When you start a new career, it’s imperative that you know your learning habits. By establishing what kind of learner you are, you’ll be able to make progress faster and achieve goals in a shorter time span.
Two most basic welcoming currents which every business usually follows are training and mentoring. Although both of them will work on most people and turn them into efficient employees, there are few differences between the two. These finesses might determine the course of your career which is why you should learn what mentoring and training are and how different they are from each other.
Mentoring
Mentoring is a process where a skilled professional transfers his or her knowledge onto a student. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons.
Pros
- Learning from a Professional
As a newbie in a small company, it’s most likely you’ll be assigned a mentor. This kind of personal touch – working with an experienced professional from the start – can be of great benefit. Although most of your job will be about doing research and collecting data for your mentor in the initial period, you’ll be able to see exactly how things are done in that particular company. With this knowledge, you’ll be able to collect pretty useful tips.
- Inside Information
The key to learning about any business is in having a clear overview of its internal structure. This is exactly what you will be able to see when you have a mentor to guide you. You mentor will set a line of tasks in front of you on a daily basis. If you pay close attention to your assignments, you’ll be able to pick up very useful data for the future.
- Narrowing Your Expertise from the Start
Although having a mentor sometimes may feel like you’re constantly being closely watched, you should probably focus on other aspect. The fact that you have an experienced person to correct every mistake you made and direct you in the right way will help you a lot in the long-term. If you follow their guidance, which can be frustrating at some points, you will be able to narrow your area of expertise faster.
- Fruitful Learning Curve
Right from the start, with a mentor, you will also get an opportunity to learn from practice and adopt theoretical knowledge along the way. Therefore, mentoring provides a very fruitful learning curve that will get you, an outsider, in the core of the happenings.
Cons
A serious problem may appear if you are assigned a mentor who has no interest in helping you out. Lack of interest in this manner can’t possibly be motivating for you. Another situation would be if you don’t like them, as it’s very difficult to learn from people who you don’t find pleasant. However, this is when you need to act like a professional and take everything you can get out of your mentor, no matter their attitude.
Training
Training is a process where students get a chance to hone their skills by going through a series of courses and classes. Check out the pros and cons:
Pros
- Thorough Knowledge Areas
Companies who operate on a larger scale often use training software for employees. When in training, you will get access to very thorough theoretical knowledge in the beginning. A possibility like this, when you can put a circle around every subject you’re faced with, can be highly beneficial for your future in the company and in general.
Gaining this kind of knowledge and learning about the way business is done in a certain company will create a lot less room for mistakes. Also, it will help you build confidence in your new workplace and that will enable you to show initiative.
- Fast Progress
A quality training software for employees is fashioned to provide fast progress for their employees. By using it, you will go through a series of courses, quizzes, and assignments. These areas of learning are made to make a trainee learn fast by adopting basic information first and then moving on to wider and more complicated areas.
- Understanding the Workflow of a Business
Without a learning curve, a trainee will be able to understand the models of functioning in their new workplace. This kind of approach to new employees shows them how to survive in the business world and understand its principles.
- Collecting Work Tools
Another thing that training software for employees will provide are tools. Not only that you will understand how the work is done within a company, but you will also be equipped with tools so that you can join the workforce right away.
Cons
Although training software usually consists out of different tests and assignments, the actual work will follow after you completed your course. When having a mentor, the problematic thing was the learning curve which can be time-taking. With training, you will need some time to physically adjust to a new setting and fit in.
The Difference Between the Two
The key difference is in the treatment new employees receive and it usually depends on the size of the business; smaller companies provide mentors in most cases while bigger ones give trainings.
Although both training and mentoring will make a new employee capable to do their job within a company, there is a difference between them. Obviously, mentoring will be more suitable to those who prefer to take their time and learn everything through practice.
On the other hand, training is for quick learners that can immediately use their theoretical knowledge and apply it in a new office. There’s also a matter of small vs larger companies; mentoring is more present in business that are in development while training software are usually used in bigger organizations. So, your decision should depend on what kind of learner you are and what kind of goals you set in front of you.
Author Bio: Kamy Anderson is an ed-tech enthusiast with a passion for writing on emerging technologies in the areas of corporate training and education. He is an expert in learning management system & elearning authoring tools – currently associated with ProProfs.
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