Not necessarily. It depends on the situation. People have different learning styles and many people prefer to find a "one-stop solution". A few years ago, I was far more likely to recommend the the first choice because the places like T3, SMB were charging a ridiculous amount but it's been the better part of a decade since those type of firms started gaining market-share. There's a lot of competition in that space so products have become more attractive and comprehensive over the years. There's also more access to experienced traders & things of that nature.
There is value in both type of options. "What's best for me?" is a subjective question in and of itself. The way the costs are accumulating, the most affordable way to "get your feet wet" or learn part-time have double and tripled in price over the last 2 years. My experiences have led me to these conclusions. A few years ago, I would have never recommended T3 or SMB BUT looking at the options new and intermediate traders have these days, those programs, particularly the ones like Maverick and Alpha 7 which are more affordable at like 3k, offer someone looking to learn the most opportunity for the least amount of upfront investment - which I personally believe is in the best interest of a new trader. I've seen so many cases of people blowing up their accounts over poor risk-management when they start that the self-education model doesn't help you accelerate your learning curve quickly enough to cut down your risks and keep yourself alive.
In a perfect world, everyone would be self-education but people these days are so lost and confused that it seems most people I run into can only progress with baby-steps. just my 2 cents.
