Full-time courses - we get the maximum benefit

Interesting is professional development. It just so happened that for 2 years I had to continuously combine work and study.
Continuously - non-stop, spending all your free time. And I had little free time, like everyone else. Therefore, he improved both professional and teaching skills. I constantly thought about how to spend my time as efficiently as possible.

What happened? Tips under the cut.

I apologize for the possibly categorical tone. Of course, all the tips need comment, criticism and processing according to personal experience.

Learn on your own or go to full-time courses?

Full-time courses are a controversial way to learn. Many people know that certificates are not particularly valued. This is just a nice addition to the resume. One teacher said so - an extra certificate can even interfere. They will ask more meticulously - if you please prove your knowledge.
There are many critics of full-time courses, I will not quote. I’d better tell you how to get the most out of it.

1. If you are studying a new subject for yourself, then go not courses. For example, you were a programmer, but you want to become a project manager. You will be surrounded by interested people and it will be easier for you to enter a new topic. If you only want to expand and deepen your knowledge - think about it, maybe online training will be enough.
2. Be wary of webinars. Communicating with a lecturer over the Internet is more difficult and slower than in reality. If the lecturer is not a professional, then you can become a passive listener.
3. Ask the teacher many additional questions. I asked at least 1 question after each slide. The audience was silent in silence. Let this also not bother you.
4. To ask the first thing that came to mind is inefficient. First ask your own question, write it briefly or type. Reflect a little (about 1 min.), And only then ask. In this case, the lecturer's answer will complement your reasoning, you will understand the topic more deeply.
5. Do not wait until the questions themselves appear in your head. Make yourself articulate them. This allows a deeper understanding of the material and is very useful in the future.
6. One of the problems - sometimes they tell you what you already knew (even if the topic is new). Do not waste time in vain - do exercises, read additional material. Your time is gold. It is difficult to do or read something while you are actively talking. But you can learn this, a priceless skill.
7. Do not hope that your practical tasks will be checked. Sometimes they check, sometimes not. Ask to see sections of code (for programmers), comment on them, do code reviews. Show the code to more experienced classmates.
8. Use any breaks (coffee break, lunch, drive home) to meet new people. What I saw - people either do not get to know anyone on their own, or make acquaintances, and then they hang out with 1-2 new friends. What he did - waiting for the beginning of the lectures, he got acquainted with everyone who was within reach of the conversation from my workplace. At coffee breaks, he freely approached new people. After completing the courses, he again approached new people and walked with them to the subway.
9. Topics for starting an acquaintance are “How do you like the courses?”, “Why did you decide to go to these courses and not the others?”, “As a teacher?”, “What other courses did you sign up for?” Be a good listener.
10. Be sure to ask for contacts of social networks to continue communication in the future.

New acquaintances help in this:

1. You exchange experience, discuss the material covered together.
2. You will help each other even after the courses, if your life and career interests coincide in something.
3. Personally, new acquaintances in the courses still help me out - to consult, ask for advice, recommend a person, and so on.
4. You tremendously pump communication skills.

And how other students around me behaved (antipatterns of behavior):

1. They did not ask a single teacher or asked very few questions. I doubt that "everyone understood everything."
2. Inactive (rested) when the lecturer explained the material he knew. The same thing - waiting for the start of classes.
3. We dined, drank coffee alone or surrounded by 1-2 new friends. They returned home alone.

A little bonus tip: I
noticed that a coffee break impairs the perception of the material. The fact is known - if there is something in the stomach, then part of the energy is spent on digesting food, and not on training. Try eating few cookies / not eating them at all, compare the results.
Share your experiences and attitudes towards face-to-face courses / webinars in the comments. Your opinion is very interesting. If the article goes well, I’ll write a collection of useful tips about self-study.

PS Forgive me for the swollen head with which you will leave the courses, following these tips. To get the maximum result, you will have to make a lot of effort.