How Much is an IT Course?

When exploring your options for IT training, cost will be a crucial deciding factor. You’ll want to make sure that the price is within your budget, but you’ll also want to make sure that the cost of the course is worth the knowledge and skills you will learn. While attending a professional development class is a good way to advance in your career and increase your earnings, you might not want to (or be able to) pay any price to further your IT skills, and you may find there aren’t enough benefits to enrolling in the most expensive training option possible.

Overall, the cost of an IT course will depend on the depth of knowledge, course length, and whether it’s live or on-demand. Typically, the most immersive courses are the most expensive. A college programming degree can cost tens of thousands of dollars and take four years to complete, but will provide in-depth learning. Alternatively, a bootcamp or on-demand training course will cost substantially less, but these will only provide you with entry-level skills. So, when considering cost, you also need to consider how much you want to learn and the value of the long-term benefits of the courses on your list. 

College Computer Science Programs: The Most Expensive Option

If you’re willing to invest substantial time and money, an undergraduate or graduate degree in web development may be a good fit. These can range in length from two to four years with hundreds (if not thousands) of coursework hours. This length means that you will learn much more than in other shorter training programs. These programs require you to apply and get accepted, and‌ have prerequisites involving SAT and ACT scores, foreign language requirements, and a minimum acceptable GPA. College is substantially more expensive than other training options, too, costing between $27,000 and $100,000 per year. Of course, scholarships and financial aid are available, and community colleges can help make a degree more affordable.

Pew Research surveyed the public and found that only one-in-four U.S. adults say it’s extremely or very important to have a four-year college degree in order to get a well-paying job in today’s economy. Only 22% say the cost of getting a four-year college degree today is worth it even if someone has to take out loans. So, while a college degree still holds value, there are disadvantages to this pathway that need to be considered. 

Professional Development Programs: Immersive Career-Focused Classes

Another option is to attend professional development programs like bootcamps, certifications, or certificate programs. Certifications are often required by employers to prove that you have continuing competency in ever-evolving tools and technology. They are a tried-and-tested method of proving one’s competence in a chosen field and, because of this, some employers will often cover the cost of these certifications and exams, eliminating the need for you to financially invest in this continuing education. But, if you’re attempting to transition into a new field, a certificate may not be the right choice, especially if cost is a concern.

Certificate and certification programs can be lengthy as well. They typically fall somewhere between a bootcamp and a four-year degree, taking up to a year or two to complete. While their curriculum is robust and a certificate of competency will look good to potential employers, they aren’t the best option for folks looking to change careers quickly. 

Certificates and certifications cost more than bootcamps or intro courses, but both are much more affordable than a four-year degree. You can expect to pay a few thousand dollars or fewer for these and, as previously mentioned, sometimes employers will help pay for these classes.

Live Training Classes: Ideal for Beginners and Unsure Students

The most affordable classes you’ll find will be introductory level courses. These classes typically can be completed in just a day or two. You’ll learn what IT is, how it’s used, and the fundamental techniques and tools associated with it. These classes are often held live, either in-person or online, allowing you to participate in conversation with your instructor and receive feedback in real time. It’s important to keep in mind that these classes won’t cover advanced subjects (unless you attend an advanced live training) so if you need to learn more than just the basics, an introductory class may not be the best option for you. Live training classes usually cost a few hundred dollars or fewer, making them a great way to begin your education without financially over-investing. 

On-Demand Classes: Excellent Supplements at Reasonable Prices

A self-paced course, also known as an on-demand course, is offered online and can be completed at the time and speed of your choosing. Self-paced courses are ideal for those with complicated schedules as they allow you more flexibility with no set class times or assignment due dates. These classes are also a great way to learn the ins and outs of IT from whatever angle you find to be the most interesting.

If your schedule is complicated or you prefer to learn at your own pace, on-demand classes offer the most flexibility and freedom. All lessons are prerecorded and there’s no due dates or class times to worry about. You can skip any lessons you’ve already mastered or spend more time on more difficult subjects. With this comes the disadvantages of no live collaboration with other students or instant feedback from an expert instructor. While you’ll have more time to master challenging subjects, you won’t have someone to help walk you through those challenges or provide additional insight. 

It’s also important to remember that with more freedom comes less accountability. On-demand classes work for independent learners who can keep themselves on task and motivated, but may not be the best fit for those who find motivation through accountability. Without scheduled class times and due dates, you may fall behind or take longer to complete your training. And without the right level of motivation, you can easily lose interest in completing the training altogether.

Free Resources: What are They Good For?

Free resources are available for learning IT. YouTube boasts a wide range of tutorials and informative videos on all kinds of IT subjects: from short five-minute episodes on the fundamentals to more in-depth breakdowns of advanced topics. YouTube is a great way to explore your initial interest or get answers to specific questions on IT. 

Other websites like Google and LinkedIn offer short free tutorials and trainings designed to help you grasp the history and basic principles of IT. Free resources are often your fastest option and can last anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours. Their brevity is one reason they are so valuable, but the drawback of these courses is that they will lack the in-depth knowledge and real-time interaction with an expert instructor that more immersive programs offer. It's best to use these resources as a brief introduction to make sure you’re interested in the subject as opposed to the sole source of your education. 

Learn IT with Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop’s Data Science Certificate prepares you for entry-level data science and Python engineering roles. You’ll learn how to manipulate databases and perform data analysis, read and write complex database queries, prepare and clean data for analysis, and use Python to automate everyday tasks such as aggregating, updating, and formatting data. This course also covers how to clean and balance your data with Pandas, apply machine learning algorithms with the scikit-learn library to solve real-world problems, and analyze the results to detect areas for improvement. Finally, you’ll build and present dynamic dashboards and other data visualizations and deploy your projects online with GitHub to demonstrate your analytical abilities to employers.

Their Software Engineering Certificate is another option for aspiring IT students. Divided into front end development, React Development, and Django (Python) Development, you will learn HTML to mark up web pages and CSS for styling; the fundamentals of JavaScript and Git; and how to use Flexbox and Grid to layout, align, reorder, and adapt web page content to different size screens. You’ll then move on to the fundamental JavaScript programming concepts, including variables, data types, loops, and DOM. Plus, you’ll cover topics like React, a powerful JavaScript library for web development, and master Node.js, MongoDB, and Express.js to round out your JavaScript development skills.

By creating a portfolio of projects, preparing for common interview questions, and polishing your resume and LinkedIn profile, this course will have you ready to pursue a new job in software engineering in as little as 20 weeks (on a full-time schedule). One-on-one mentoring and a free one-year retake are included in the cost of this course. Payment plans and tuition assistance are available, and this training requires no previous experience, making it great for beginners.

Or, you could try your hand at Noble’s Python Developer Bootcamp. This three-week online course teaches Python for software development with Django, Django REST, and other developer tools like Git and SQL. You’ll start by learning the basics of Python, including its lexical syntax, then move to more advanced topics like dictionaries, custom functions, and sorting algorithms. In week two, you'll learn object-oriented programming, how to work with APIs, and get an introduction to web databases using SQL. By creating projects that can be added to your portfolio, you’ll master URL dispatchers, querying models, and automating tasks with Django, as well as how to work with images, authentication, and use API endpoints with Django REST. 

It’s recommended that you are comfortable coding HTML and basic CSS. You should possess an equivalent knowledge of Noble Desktop’s Web Development with HTML & CSS class, and mastery of another programming language is helpful, but not required. Payment plans and financing are available, in addition to extra perks like one-on-one mentoring, a free one-year retake, and a verified digital certificate are included in your purchase.