So, you’re considering studying a professional qualification – firstly, good for you! Secondly, perhaps you’re now realising that this is a sizable commitment. And you have a home to keep up with, a long commute, kids, a social life, perhaps two small dachshunds, and/ or a very sweet elderly neighbour whose shopping you also do once a week. How on earth are you going to fit in a qualification?!

Rome wasn’t built in a day. But it was built. The qualification will take time, but you can do it.

Here are six tips to help manage a professional course alongside your other life commitments:

1 – Time is on your side.

You have a generous three years (or 36 months if that makes you feel even better), to finish the qualification. Completion of a CIM or CIPR Qualification is not a race, and if you need to take your time, that’s okay. I took 2 years and 11 months to complete the CIM Level 7 Leadership Programme! Thanks to Covid and small children, I needed maximum flexibility. And I was grateful for the time given – and excellent tutor support.

Approach the modules one at a time. If you need a break between one of them, take it! Be honest with what you can achieve in the time that you have.

2 – Communicate with your clan.

We all have our own household dynamics, so speak to family members to agree when the best times are to commit to your studies. It’s important to consider your loved ones, but also work out an ‘agreement’, so that everyone knows that Tuesday nights and Saturday mornings you aren’t available!

3 – Planning is prudent.

Maybe you are naturally organised, maybe you’re not. Whatever camp you fit into, make sure you plan ahead to get the most from your studies. Luckily there are some helpful guides you can use to plan out what modules you will work through.

I used my calendar to plan activities, focusing on one hour ‘bursts’ for more targeted actions like doing research and reading. Then when I was doing 3-hour stints on actual writing, I planned those in at times where I needed no interruption, like early on Saturday mornings when the household was still asleep.

4 – You don’t know unless you ask… (You might even get a ‘yes’).

Have you asked your employer for support? What have you got to lose? With companies looking to be more attractive with better benefits, they may well have something for you. Ask about:

  • Training and development budgets – could they fully fund or even part fund your studies?
  • Learning hours – are you able to agree so many hours every to spend on your course? After all, the company will benefit from the new skills you learn too.
  • Self-development or promotion – if there is nothing official in place for learning and development, can you speak to your line manager about career progression? This conversation in itself may turn out another option that you haven’t thought of, either in terms of support, funding or more.

Need help to get the training budget signed off? Oxford College of Marketing have already thought of this – just ask the Enquiries Team for an Employer Information Document that can aid you in getting funding.

5 – Be smart. Set small achievable goals.

There may be times where you’ve had a manic day at work, it’s chucking it down and the dogs need a walk, or maybe you just didn’t sleep well. These things happen and it’s important not to let them derail your entire studies or efforts. Breaking down the course into smaller ‘chunks’ makes it more achievable and means you can get through it more methodically. Creating more than one finish line for yourself can be hugely positive and empowering.

6 – Have boundaries.

Either you are already in a Marketing role, or you’d like to be, and so therefore, I hope there are elements of the qualification you really enjoy and get a huge amount of knowledge from. Sticking to your weekly schedule helps keep you on your desired path.

However, it’s also important to set boundaries and time where you do anything but the course! Make sure you aren’t giving up other aspects of your life that you enjoy, or else you may feel negatively about the time you are spending each week on your professional qualification. The CIM qualifications are an incredible achievement, but they too should be worked upon at a timeline that suits you.

To conclude, take your time, communicate with your household, plan ahead, and set yourself achievable goals and boundaries. Before you know it, you will be at the end of the qualification, and maybe, like me, you’ll even want to do another…

This blogpost was written By Claire Allen-Addy, a Chartered Marketer with over 12 years experience of marketing in software, e-commerce, and technology industries. After completing three CIM qualifications, she is now leading product marketing at a software start-up called IriusRisk. If you’re thinking about studying a marketing course, contact us today, we’d love to discuss finding the right course for you.