WHAT TO STUDY:

Accounting?  Engineering? … Plumbing?  Yes, that’s right, life is full of choices – and making the right choice where your career is concerned is vital.  Whether you want to improve your current prospects, change your career entirely or return to work after taking a break raising a family, studying as an adult means you get to make all the choices, and as motivated as you might be to make a real and lasting change in your life, the pressure of choosing the right career path can be a little overwhelming.

The trick is to choose a career that allows you to use your natural talents to best advantage by selecting the course or courses that will help you reach your goals. 

Keep it real: a course in aviation will not help you if you’re interested in pursuing massage therapy…no more than computer forensics would benefit you as a corporate business analyst. 

As a creative entrepreneur, however, you could enjoy professional development courses, business courses, Microsoft Office skills learning, along with some Adobe Dreamweaver training (with a view of working with websites).

Some certified training providers may still sell you courses that are no longer available so if you’re thinking of going into IT for example, consider that it may be one to two years before you’re fully qualified, so the most recently released technologies will be most important to you.

In addition to this, it is important to check the course contents.  According to National IT Learning Centre, pioneers in IT training for almost two decades, some courses are simply padded with irrelevant qualifications to justify higher prices.  For example, a technical Comp TIA A+ certificate is unnecessary for a career in web design.

Similarly, it goes without saying that a first aid instructor would benefit from health and safety courses, but would not necessarily need a full blown medical degree - which would interest an aspiring nurse or doctor.

…Telecommunications, photography, sales and marketing, web development…whatever your vocational preference is, choosing the course that will set you on the path to a more successful YOU will ultimately depend on the kind of person you are and the type of job in which you’d be most fulfilled – be it as a legal assistant, a plumber or the webmaster CEO of a software development company.

If you’re unsure about which career path would suit you best, you may find it helpful to take a free career quiz online from Home Learning College, one of UK’s leading home study providers.

WHERE TO STUDY:

The next big decision you need to make before embarking on the road to a successful future is where to study.  Should you go to a local college or opt for distance learning?

At local colleges or universities, students who are usually made to fit in with term times and teachers’ timetables often end up working at a lecture-determined pace rather than their own, leaving very little time for family needs or a job.

With a much more flexible approach to learning – and no travel expenses – distance learning is not only more economical, it is ideal for most people because we all learn at a different pace with preferred times of day to study.  This means that the night owls and the early birds alike can spread their wings a little and work at a time that suits them best.

Thanks to the internet, in our day and age it is possible to take online courses and obtain an online degree such as an associate degree, a bachelor degree or an MBA degree.   According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, such degrees can earn you twice the salary of the average high school graduate, and employment opportunities will grow fastest for professionals with a college degree.

The flexibility of online colleges and online learning often makes it possible for students to take their time by organizing their studies over several weeks or months in order to devote time to family or work.  Alternatively, some prefer to allocate a condensed specific period of time to their studies to finish them off early so they can start looking for a job.

Online lessons, workshops and seminars are available from many certified training institutions such as Distance Learning Centre or BSI.  The University of London, an internationally recognized centre of excellence, also has an external program that allows you to obtain your qualifications from anywhere in the world.

No matter how long ago you left school, with the following distance learning colleges and training institutes, you will find you studies surprisingly easy to pick up – not to mention that the wealth of academic online material available on these sites will allow you to gain new insights into your desired qualifications:

1.       CompuTeach

Over 40 years of experience makes CompuTeach one of the longest established IT training companies in the UK, providing outstanding programs.  The great thing about these guys is that you don’t need to know anything about IT or have any formal qualifications to do their computer courses; they provide all the training! To top it off they offer a unique career service that helps their students secure IT careers even before completing their training courses.

2.       Hemsley Fraser

   With an enviable training portfolio in excess of 1,700 subjects and capabilities, Hemsley Fraser provides learning and development solutions that help clients become high-performing organizations by continually raising the level of talent and skills in the organization.  They are distinguished for their approach and ability to bring about breakthrough performance.

3.       Home Learning College

As UK’S leading home study provider, Home Learning College has helped thousands of people qualify for their chosen home study.  Boasting a wide range of courses and training software from academic partners as diverse as AAT, Adobe, Microsoft, Sage and Comp TIA, these leaders in distance education help each student stay in control of their studies whilst remaining connected to (and motivated by) fellow learners and experienced tutors.

4.       National IT Learning Centre

NITLC has computer courses for all kinds of people from all kinds of jobs - whether you want to enter a career in IT or are already in it.  Their courses are the most job-specific and up-to-date in the UK, allowing you to achieve the new generation of Microsoft certifications based on the latest Windows 2008 server and .NET 3.5 cutting edge technologies.  Talk about a clear advantage!

5.       LearnDirect

Learn from home and get the confidence you need: from improving your maths or English skills, to work based courses, LearnDirect offers a range of online training that suit all levels! 

6.       Home Learning Courses

Listing some of the most popular home learning courses in the UK, Home Learning Courses has a course portfolio covering a wide range of industries including Web Design, IT and Computing, Accounting, Business and Marketing, Child care and Social Care.

7.       Local Training Centres

For the largest listings of training centres that include addresses, websites, postcodes and various other information about training centres in the UK, visit Local Training Centres.  You will also be able to find all the training service, training consultants, online training courses, sales training, project management and so much more!

HOW TO STUDY

No need for a locksmith - academically speaking, the key to successful studies is time management and self discipline…still, getting into a routine and motivating yourself can turn out far more exhausting further down the line.

Here are some good study habits that will really help you succeed:

·         Get into a routine: make it a point to try to study at a regular time each day and before you know it you’ve developed a perfectly natural and even effortless productive behaviour pattern.

·         Discipline: treat each study session as though it were an important business meeting you would never break.  It may sound a little imaginative, but it will help you respect your study schedule.

·         Food for thought: avoid studying within half an hour of eating.  After a meal your body works hard to digest food.  This is why most people often feel slightly drowsy and lazy.

Study tips such as these (and more) are available from Home Learning College, leaders in distance learning.

FOUNDATIONS FOR LIFE

Being positive will always go a long way to helping you achieve your goals, but this is not enough.  Your drive to succeed in your studies will largely be determined by your personal vision.  Make sure you spend as much time as possible researching the sort of company or organization you’d really like to work for – even if you plan on being your own boss.  Just as the foundations of a house support its walls, your foundations for success will come from your qualifications and personal drive.  Put effort in building solid personal and academic foundations and the results will last you a lifetime!

Good luck!