsoft training courses gives a job seeker an edge over the competition. Particularly those training programs that lead to industry certification make a resume stand out from the rest. Many students who want to make their career in computer technology begin with passing one or more of the Microsoft certified office specialist exams.

Once they have some experience, there is an option to take a training course to prepare for one of the more comprehensive Microsoft certified application specialist certifications. Owing to the popularity of these certifications, plenty of courses are available for them both online and in the classroom. With so many course choices, it can seem overwhelming to decide which format is right for each individual; both online and classroom training have advantages and disadvantages.

Difference Between Online and Classroom Based Microsoft Courses

The Microsoft corporation itself has a thorough training program for these certification courses. After creating an account, IT students can choose from a wide array of offerings. While performing searches for classroom training by subject is an option, some of these classes are not available in all areas.

The first advantage of an online training course is that it brings training to those students who may live too far from a training centre. A drawback to this type of classroom learning is that many courses are short-term, which can sometimes be more challenging for students who may need extra help with the material.

IT students taking a Microsoft course in the classroom have more readily available access to help by asking questions of the instructor. If the same questions arise in an online course, these need to be emailed to a course instructor who may not be available to answer them right away.

When deciding whether to take a certain course online or in the classroom, one thing to consider is prior familiarity with the subject matter. Students with a bit of background in a specific technology often have an easier experience taking an online course.

A positive aspect of online training programs is that many of these programs are self-paced. Learners who already have full-time jobs in the industry can fit the additional training into their own schedules. The Microsoft training course catalogue even features a tool that groups recommended courses together by specific IT job role. An additional advantage is that many online courses, especially those for office software, have hands-on practice simulations that can be done as many times as needed.

Taking MTA certification training coursesis a beneficial IT career move, whether to gain some expertise with office software or to learn some more advanced Microsoft technologies like server configuration. Passing a certification examination demonstrates competency to future and current employers.

In order to gain the most from the course material, aspirants should examine their schedules, their existing subject knowledge, and how a specific course could improve their area of expertise. These factors effectively help to evaluate whether an classroom-based or online course is the best.