peppersvnv Posted July 4, 2011 Report Share Posted July 4, 2011 I'd like to join the guild but at the same time I'm saving for classroom instruction - probably John C. Campbell in NC. I wonder which is a better investment. If any members have been to a classroom environment and also have finished a project with the guild please take a minute and compare the two for me. Thanks in advance, John B Bedford County, VA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sac Posted July 4, 2011 Report Share Posted July 4, 2011 Hey there Peppers. I will put it this way, the Guild is like a classroom. Well, beside the fact that you are not. All the videos that are in the Guild and VERY in-depth and each step is shown to you like you are in a classroom. It is like all the time, on demand, one on one with the instructor. Not to mention that you just dont get one class, you have access to ALL of the previous Guild builds. I have been a Guild member for about a year and a half, and even though I dont do all of the guild builds, there is plenty to gain just from watching the videos. I would recommend the guild if you want to learn A LOT. That being said, there is something about being in a class that would be nice. Again, it really depends on what you are looking for. Good luck with your decision.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteJr Posted July 4, 2011 Report Share Posted July 4, 2011 Guild content is excellent and Marc is a skilled instructor. Advantages from my perspective; all of the content is available for repeated reference, Guild members are available for help, Marc answers questions quickly, and he's a funny guy too! Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewoodwhisperer Posted July 4, 2011 Report Share Posted July 4, 2011 Thanks guys. I'll add a few thoughts to what was mentioned above. Hands-on training is really the ultimate way to learn, assuming you have a quality instructor and unlimited funds. Its really nice to have immediate feedback on your performance so you can make adjustments and avoid mistakes before making them. But good in-depth classes are not cheap. You can pay anywhere from a couple hundred to thousands of dollars for a single class. Just as an example, I am teaching the Wall-Hanging Cabinet (a previous Guild project) class at the William Ng School this Fall. The cost is $870 and that doesn't account for your transportation, lodging, and meals. The Guild costs $199 for the first year and $129 each additional year and the Wall Hanging Cabinet is just one of the many projects you have access to. Obviously though, learning via video is not right for everyone. But if you are a visual learner and you are self-motivated, its a real nice treat to have all the videos accessible any time you need them. Having taken many hands-on classes myself, I know it can be frustrating to go home and realize you forgot half of what the instructor taught you in the class. All you have is your project, your notes, a few pictures, and your memory. A few other advantages to the Guild: - Access to myself and your fellow Guild members to bounce ideas off of and discuss project details (Guild and non-Guild projects). - Learn at your own pace: nights, weekends, whatever.... The videos are always there when you're ready to move on to the next step. - Top notch project plans are provided for every Guild Build. - Learn while using your own tools. - Numerous opportunities for live interaction (chats, Board Meetings, interviews, etc). - Discounts at several woodworking vendors and lumber dealers. I would say one of the major disadvantages of the Guild is the choice of projects. While I take feedback and try to choose good projects, most of them are selected based on what I think would be fun to build. So if you are into building early reproductions and more classic furniture pieces, the Guild might not be the right choice for you, simply because I don't really dig older styles of furniture. My personal tastes clearly work their way into each build, for better or for worse. Ultimately, I think the Guild is an incredible bang for the buck but I might be a little biased. All that said, I still look forward to taking at least one or two classes a year myself. For me, learning directly from an instructor who has a unique methodology is incredibly valuable to me. So part of my strategy is to target particular instructors when I pick my classes. Obviously, the Guild can't offer that type of flexibility. I'm really the only one making the content (at least right now). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Crawford Posted July 5, 2011 Report Share Posted July 5, 2011 Another thing that Mark does, which I consider very valuable, is to present more than one way to accomplish a given task. For those of us that do not have a fully equipped shop this can be very helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMarcel Posted July 5, 2011 Report Share Posted July 5, 2011 What is the classroom instruction? If it is basic woodworking, that's well covered in Marc's free videos. If it is adv beginner/intermediate, then the guild will cover it well. If the classroom instruction is specialized, such as inlay/marquetry or "Windsor chair from a green tree", then the classroom wins, definitely. If you need special instruction on a particular tool, usually places like Woodcraft have classes that can give you a taste for it (for example, cheaper to take a pen turning class and realize you hate it than to buy everything first). Besides, do you get a special handshake in a classroom?! no... no super secret decoder ring either... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peppersvnv Posted July 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2011 Thanks to all who helped me with this. I'll join next Monday. No secret hand shake - no decoder ring ?!?! At least here I get to use a secret password. Peppers AKA Jb thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jHop Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 Not being a guild member (yet... frickin' finances...) I can't say all the benefits of the guild over classroom. One that I do know of, however, is that you don't have to sing every morning before your classes begin. (I've looked into John C Campbell myself. Most of the classes I want, however, are not something than can be taught online.) One benefit to taking the class versus the guild is you can use someone else's tool. This is a good thing, as it might be a tool you don't have. you can now test it with actual experience versus just reading or taking someone's word about it. And you can challenge yourself to do a project with some materials you've never tried, some method you haven't seen, or some tools you haven't purchased before, and know that there's an instructor there who can help when something goes ... in an unexpected direction. Of course, in my experience, none of these instructors have been as personable as Marc. It all comes down to you, though. Are you the type that likes peer interaction, and likes to look around the room to gauge your progress by what everybody else has done? Or are you the type that likes to learn by doing, and doesn't need to know that the rest of the class is looking at the frog someone snuck in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southwood Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 Well I am a new member, still a little green at the whole online class thing. From what I have seen so far. It is great. Content is suburb mater of fact. Camera angles are spot on so you can see what is going on. The pace of the videos is equally well done. I am thinking it was money well spent on my part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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