Mother of two with a renewed ambition and relevant learning
In 2017, mother of two Rebecca Clarke began thinking about re-entering the workforce. She decided that a career change was in order.
Despite having her hands full with two young kids at home, Clarke chose to prepare herself for a transition into administration by completing every business administration qualification that eCampus NZ offers.
She successfully completed the New Zealand Certificate in Business (Administration and Technology) (Level 3), followed by the New Zealand Certificate in Business (Administration and Technology) (Level 4), before finally completing the New Zealand Diploma in Business (Administration and Technology) (Level 5).
She chose to study with eCampus NZ because the flexibility of online study would aloow her to juggle childcare and study. “Being a mum was my main priority, but I knew I needed to invest in myself for my children to have a better future. I wanted to study from home and eCampus NZ made this possible,” says Rebecca.
Rebecca said studying was challenging when she first started out. However, she reminded herself that she was responsible for her own learning and held herself accountable. She had a good time management plan and said the sense of achievement she felt at the end of each day of study made her a better mum.
Rebecca completed her studies in three-hour blocks while her children were in daycare. “That is the flexibility that studying with eCampus NZ offers and if you do have a spare moment, instead of investing it in other places like social media, you can pull out your computer and work on an assignment. Whereas learning on campus, the hours that you are required to be there are the only hours that you can allocate,” said Rebecca.
Rebecca said that learning with eCampus NZ was interactive, well thought out and relevant. She enjoyed the team tasks with other students and said the online experience with them was completed effortlessly.
Rebecca believes that studying eCampus NZ has renewed her ambition and will allow her to comfortably transition back into the workforce.
“While I’m out of the workforce, I’m still learning about what is happening in the workforce. When I do return, I will be able to apply that to a professional setting, which will be really beneficial and the best thing I have taken away,” says Rebecca.
Rebecca’s goal is to start out in an administration role. She knows that she may have to start at the bottom and work her way up. However, she believes that the knowledge she has gained through study will allow her to transition happily into an entry-level role with the confidence that she has the skills to move up.
Rebecca wants other stay-at-home parents who are thinking about studying to know that, while learners are responsible for their own learning, eCampus NZ has a fantastic support system to help them when they find things challenging. “The facilitators play a big part in making the study journey possible,” said Rebecca.
Her other advice is that studying is fun. “There is a misconception that studying can be stressful, but the things you get out of studying are far more rewarding at the end of the day than the doubts you have to begin with,” said Rebecca.