Masterclasses for software engineers. Are they better in person or online?

Masterclasses, educational podcasts, and tips and tricks webinars have become popular in recent times, not only for their educational value but also as a form of entertainment. With a particular demographic segment becoming more and more focused on personal and professional development, masterclasses soared in popularity.

What’s the difference between a masterclass and a course?  

While we’ve collectively decided to now call courses masterclasses, possibly due to the rise in viewership of a certain platform, most masterclasses are simply courses. What should distinguish the two concepts is, obviously, the teacher.  

To make the masterclass worthy of the name, the trainer should be a true master of their craft. We are talking about software engineers who view innovation and development as a passion and whose certifications qualify them for such a position in the software industry.   

As discussed in a previous article, certifications are still important, and specialists know their value, even if their knowledge base does not stop there. These trainers will give out diplomas to mark that you attended their courses.   

What to choose: an online or offline software masterclass?  

Maybe your first reaction tells you an online masterclass has many more advantages than one where you need to go out, get a bus, and go to a specific location – especially if the said location is in another town. However, there are benefits to attending a course in person.   

ASSIST Software recently organized its first masterclass event in Suceava, Romania, and the attendance was not a scoffing matter. People joined from all over Suceava and even other counties. When we asked why they decided to come, many said they preferred offline courses.   

The reasons are plain and simple. Getting away from distractions and your own office or living room can be excellent for your focus. Your mindset changes and you forget about your phone or what bills you need to pay.   

Being face-to-face with your teacher can vastly improve the way you receive information. You get to absorb everything this master has to offer and create a bond with them to relate to and understand them better. This goes double if your teacher is a well-known specialist in their domain. You want to get up close to the person whose book may reshape your perspective, as in the case of one of our attendees who was excited to meet the “Java Champion” Vlad Mihalcea and learn from him firsthand.   

How did ASSIST Software’s Masterclasses go?  

As previously mentioned, ASSIST Software organized the ASSIST Masterclasses event in Suceava on the 28th and 29th of October in two different parts of town. Suceava is a great place for learning as people here are open and eager to participate in such events in their hometown.   

The two masterclasses had an ideal number of participants as it enabled the trainers to talk to everybody and answer questions without feeling the pressure of insufficient time.   

Vlad Mihalcea, software engineer and author of the best-selling book “High Performance. Java Persistence,” had two days and a total of 16 hours to go through the agenda that had participants captivated until the last minute of the Java Masterclass.  

You can see a video of their feedback and impressions here:  

The QA Masterclass was led by three trainers with very different roles: Nicoleta Cioata, Head of QA; Diana Barculescu, Deputy QA; and Emy Iacob, QA Engineer. The combined experience of the trainers provided a unique opportunity to learn about testing and automation in an interactive and dynamic masterclass. The participants’ feedback was fantastic, and the course scored 4.78 out of 5, clearly making it a success.   

What did the attendees like so much?   

The interaction. Working in groups and side by side with the trainers affected how they processed and understood the information presented, therefore confirming that offline masterclasses for software engineers are worth it and are here to stay. 

What’s your learning style?  

How long has it been since you were in a classroom or a conference room learning with the teacher right in front of you? The ASSIST Masterclasses are here to offer you the opportunity to experience that again. Not only that, but we can guarantee that the trainers we pick will always be more than specialists. We want to bring to you people who breathe innovation and whose passion is evident.   

Be sure to follow us on social media for the latest updates and the next masterclass announcement / and future masterclass announcements. It will be a pleasure to meet you here, in Suceava, and to learn together from people we look up to.