A little over two years ago, I made a very quick decision to enroll in the Weltec Graduate Diploma in Event Management with the help and support of my work. I was last a student over ten years ago, and I knew I'd be in for a shock; here's what that shock looked like:
I was scheduling catchups with friends up to six weeks in advance because I was trying to jam two jobs, study, life and not to mention sleep into a limited weekly timeframe.
I'm sorry, friends.
My other qualification is a Diploma in Aviation Science (Bronnie: Manages events; flies planes...) which doesn't give much of representation to the 'business' side of my varied experience. While there are crossovers like being really good at prioritising and being calm under pressure, I wanted to compliment the event management experience I had by being immersed in study. Being surrounded by creative, organised and like-minded people certainly helped with professional and personal development.
I now have a qualification which backs up the experience I have, and that makes me smile.
Professional and personal development is pretty important at my work, and thanks to that, I received the full support of my employer during the time I was studying.
They gave me an afternoon of paid study leave each week so I could attend lectures AND they made massive contributions to the cost of studying.
Isn't that wonderful?! Thanks, guys!
Well, it really depends on what you're studying and if it's part-time or full-time, and how intense it, how much other stuff you've got going on in your life.
I chose a course that was designed for people like me; lectures were only on one day in the week and meant that I only needed to take one afternoon off from work.
For me, I was in my 20's, single, no real responsibilities so the timing was perfect, really. Sure, some parts of my life suffered, but I'm sure my liver was thankful.
Absolutely, hands down I wouldn't have been able to do it if my employer wasn't so supportive and on board with my crazy idea. If you're thinking about studying, have a discussion with your boss to see if they can help you out in any way. Go to them with ideas you think might work for both parties.
I finished studying in June last year (2015) and just graduated yesterday (April 2016) so my life has been back to normal for a while now.
Next for me is to continue creating and delivering wicked events, get better doing it and learning lots along the way.
If you happen to have an event I can help you out with, let me know - I'm for hire!
