If you are trying to decide whether to take a continuing education class in person or online, there are a few practical considerations that can help you make the right choice. Perhaps the most important factor massage therapists and bodyworkers must weigh is which method is best for their own personal learning ability.

Several factors can come into play when you are considering your own best method for learning. For example, some people may learn just fine by reading text, hearing lectures and seeing drawings, photographs and videos. These are some of the basic components of today's online continuing education classes.

On the other hand, many massage therapists and bodyworkers may feel they learn best in person, where they can physically interact with the teacher and other students. A deciding factor for determining the method of continuing education that will best suit you will most likely be the topic of continuing education you choose to take—whether it is a more cerebral subject, such as ethics or marketing, or a more tactile topic, such as learning a new modality or getting a refresher on proper body mechanics.

You may decide an online continuing education class will suit your learning style just fine when it comes to taking a class on accounting for massage therapists and bodyworkers. However, when it comes to learning Thai yoga massage, you might feel that you need to enroll in a traditional, on-site continuing education class.

Keep in mind, these are not hard and fast rules, and many massage therapists and bodyworkers feel they can

gain hands-on skills via an online continuing education class with high-quality materials, such as videos and interactive forums. For those who are just starting their foray into the world of continuing education, a small amount of trial and error may be necessary before you can say exactly which type of learning suits you best for certain topics.

Your schedule is another factor to consider as you go about choosing between an online or in-person continuing education class. First, check when and how often the on-site continuing education class meets, or how flexible the online continuing education class is in terms of when students must log in to learn and complete certain tasks. Then, see if times and dates will suit your own personal and professional schedule.

Keep in mind, there are quite a few continuing education classes for massage therapists and bodyworkers that take place in condensed time frames, such as three-day workshops and seminars, as well as destination retreats that take place in resorts and on cruise ships.

A third consideration when selecting a continuing education class will likely be your budget. In general, online continuing education classes for massage therapists and bodyworkers tend to be more affordable, but this is not always the case. You may find a high-quality on-site continuing education class that fits your budget just fine. However, theonline continuing education classes are typically cheaper than those continuing education seminars that take place on cruise ships or in luxurious resorts.

--Brandi Schlossberg

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