If it is an employee benefit, you may be lucky, and your employer will pay for you to participate in CPE training. Your employer may pay the entire cost or pay a portion, leaving you to pay for the rest.
For instance, depending on the information — a professional needing to earn so many credits in a month — might find the most efficient way to do so would be to attend a CPE approved conference.
Attendance at all the workshops for two days could be worth six credits. If attending a conference proves difficult for other professionals, perhaps participating in a webinar once a month for an hour and earning one credit might be what works best.
A CPE course allows students to engage in education that is new due to regional or global factors that are driving more interest in the field. A CPE course can provide fresh material and insight as well as feedback and direction from industry leaders.
More importantly, for the dedication to the course and continuing with professional education you could be awarded a certain number of CPE credits or a certificate that shows you have completed all the requirements. Some CPE courses require that a student be available on weeknights or weekends.
Other courses may require a student to be available for eight hours once a week during a work day for months. Additionally, participating in a CPE course may prove to be very beneficial to your employer, and they may consider your professional development training an employee benefit. But how effective is online learning when compared to in-person CPE courses? Traditional, in-person CPE courses offer the advantage of face-to-face interaction.
This is especially suited to topics that you have a lot of questions about. When you take an in-person course, you get to connect with both the instructor and your classmates. Networking like this can bring unexpected benefits for you professionally and personally.
Also, some people simply learn better in a live setting and a more structured classroom. On the other hand, in-person courses often require commuting or travel, which can be inconvenient, especially during your busy seasons.
With in-person courses, you are also limited to locations that you can get to. If the ideal class is too far away or too expensive to get there, you are out of luck and must find something more local to fit your needs. The main advantage for CPE online courses is their flexibility.
When you have a busy schedule, you want the ability to control when you attend a class and for how long. Online classes have a true global reach in that they can be accessed anytime from anywhere in the world. All you need is a quiet space and a good internet connection. You can also progress at your own pace with online courses.
If there is a concept you want to revisit, you can simply go back to that part without interfering with the instructor or inconveniencing classmates. The downside of online CPE courses is that they require self-motivation and self-discipline to complete. Clearly there are both advantages and disadvantages with online vs. However, instead of asking yourself which method is better, you should focus on which method best suits your current needs. While both self-study and live CPE courses are offered online, each one has unique features that may suit you better at certain times of the year.
Each year, many accounting professionals like you make decisions about whether self-study vs. Not only are they readily available online, they are often better suited to the self-disciplined accounting professional who wants to tackle CPE any time of the day or night. Check out a few of the pros and cons of taking online self-study CPE courses:.
Taking online classes allows you to go through the material at your own pace. You can spread out the material over time or speed up to finish more quickly. It meshes perfectly with any schedule. If you are the type of person who likes to highlight, underline, and scribble notes, many self-study programs are available as hard copies.
It can be a real challenge to motivate yourself to get through the coursework when so many other things demand your attention. Live CPE courses are generally done via webinar. Participants log in at the appropriate time from their location to participate. Also, live courses generally require some kind of formal interaction to ensure attendance and that you are paying attention. Here are some of the pros and cons of enrolling in live courses:. Many live courses in webinar format require some interaction from you before, during, and after.
This may be in the form of questionnaires, surveys, polls, and quizzes. Your participation shows that you are present and listening. For many, having a set time and day to log into a webinar means you will get it done and keep moving forward with the class until you finish.
With a live webinar instructor, they can discuss and teach about the latest information. If the webinar Instructor is dynamic and personable, they may be able to keep your attention for hours. Also, they usually incorporate graphics, video, and more. When it comes to retaining information, a live CPE webinar may help you stay focused.
Participants in live courses must complete their coursework within the timeframe allowed by the class. A great live CPE course will educate you, but a lousy webinar will make you want your money back. Differences in Instructors and problems with technology such as dead air or graphics issues can detract from learning and waste your time. When it comes to actually attending your annual CPE credit courses, you want the right combination of quality and affordability. After all, if you are going to spend your valuable time attending, it needs to be worth it.
Here are just a few of the things accounting professionals find with many of the free CPE courses out there:. Here are a few findings from accounting professionals on many paid CPE courses:. More free and paid CPE courses are hitting the market each year.
Wish you could find something that perfectly balanced cost and quality? They can be given for self-study courses, webinars, video training, or industry conferences. These courses can be on updated tax laws, new accounting technology, or general best practices for the financial industry.
Take our Edge User Conference, for example.
0コメント