Before you sign up for your certificate program or whatever you've got your eyes on, please consider these three things below. I've been an online marketer for a couple of years now, and after doing some research for my blog, I came across some very interesting information. This led me to 3 conclusions.

1. You certainly don't get what you pay for with university courses

I've taken some classes at the local college (not marketing related), and I've taken some classes online (also not marketing related). The reason I mention this, is to make the point that what you learn in these classes, even after a semester of education, is not going to be enough to make you a full-fledged, qualified, internet marketer.

You are going to have to do lots of research outside class, and when you do this, you'll realize that the hundreds, or even thousands of dollars you paid for these classes is information that's available for free on the internet.

The best thing about taking a course through a university or other accredited program is that you have proof that you finished the course, and you can have someone to give you some direction. Learning any new skill can be overwhelming, and having a mentor to take you through the beginner steps can be a help.

2. The best information is online

This brings me to the point that most of the information you will need about how to do marketing online is going to be found on the internet. In my opinion, if a college professor was so proficient at online marketing, they would have systems in place to make money so that they wouldn't have to go to a job.

Successful internet markers certainly aren't going to go looking for a job, so the information they want to share and teach is going to be on their blog, in PDF format, or even in the form of tweets and YouTube videos.

PLUS, the information any kind of online marketing teacher is going to give you is going to be from the internet. Books simply can't keep up with the speed of information changing and being shared on the internet. So you can have someone relay what they found on Google to you in a classroom setting, or you can go find the information yourself.

3. You will succeed by doing, not by learning

This will depend heavily on your goals, but I think if you're searching the internet for online marketing certificates, it not very likely that you are actually doing your MBA in university and looking to specialize in social media marketing or other types of internet marketing. My guess is that you college would have that information locally.

More than likely, you are looking to get some kind of qualification to further your own career, or to start your own business. If this is the case, honestly, I don't think a certification course is going to be what you need.

I think you are going to need to connect with some of the top internet marketers online. You are going to need to ask question, experiment with your own blog, your own website, or maybe even your own product.

Like I said, it will depend on your goals. But the point stands that you will learn a whole lot more getting out there and searching for the relevant information you NEED, rather than waiting for someone to spoon feed you bits and pieces over the course of a semester.

Conclusion

In my opinion, the cost of a certified internet marketing course does not fully represent the value you receive. Though it may seem a bit 'cheap' or maybe even obvious, there's tons of information online that can help you get started. You just need to be motivated, interested, and persistent to find what you need.