It is often debated whether adults should acquire practical competence autonomously or through attending usual classes. While the benefits of self-directed learning are significant, I strongly believe that the practical guidance provided by a professional mentor is more effective for several reasons.
On the one hand, as adults in the majority of cases, have already got a tertiary level of education, they mostly tend to take vocational courses. So pursuing practical skills autonomously is often more convenient, as it offers a capacity to create personal independence and adaptability. Specifically, students have an opportunity to identify their knowledge gaps in a particular field and focus the educational process on them. There is no need for them to adjust classes to accommodate other students’ interests or requirements, so does the curriculum schedule. Furthermore, self education does not necessarily require learning without external assistance. For instance, with the development of digital devices, such as AI tools, some of them might be used to gain practical skills.
On the other hand, I do believe that opting for structured instruction prepared by a qualified teacher offers much more practical benefits. Firstly, the diagnosis that obviously people may undergo on their own, will show wider and deeper results with the help of a mentor, as they can highlight some overlooked gaps. Secondly, not only does a teacher’s professional skills help students to learn more, but it also disciplines them. As an example, homework tasks need to be done, whereas while learning by themselves adults tend to abandon their studies.
In conclusion, with respect to the discussed benefits of self education such as independence and adaptability, I believe that only with the guidance of a well-qualified mentor students achieve their academic goals.