How to Choose a No-BS Online Course And Get Back to School the Right Way

Doris Day AI-free content

Updated: 10 June, 2025

2803
25 min

Tonya is a junior digital marketer. This school year, she set a goal to get a raise but experience alone is not enough to achieve it. Tonya spent the last month looking through dozens of online courses to improve her skills but still can’t decide. What if she wastes her time and money on a scam?

For all the Tonyas out there, we’ve compiled a list of red flags to look for when choosing paid online courses. Follow our hero’s story and learn how to tell if an online course is a scam.

Why should I pay for courses in the first place?

That was the first question Tonya asked herself. She’s not wrong! There are many free courses in well-renowned online schools and even on YouTube that can give you just as much value. However, learning goes beyond passively consuming information. Here’s what you really pay for when you buy an online course:

  • High-quality feedback. When you pay for a course, ideally, you pay for the tutor’s time. They check your tasks and answer your questions, and high-quality feedback can help a lot in your journey — especially if you’re radically changing your career path or need advanced training.

  • Structure. Let’s say, you want to become a UX designer. If you try learning all these skills separately, from different sources, you’ll spend way more time and end up with no clear picture. Meanwhile, a paid course provides you with all the necessary knowledge in one place, prioritized by complexity and importance.

  • Certification. Many companies, especially corporations, look for candidates who completed courses from globally recognized providers. Some of these courses, like HubSpot Digital Marketing Certification, are free.

  • Practice. Online courses provide tests and home tasks so you can start applying your fresh knowledge right away.

  • Exclusive knowledge. You found a course run by an owner of a small but profitable dumpling joint franchise. This course will contain a lot of niche-specific, less common recommendations you won’t find in general courses. Such exclusive content is worth paying for.

  • Schedule. Many paid courses provide a strict schedule and deadlines, which can increase your motivation and chances to actually finish the course.

  • Networking. When you sign up for an online group class, you can talk to other students and professionals in your field of choice.

  • Portfolio. During a paid course, you often work on a project — and, once you finish the program, you get a case for your portfolio.

Can you learn it for free?

Lindsey is Tonya’s friend, and she’s never paid for online education. Tonya talked to Lindsey and wrote down a list of cases when free courses are enough:

  • You need to learn new software. Tutorials and online forums will do the job.
  • You only need the basics. A free course from Ahrefs is enough for a general understanding of SEO.
  • You need to master a specific skill. For example, a couple of tutorials on developing chatbots.
  • You don’t need it for the job. Free materials can help with technical basics for hobbies.

Tonya decided that free courses won’t cut it now — she needs advanced training.

Now, let’s take a look at some possible red flags and learn how to choose a course that’s worth the money.

Red flags #1: Institutes of BS

Online schools

  • The school name is copying a popular brand with a good reputation.
  • If the school in question calls itself “online college”, it’s not accredited.
  • The provider is not approved by CPD or other organizations.

Businesses

  • The company is too young.
  • The company’s products and services are not good. Check reviews.
  • The company has no active social media accounts.

Red flags #2: Self-proclaimed “experts”

Pay attention to how the tutors’ professional achievements are described:

  • No social media links.
  • Vague job descriptions.
  • Wacky job titles.

Red flags #3: Questionable marketing

The promised results

Look for:

  • The “rags-to-riches” narrative and shaming.
  • Vague “become a Senior Marketer” promises.

The course info

  • No or vague descriptions of the program and structure.
  • No free demo.
  • The outdated program.

Red flags #4: The untrustworthy reviews

Consider:

  • Reviews in one source only.
  • Common themes in negative reviews.
  • Vague positive reviews.
  • Unverified authors.

Red flags #5: The content that’s not worth your buck

The format

Focusing on one type of content is a red flag. Diversity in content format is essential.

The practice

Look for:

  • No practical tasks at all.
  • The lack or low quality of feedback.

Red flags #6: No shoulder to cry on

Look for:

  • No designated time for questions.
  • No managed community.
  • No group tasks and projects.

The bottom line

When choosing a paid online course, check the provider, tutors, promotional content, reviews, content, and community. If you want to get back to school, consider starting small with a short free course.