For many people, home learning is the first step back into education since leaving school. Indeed, for some, this may be what makes the prospect a potentially daunting one, with memories flooding back of being drilled on subjects you had little interest in. Even for those who did not have this sort of problem, or who have taken further education since leaving school, learning at home can still be quite a different experience to that they've had before.

The biggest difference in home study is that there are no classes to attend. All the materials are sent to you through the post or are dealt with online. The major benefit of doing this means that you do not necessarily have to work your whole life around the course - instead, your eduction fits in around you. This alone can make it an entirely new experience, as it allows you to feel in control of what you're doing - you are essentially taking the course because you want to, or because you believe it will benefit you, not because anybody else is making you. Clearly, this can also lead to the biggest challenge of learning at home, and that is motivation, linked to time management. Your course tutor will be able to advise you of the approximate level of input required for each part of the course, but how much time you spend on each part is really up to you. This does give you the chance, however, to focus on the parts of the syllabus that either interest you most, or that you find most challenging or most helpful, and conversely, you can spend less time on topics you're confident with from your own prior knowledge and experience.

Another important thing to be aware of with home study courses is that these are courses that are tailored to professional skills. Much of the problem for some people in the standard education system is that the material that is taught is seldom directly relevant to everyday life or indeed to the workplace. Home learning courses, on the other hand, have been designed to meet the requirements set by people working in the industry, or by, for example, the developers of a particular piece of software. Because they are specific to work oriented skills and knowledge, you are able to bring your prior experience to the learning, and, unless you have taken a course you are entirely new to and have no interest in, you are unlikely to ever find yourself completely 'in the deep end' with no idea of where to begin, as can be the case in a classroom setting. There are often no examinations to do when undertaking a distance learning course, which, as well as making it easier for you to manage your time with other commitments such as family and work, also takes away one of the more anxiety inducing aspects of education. Most courses are assessed by way of coursework assignments, which are submitted to your tutor, and for which you can get direct feedback. You are also given contact details for tutors, so you can get in touch whenever you decide to study, which is not necessarily the case with more traditional teaching methods.