How to select the right GIS course for you

So here you are, interested in enrolling into a GIS course. Maybe you are a student, or an industry professional, or maybe you are a business or scientist. Yet, you’ve run into some problems and now you’d like a bit of help. As you read this short article, you’ll discover real answers and solutions to your questions so you can make the right choice today.

Problem #1 – Time

By far, the biggest separation in all the various GIS course options is time. Some courses take 2 or more years, while others can be completed in only a few months. So what’s the big difference?

Well, it all boils down to your goals today. What do you want from GIS? Is it a career, a hobby, another tool you can add to your skillset, or is it being used to train your employees?

Your answer to these questions will determine what is right for you. If you are a student and hope to make a career in the GIS field (it’s rapidly growing year-over-year by the billions…) then a longer education will be in order.

If you are a trade professional, a scientist or business looking to add this skillset quickly, then the obvious choice is a much shorter course structure. And, even if you are a student and maybe you are unsure if GIS is really a field you want to devote YEARS of your life into, a “tester” course may also be a smart choice for you.

Problem #2 – Money

As you know, money is a biggie. There are courses ranging from $500 all the way up to $20,000+ both online and local. That’s a very large range, so the real question is: what’s the difference?

The more expensive the course, the longer it will take. And of course, the longer courses will also be packed with more curriculum and learning. But is all that necessary?

For many people, the answer is NO. The fact is, unless you are pursuing a career as a GIS analyst then much of the extra time and curriculum won’t be all that beneficial. You’ll just end up wasting thousands of dollars and many months of your valuable time, only to become “slightly” more advanced in the areas that matter most.

If you find a full GIS course online that is relatively inexpensive, but offers A-Z training, then it may be your best pick. You’ll save money, you’ll save time, and you’ll still learn all the important fundamentals of GIS.

Problem #3 – Course Structure

Okay, so let’s say you’ve narrowed down your options to a relatively inexpensive online GIS training course. Now the problem is selecting the right fit, and with all the options, it’s no easy task.

A simple google search will show you a lot of “broken” up courses where companies are selling bits and pieces of a full training course to sucker people in for $100 or so. The problem here is, you’ll end up spending well over a thousand bucks by the time it’s all said and done, buying each required snippet of the full training course.

Others sell complete training, which is far and away your best choice. If your goal is to learn GIS quickly, and without spending an arm-and-a-leg to do it, a full course is designed to get you from A-Z without any “catches”. For these, you’ll be looking at $3,500 or less on average based on market research… which really isn’t bad if you compare it to a full $20,000+ college degree.

Problem #4 – Taking A Risk

Enrolling into an online GIS course has serious risk. What if you buy it, and then realize the course isn’t “user friendly” or easy to learn with. You’ll end up taking forever and feeling frustrated, OR just simply giving up after a few weeks.

When you buy a course online, almost none offer any sort of satisfaction guarantee to ease your mind at the time of purchase. Once you invest, you just hope and pray the course is as good as it promises.

Same goes for a local university. Once you pay the tuition, THAT’S IT. No refunds or backing out, you are stuck for the long haul.

A Logical Solution

So if you found a course that was inexpensive (under $500), it was a full a-z training in GIS with no hidden “gimmicks” to get you spending a lot more than you originally planned, it required less than a couple months to finish, and was backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee…

Would that not be a logical choice?

GIS University is now offering a full training course, and here are some amazing reasons why students are selecting this option now in their search for the right online GIS training:

  1. The entire course, from a-z, can be completed in just 7 short days (yes, it really is possible to become a GIS professional in such a short time, thanks to a few recent breakthroughs in the industry)
  2. It’s taught by real university GIS instructors (they’ve even been hired by Government Agencies to build maps, so rest assured you will be learning from the best)
  3. This is a video training course with additional pdf downloads (if you are a person that doesn’t much like the idea of reading thousands of pages of text in the next few months, the video training lessons will be a breath of fresh air)
  4. It’s much, much cheaper then every other competitor selling a full GIS course (why spend more money for lower quality training, when this option is available to you now)
  5. Plus, it comes with a no questions asked 30 day satisfaction guarantee (to our knowledge, nobody else is offering you this. If at any time you decide GIS or this course isn’t right for you, email support for a full refund…)

If this course is something you may be interested in, click here to learn more about it now.

Ian
Ian