NEWBIE GUIDE IN GETTING A PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION WHILE JUGGLING A FULL TIME JOB

As a young professional, it is not unusual for you to have a set of aspiration that involves professional development. For a lot of people; Lawyers, Accountants it is compulsory that you get continuous professional development (CPD) and are even mandated to provide evidence of these developments on an annual basis. For others, it is a personal growth and development plan.

The problem that may arise from these plans whatever the reasons for them might be is not so much in the absence of a clarity of purpose but in realization of set objectives. In other words, how do you begin and end this plan in a result that is beneficial to you, taking into consideration the financial and time resources you may have invested in it?

Some people may doubt their ability to find the time to pursue something outside of their regular hectic schedule; work, family, friends and a social life. Not surprisingly, many people give up the plan after examining the pros and cons.

These guides in themselves are not absolute, however, they may be very helpful for a newbie who is unsure about navigating the terrain.

1.    Motivation: motivation is “what causes a person to want to repeat a behavior”.

Find the reason behind your decision. Know the “why’s”. Typically, most people get on this wagon because it is a requirement for their career path. Accountants for instance have to be certified "chartered" by the national accreditation body. Another reasons might be because of job mobility where certain certifications are an absolute necessity. At other times, it may just be the desire to gain new knowledge.

Whatever the purpose might be, you need to clearly define it for the cold days when the dark voice in your head tells you “wetin you gain with all these paper”. It is always going to be a constant reality check for you on why you should forge ahead and ignore the distractions.

2.     Study materials: they are the materials you will require to gain advance knowledge on your choice of study.

You need to decide on how you are going to get the required knowledge. Explore tutorials if you typically require a knowledgeable person to initially teach you things before you get the hang of it. Alternatively, you may be an avid self-learner. In both instances, you need to ensure you have the right materials at your disposal. Correctly identify what your course requires you to know and research diligently on what you will need to acquire them. Often times you can tick this off by simply asking others before you who have successfully walked your path. Be careful on how you use this information as some may have become obsolete. When in doubt, consult the organization responsible for your certification on what the actual requirement is and accredited resource providers and proceed from there.

3.    Study-Plan: a study plan is “an organized schedule that outlines study time and learning objectives”.

As a working professional, it is often difficult to map out a schedule for studies. Many will begin to procrastinate until it is too late. You need to consciously be aware of this challenge and find ways to overcome it. Consider your routine. Work, family and again social life. Identify if you will be studying daily or weekends over a consistent period of time. If you live in a metropolitan city like Lagos; you might consider an after-work schedule. So rather than spend 3 hours in traffic, dedicate that time towards your objective and you may find it a more resourceful use of your time. For others in less busy cities like Ibadan, consider whether to head home straight, get an early rest and hit the books sometime in the middle of the night.

Whatever plan you decide on, the key factor is consistency. Set out the convenient study hours you can cope with, map out your learning objectives weekly and initiate a control system that ensures you are getting the work done. It is possible to not reach identified weekly targets but ensure you are at least close to it.

4.     Study leave: Remember how all the time in the university appeared insufficient to pass the semester exams? How much difficult can studying to pass be if you have to combine it with a full time job?

The truth at the end of the day is, you need some time away from the work to be able to seal in all those consistent learning you have been familiarizing yourself with in the past weeks/months.

Find out what your office policy is on time off for personal professional developments. If you are lucky it is a couple of weeks. Analyse your scope of study and determine if this will be enough to cover what you have to do. If it is not, you may want to “borrow” sometime off your annual leave to make up for the time needed. If you are totally unlucky, your office does not care about your need or reason to be away from work. You must learn to be very diplomatic in handling this and sharpen up your negotiations skills with your boss. With the right approach, I am confident an exception can be made for you. 

In the event that nothing you have done worked, then you absolutely may have to use the bulk of your annual leave to study. You need the time off completely dedicate to the book. Do not under estimate the importance of this in your journey. It is worth the sacrifice.

5.     Support system: a support system is a network of people that provide an individual with practical or emotional support.

The function of the support system in your journey is important. They are there to keep you going. To whine to and cry to when you are literally tired of the “hecticness” of it all. Be sure they are not people that will tell you; “oh I don’t know why you stress yourself with these books”, “let your children read the rest for you”.  That is bad energy. Stay far away from it. Your system may consist of one individual or two or more, it depends on what each individual does for you. Some may be responsible for clarifying grey areas, others may just be there to lend a listening hear, others because they give the best comforting hugs. Their individual roles should be welcomed and appreciated.

6.     Play time: aka me-time, friends’ time, lazy time, guilt time, family time, social media time.This list is endless. The point is take some time off the book and just really go off and high on enjoying life. It will do some things for you. 

     First, it’s a good detox system for your body to relax without pressure. Second, taking time away from a thing and returning to it gives you a clearer perspective. Things become easier to understand when you take required break. Third, the guilt of “enjoying” too much does some wonder for some people. Your brain begins to work on a 101% basis because it naturally knows you have some catching up to do. At other times, these things may not happen for you. Regardless, everyone needs a break,  take it!!!

7.  Taking your exams: This is the ultimate destination. The moments you have prepared for has been leading to this. Don’t let the pressure and uncertainty discourage you. It may seem difficult now, but so did every other examination you have had to take in your life. Ensure you get enough rest before proceeding to write. You don’t want a situation where your head is too hot, your fingers are shaky and your entire system is unsettled. This will not do you good in understanding the technicality the examiner is testing. Take deep breaths and believe in the work you have put in to come through for you. If you are a believer, it is the time to pray to God. A lot of people pray, don’t be afraid or ashamed to if you need to.

8.   The result: Another milestone that can encourage or discourage you. If you were successful, you have no problems, the journey was hell but the the destination was totally worth it. You have a reason to smile and reach for greater heights. You are indeed very motivated and inspired by your capacity and capabilities. You have done amazing.

For failures on the other hand, you have mixed emotions. Upset, angry and other moods that naturally come with these things. How can all of your effort lead to nothing? It is normal for you to feel like this. The trick is to give yourself a proper grief time. Indulge in your pity party. Utilize your support system, get some rest, have some fun and absolutely take the exam again! Only this time you are going back with the perspective of someone who has been there before. You have properly identified areas you need to improve your understanding on. Ultimately, you can be sure you will rise again.

Have you taken any professional exams recently? What were your guiding principles? Share your experience in the comment section.