Problem of Over-Reliance on Short Courses

target customers,
Understanding Deep and
understanding the
Surface Learning: A psychology of online selling,
Comprehensive Guide and running ads on other
social media platforms. This
What is Deep Learning?
comprehensive approach
Deep learning is allows them to apply the
transformative, involving knowledge to real-life
mastering new skills and scenarios, forming their
gaining information that strategies for running
changes your perspective. effective Facebook ads.
This type of learning can be
driven by set goals or a What is Surface Learning?

genuine interest in a topic. Surface learning, also known

For some, the objective might as superficial learning,
be to gain a qualification; for involves learning just enough
others, it could be about to achieve a specific objective,
learning a particular skill. The such as passing a test or
key to deep learning is the completing a task. This
learner's genuine interest and approach often leads to
determination to succeed. short-term retention of
Example of Deep Learning: information without a deep
understanding or application
Consider a student taking an beyond the immediate goal.
online marketing course to
Example of Surface Learning:
run Facebook ads and
generate significant sales. A A student taking the same
deep learner won't just stop marketing course might only
at learning how to create and focus on the necessary steps
publish a Facebook ad. They to run Facebook ads, ignoring
will also explore related additional content. They
content, such as identifying
Problem of Over-Reliance on Short Courses

might consume information ● Often results in

solely to pass assessments, short-term retention
missing out on broader and limited application.
learning that could enhance ● Typically driven by the
their skills and need to pass exams or
understanding in other areas complete tasks.
of online marketing.
Benefits of Short and Long
Distinguishing Deep and Courses
Surface Learning
Short Courses:
Deep Learning:
● Offer fast, focused
● Focuses on learning experiences.
comprehension and ● Provide specific skills
application over and knowledge in a
memorization. short timeframe.
● Encourages students to ● Often taught by industry
go beyond the basics and experts with real-world
understand underlying experience.
principles. ● Flexible formats,
● Leads to long-term including online
retention and the ability options, allow learning
to apply knowledge in from anywhere.
various contexts. ● Excellent for networking
with other
Surface Learning:
professionals.
● Emphasizes
Long Courses:
memorization and rote
learning to meet ● Provide a deep dive into
immediate goals. a subject, offering
comprehensive
understanding.
Problem of Over-Reliance on Short Courses

● Have a structured Conclusion

curriculum and
Both short and long courses
timeline, guiding skill
offer valuable opportunities
development.
for career advancement in the
● Allow more interaction
tech industry. Short courses
with instructors and
provide quick, focused
peers, fostering
learning, while long courses
professional
offer a deeper, structured
relationships.
educational experience.
● Can enhance career
Evaluate your career goals
prospects by providing
and consider current job
in-depth knowledge and
market trends to choose the
skills.
best educational path for you.
Current Trends and Employer
Expectations

In the rapidly changing tech

industry, employers look for
candidates with the most
relevant and up-to-date
Why Most Online Courses Fail and
skills, particularly in AI, How to Choose the Right One
cybersecurity, and data
1. They Tell But Don’t Show
analytics. A significant trend
is the demand for a Most online courses focus too
combination of technical and much on the theory—why and
what—without demonstrating the
soft skills, such as practical how-to aspects. For
communication and instance, in an online writing
collaboration. Additionally, course, instructors might spend
excessive time discussing the
the ability to work with agile
importance of consistency without
methodologies is highly showing students practical ways to
valued. achieve it. They miss opportunities
to share personal strategies for
Problem of Over-Reliance on Short Courses

overcoming obstacles, managing video repeatedly—you learn by

time, or staying motivated. actually putting it on. This
principle of directness is crucial
Key Takeaway: “Never tell us a for effective learning but is often
thing if you can show us instead.” overlooked in online courses.
Look for courses that offer
practical demonstrations and Key Takeaway: Choose courses
real-life applications. that require you to actively engage
with the content through
2. Instructors Teach in One assignments, practical exercises,
Direction and real-life applications. Find the
minimum viable action to practice
Effective learning involves what you've learned immediately.
interaction and engagement. Most
online courses rely on 4. They Don’t Understand the
pre-recorded videos that students Science of Learning
can watch at their own pace, but
this approach often lacks the Effective learning involves
community and accountability acquiring, encoding, and
needed for success. Research from retrieving information. Passive
Harvard and MIT shows that only content consumption doesn’t lead
3-4% of students complete to deep, durable learning. Instead,
self-paced online courses. look for courses that incorporate
evidence-based learning
Key Takeaway: To increase your strategies, such as retrieval
chances of success, choose courses practice, spaced repetition,
that foster a sense of community, interleaving, elaboration,
provide regular feedback, and reflection, and self-testing.
include interactive elements.
People take courses not just for Key Takeaway: Select courses that
information but for outcomes, employ active learning elements
accountability, process, and and proven learning techniques to
community. ensure the information sticks.

3. They Ignore the Principle Conclusion

of Directness
Most online courses fall short in
True mastery of a skill comes from helping you reach your desired
doing, not just watching. For outcomes. They often fail because
instance, you don’t learn how to they focus too much on theory
put on a life vest by watching a without practical application, lack
Problem of Over-Reliance on Short Courses

interactivity and community, 1. How are short courses

ignore direct practice, and don’t destroying problem-solving and
use effective learning strategies. critical thinking?

How to Choose the Right Online Superficial Learning: Short

Course: courses like those offered by
Aptech or Short Courses Wali
1. Practical Application: Sarkar often provide only a
Ensure the course goes surface-level understanding of
beyond theory and teaches topics. They focus on teaching the
practical skills. "how" without explaining the
2. Community and "why." This lack of depth inhibits
Interaction: Look for regular the development of analytical
touchpoints with instructors skills and prevents learners from
and opportunities to engage understanding the underlying
with fellow students. principles that are essential for
3. Active Practice: Choose solving complex problems.
courses that require you to
practice your desired skill Lack of Depth: These courses
actively. prioritize quick, tangible results
4. Evidence-Based Learning: over a deep, foundational
Opt for courses that use understanding of subjects. As a
proven learning strategies result, learners miss out on the
like spacing, retrieval, and critical thinking processes that
reflection. come with rigorous, in-depth
study. They become adept at
By carefully selecting courses that following specific instructions but
meet these criteria, you can struggle to apply concepts
significantly enhance your creatively in novel situations.
learning experience and achieve
your educational goals more Cookie-Cutter Approaches: Short
effectively. courses tend to use standardized
curricula that do not encourage
independent thought or creativity.
Students are taught to follow
predetermined steps to achieve
Detailed Analysis on Short
results, which limits their ability
Courses and Their Impact on to think outside the box and
Problem-Solving and Critical develop innovative solutions.
Thinking
Problem of Over-Reliance on Short Courses

False Sense of Proficiency: Increased Competition: The job

Graduates of these short courses market will become more
often believe they have mastered a competitive as employers seek out
subject after just a few weeks of candidates with advanced
study. This overconfidence problem-solving abilities. Those
discourages further learning and who have relied on short courses
development, leaving them will find it difficult to compete
ill-prepared to tackle real-world with individuals who have pursued
challenges that require deeper more rigorous, in-depth
knowledge and critical thinking. education.

2. What will happen to those 3. Can a person doing a short

taking short courses when AI course make a discovery or
takes over coding and only innovation, or can they create a
problem-solving and critical unicorn company?
thinking skills are needed?
Innovation and Discovery:
Obsolescence of Routine Skills: As Creating groundbreaking
AI technology advances, routine innovations requires a deep
coding tasks will become understanding of both the
automated. Individuals who rely technology and the underlying
solely on the basic skills learned in principles. Short courses do not
short courses will find themselves provide the comprehensive
obsolete. The job market will education necessary to foster such
increasingly demand individuals understanding. Innovators need to
who can solve complex problems draw on a wide range of knowledge
and think critically, skills that and skills, which are typically
short courses fail to develop. developed through long-term,
in-depth study.
Limited Career Progression:
Those who lack deep, critical Entrepreneurial Challenges:
thinking skills will struggle to Establishing a unicorn company
advance in their careers. They will involves not only technical skills
be relegated to low-level tasks that but also strategic thinking,
can easily be automated or business acumen, and the ability
outsourced, while high-level to solve complex problems. Short
problem-solving roles will go to courses do not equip individuals
those with a more comprehensive with the breadth of knowledge or
education and a robust skill set. the critical thinking skills required
to navigate the challenges of
building a successful startup.
Problem of Over-Reliance on Short Courses

Lack of Comprehensive Skill Set: developing a pool of highly skilled

Unicorn companies are built on professionals. This stagnation
innovation and a deep limits the industry's growth and
understanding of market needs its ability to compete globally,
and technological possibilities. allowing foreign companies to
Short course graduates are often dominate more sophisticated areas
limited to basic skills and lack the of technology.
comprehensive skill set necessary
to create and sustain high-growth 5. The illusion of genius through
businesses. short courses

4. How are foreigners taking Misguided Self-Perception:

advantage of people in Pakistan Completing a few short courses,
who know just to create a website such as those on Fiverr
and app through short courses? dropshipping or basic web/app
development, often gives
Exploitation in the Job Market: individuals a false sense of
Foreign companies often exploit expertise. They believe they are
Pakistani talent by offering low geniuses without realizing the
wages for basic web and app depth and breadth of knowledge
development tasks. These tasks, required to truly master a field.
learned through short courses, do
not command high salaries. As a Lack of Sustainable Skills: The
result, Pakistani professionals are skills gained from short courses
often underpaid and undervalued. are often not sustainable for
long-term career growth. These
Barrier to High-Level courses provide quick, temporary
Opportunities: Because many solutions but do not equip
Pakistani developers have only individuals with the in-depth
learned basic skills through short knowledge needed for continuous
courses, they are unable to learning and adaptation.
compete for higher-value,
complex projects that require a Neglect of Formal Education:
deeper understanding and more Many individuals relying on short
advanced skills. This leaves them courses neglect formal,
stuck in low-paying, low-skill comprehensive education. This
jobs. limits their ability to develop
critical thinking and
Stagnation of Local Industry: The problem-solving skills, which are
reliance on short courses prevents essential for long-term success
the local tech industry from and innovation.
Problem of Over-Reliance on Short Courses

Additional Points and through short courses creates a

Questions significant skill gap. As industries
evolve and demand more
6. Outdated Curriculum and False sophisticated expertise, those who
Promises by Training Institutes relied on short courses will find
themselves increasingly
Outdated Curriculum: Institutes outmatched and out of work.
like Aptech often sell outdated
courses that do not reflect the Conclusion
current demands of the tech
industry. They teach obsolete Short courses may offer a quick entry
technologies and methods, leaving into the tech world, but they fail to
students unprepared for modern provide the deep, comprehensive
education necessary for long-term
challenges.
success and innovation. They create a
False Promises: These training false sense of proficiency, limit career
institutes lure students with growth, and leave individuals
unprepared for the future demands of
promises of quick success and
the job market. For sustainable
high-paying jobs. In reality, they
growth and competitiveness, a
provide only basic skills that are
deeper, more thorough approach to
insufficient for meaningful career learning is essential.
advancement. This creates a cycle
of disillusionment and
underachievement among
graduates.
How Did Mark Zuckerberg
7. Impact on Long-Term Career and Bill Gates Make Great
Prospects Discoveries?
Short-Term Focus: Short courses
Context of Zuckerberg and Gates:
focus on immediate job skills
Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates are
without considering long-term
often cited as examples of
career growth. This short-sighted
individuals who achieved
approach leaves individuals with
extraordinary success without
limited options for advancement
completing their formal education.
and adaptability in a rapidly
However, their paths are unique
changing job market.
and not easily replicable for the
Critical Skill Gap: The lack of average short course graduate.
critical thinking and
Early Exposure and Talent:
problem-solving skills developed
Problem of Over-Reliance on Short Courses

● Mark Zuckerberg: He built companies that could scale

started programming at an rapidly. This level of insight and
early age and was already a business acumen is rarely
skilled developer by the time developed through short courses
he entered Harvard. His alone.
success with Facebook was
built on a strong foundation Unique Opportunities and Timing:
of knowledge and an Their achievements were also a
innovative idea, supported result of being at the right place at
by a network of talented the right time. The tech industry
individuals and resources. was burgeoning, and they seized
● Bill Gates: Gates also began the moment with innovative
programming in his youth, solutions. This combination of
gaining extensive timing, skill, and opportunity is
experience and knowledge. exceptional.
Before founding Microsoft,
he had already spent years
Summary
honing his skills, including
While Mark Zuckerberg and Bill
writing complex software
Gates are extraordinary examples
and understanding the
of individuals who achieved
intricacies of computer
success without completing their
systems.
formal education, their stories are
Access to Resources: Both not the norm. They had early
Zuckerberg and Gates had access exposure to technology, access to
to exceptional resources, exceptional resources, and the
networks, and environments that ability to think strategically and
fostered their talents. They were in innovate at a high level. In
positions where they could contrast, short courses provide a
leverage their skills effectively and limited education that does not
attract the necessary support to typically equip individuals with the
turn their ideas into successful comprehensive skills, deep
businesses. understanding, and strategic
vision necessary to create
Strategic Thinking and Vision: groundbreaking innovations or
Their success was not just about build unicorn companies. For most
technical skills but also their people, a thorough, long-term
vision and strategic thinking. They education combined with practical
identified unique opportunities, experience is essential for
understood market needs, and achieving similar levels of success.
Problem of Over-Reliance on Short Courses