@Blackpaw4 welcome! I also used to work traditionally, so that I would have an actual piece of artwork that I can hold in my hand. I started working digitally a couple years ago, because although it doesn't speed up the creation of the art, it is much easier to make edits to a digital piece. That being said, it is also very much possible to edit traditional work digitally.
I think lots of illustrators work in combination to get the benefits of both, like 'tra-digitally.' I guess I was finding that I was editing my work heavily in Photoshop, which improved my digital painting skills in the process. So it was sort of a natural transition.
With the courses, I did most of them with pencil. Also I always do my brainstorming, sketches, thumbnails in pencil first. Apart from the digital-specific courses, you will probably not feel limited or out-of-place using traditional media here.
