Great Experience with Open Colleges Horticulture
Overall I had a very positive experience with my Horticulture course (Certificate III), and most of the time I actually found it very fun and rewarding. The course was easy to navigate and a good layout for browsing the educational content and then completing the assignments. The educational content is a mix of text (which you need to read and take notes because the assignments will be based on this material) and Youtube videos. I paid $4,000 up front and this gave me access to the course self-paced for 24 months which offers great flexibility for your lifestyle (payments plans are available). Open Colleges is SO much cheaper than Tafe and University courses (and to be honest, I did a double degree at uni and although the experience was better because it was in person rather than online like this course, I think the quality of uni vs Open Colleges is comparable, but the price difference is insane). I was working fulltime whilst studying so it was a bit more intensive than I realised, so don't underestimate the time and effort you'll need to complete the course. So I had to ask for a 6 month extension which was another $400 (but you can just take it month by month which is cheaper). For the horticulture course, you need access to a backyard, plants, and gardening tools. If you don't have this, you'll need to buy it all or you'll need to make an agreement with a horticultural site (like a botanic garden). I just used my private backyard and was lucky my family members let me borrow plants and tools. You will need to film yourself completing all the tasks (like planting seedlings, mowing the lawn, testing soil pH), so you will need a good laptop to edit the videos and upload them. Whenever I had a problem I contacted student support either via email or phone call and I always received help. The phone call waiting times can be very long though. The two assessors that I had (Blaine and Jaclyn) were determined for me to finish this course and I really appreciated their support and encouragement, especially towards the end they gave me extra time because they knew I was SO close to finishing. But, there were some minor annoyances (for example, you have to talk about common sense hazards/risks like wearing sunscreen and a hat, and then show cleaning and packing away tools in EVERY single video which seems so repetitive and obvious, it's such a waste of time). But things like that are standard in Australia, it's not just an Open Colleges thing. So yes, I would recommend the horticulture course through Open Colleges, I learnt a lot and had fun along the way, but be prepared for a lot of hard work and filming/video editing. I honestly think they should give me a certificate in film-making too! haha