I can't speak for the on-line course, but I took the Professional Photography course the old fashioned way several years ago. It was well worth it.

Someone wrote this and I agree.

Apparently many do not know fully about NYIP.

You can pay your tuition in payments, and save a lot by paying up front.

The course is from the simple beginning to as wide an end and you can move at your own pace.

It starts out with basic camera stuff and advances you with assignments. If you really do the assignments with a little thinking, instead of getting them done in a hurry, you will improve your photography. If you don't take the advantage, what is there to gain? If you do take the advantage, you can really improve your skill. Not everyone starts out in photography all at once; many took a lot of time. But, the one thing is that all they could think, eat, and sleep was photography. That is what one needs.
Get a regular job, maybe at first; offer to work for nothing on the side (but usually apprentices are chosen who have some sort of portfolio, or get with a local photographer doing portraits or weddings)

Take care and hope you make up your mind in the direction you want to go.

Get to some cheaper seminars as the ones Nikon or sometimes Canon offers, they are not bad because you will usually pick up something. None of the schools are cheap and many of those that are really cheap aren't worth it.

And, I will add, one gets out what one puts in.

Good luck

I took it a number of years ago and I still use the material from time to time. Is it the best out there, I don't know but I suspect not, but it certainly will give you adequate training to move on as a professional or become a serious amateur. The nice thing about the material is that, other than the assignments, you can read and listen to the supplied material many times over the years.