When you were new to magic, and you could receive five hours of professional hands-on instruction, what would it be? Coin vanishes? Thumb Tips? Card Magic?

What about if you were to receive these five hours of instruction where your skill level is now, what would you get it for?

Stage illusions and stagework.

It's very difficult to come across this sort of education and experience.

I can practice all of my close-up and parlor magic at home. Can't really do that with an Ashrah Levitation, Origami, or a monster guillotine...

Since I'm just doing card magic your first question is simple to answer: Something about Card Magic.

My skill level is like beginner+ (2 years reading books and practicing). I would wish a training on the "evolution of different card trick plots". For example, take something like ACR and then first show/explain one of the earliest ACR routines, then show the ACR routine of some other magician which improved it and explain why this new version is better, then show another version which improves it and so on. Also with examples which would make the trick worse and why such a modification would weaken the trick. For example, does it make sense to combine two versions from different magicians (like the "jumping card" climax from ACR and the climax from the Darwin Ortiz ACR and the climax from Tommy Wonder's ACR with the card in the box. Does it make sense to do an ACR which includes all 3 of them)? And also with deep and detailed explanations of the final version. And similar explanations for other common plots like Oil&Water, Wild Card, Triumph, Card to Pocket, Card Transposition, Ace Assemblies, Torn & Restore, Poker Demos and so on.
To summarize: A training on the theoretical background of card tricks applied to common plots to make it as practical as possible.

Another idea for a training would be how to create a bigger act. For example, I know a lot of different smaller tricks or plots, but I don't know in which order I should do them to create a final act. What is important for the first trick, what for the second trick and what for the last one? When to introduce mem-decks and when should I do gaffed tricks. How many of them is too much? Which common plots can be combined because trick1 prepares you for trick2? Which tricks can be used to do a stealth deck change to bring in the mem deck? Should all tricks include different sleights and how often can the same sleight be repeated in different tricks? And so on.

Scripting / routining the tricks I already have. I would show what I am already capable of and ask, what would make it better

Being a beginner, I'd like to receive five hour of professional training on... one trick(effect, sleight), thaught PROFESSIONALLY.

I mean, being corrected until it's polished and "professional", to get a grasp of what "preparing" really means, according to magic

On the business side of performing - Entertainment business training. Success is created in the business behind the performance.

Having the proper business knowledge will also help you determine and create your best (and must marketable) performance possible.

This!

Had I had any type of business education I feel I would be in a different spot in magic other than it being a hobby.

That is so true of so many magicians. Most don't realize it until much later how much of a game changer this is. Ideally, these should both be studied and learned simultaneously. You don't know what you don't know.

Talking about Business - years ago (50?)I was doing a Show at a Church Carnival - a gentleman came and showed me his Badge (County Clerk) and asked me for my Business Licence - What ? I replied -Your getting paid for the Show, In Los Angeles County if getting paid you HAVE to have a Business Licence - He gave me a'ticket' and required me to be at his office first chance or be jailed. Well, it was $50. for that year and $50. for each last 3 years. and for each year there after - (until We moved ha ha ha ) OK- then, every thing I paid for my Show, props, trans, Licence, etc. Lowered my income and TAX. So it worked out. He also asked me to report any others (NO WAY, fellow Magi). I don't know if it's still going on- there and other places - So Blessing to all - Ralph ROUSSEAU (Russo - profile)

I would receive professional instruction on card magic. Since there's so much material out there it's hard to know what to learn. I was all over the place.

Yeah, You're still required to have a business license in la, and a look
at there website indicates it's not cheap.

Happy I'm retired (from WDW) and now living in Central Florida'

New: Close-up magic.

Now: Bizarre magic.

As someone who is getting into magic as a hobby after being a huge enthusiast and fan for years who've bought a couple of books trying to figure it out and floundering, I can tell you that getting "professional training" for 5 hours is invaluable. For me, trying to learn sleights from a book was a struggle. The few videos I got helped but I was just practicing sleights and moves instead of routines. I've managed in a short time to learn some smaller routines I can actually perform, along with performance tips and corrections. Being that the lessons are progressive and build upon each other; and also being held accountable between my lessons (once a week) has really given me confidence and accelerated my progress. Don't think I would have been able to do that on my own given my propensity to jump around from thing to thing.