Maybe you want to start a new career or enhance your current one by adding another certification under your belt. It takes time and consideration to figure out where you want to go next in your professional career, and once you come to your decision, the next step is to execute your plan. If you’ve attended a college or university, you’ll know how difficult it can be to organize your classes. If you’re taking a full program, like a bachelor’s degree, for example, it can be frustrating to figure out which classes you need to take and in which order, and there’s always the worry that you missed something along the way. Finding out that you have to take an extra class is never fun, that’s extra time and money spent that you didn’t anticipate.  

BCC’s goal has always been to make the learning experience as flexible and straightforward as possible so that you can focus more on your studies and less on the administrative side of your learning.  

Subscribing to a Program 

Subscribing to a program means you don’t need to figure out which courses you need to take to complete the program or remember to purchase courses when you have the funds. Instead, you pay a monthly fee and receive all the materials and information you need to complete the program. To better accommodate your learning style, Instructor-led training and self-study options are available for most programs.  

For professionals that are looking for continuing education (CE) credits, our CE subscription makes earning your annual credits easy. Choose a monthly or yearly subscription and get access to our podcast quizzes (YES—CE credits for listening to a podcast), online CE catalogue, and more. 

Self-Study or Instructor-Led Training? 

Not everyone’s educational journey is the same. We all have different life commitments that we need to fulfill, and different ways we learn effectively. Self-study and instructor-led training are two methods of learning that appeal to the widest number of students. 

Self-Study  

Self-study is a great option if you are able to manage your own learning schedule and keep yourself on track for completing assignments and exams. It’s also a great option if you have life commitments like work or childcare and need flexibility so you can learn and meet these commitments at the same time. However, self-study isn’t always the easiest option. 

To be successful in self-study, you need to be able to manage your time effectively, which, at a high level, means having good time management skills and being able to hold yourself accountable. These concepts might sound familiar, and if you thought about the concept of Self-Directed Learning (SDL), you’d be correct. Perhaps the most common definition of self-directed learning is from M. Knowles, (1975): 

“In its broadest meaning, SDL describes a process in which individuals take the initiative, with or without the help of others, in diagnosing their learning needs, formulating learning goals, identifying resources for learning, choosing and implementing appropriate learning strategies, and evaluating learning outcomes”​

Let’s take a look at an example that applies to BCC. The Certified Financial Planner® program that BCC offers takes several months and hundreds of hours to complete. Most students can’t effectively complete the program entirely on their own; support from their instructor and/or a student advisor is often needed, especially with self-study. To support students that choose self-study as an option, the digital textbooks that are provided with the program’s subscription are supported by recorded instruction, or you can even choose to attend live instruction if you are able to. Video playlists and the option to interact with your instructor on a chat forum are also available to you. However, you still need to be able to hold yourself accountable to complete assignments and quizzes in a timely fashion, as well as set aside regular study time. 

This is an image of a conversation between BCC Instructor Jason Watt and his students. With BCC’s programs and courses, you can engage directly with your instructor and other students, bounce ideas off each other, and get answers to your questions to enhance your understanding of the course content and subject matter.

​Instructor-Led Training

Instructor-led training is the best option for most students, as it has a set coursework schedule and specific timelines for completing assignments and quizzes. With instructor-led training, it’s the closest thing to attending an actual classroom with regularly scheduled live webinars where you can interact with the instructor and other students. Just like self-study, the ILT subscription gives you access to all the course material and information you need, it just has the added valuable bonus of extra accountability by holding you to a specific schedule.  

BCC’s Subscription Model 

BCC’s subscription model helps you focus more on learning and less on the administrative side of managing your courses. Whether you choose instructor-led training or self-study, you’ll be ready to start learning.