Summary: Training is one key to moving forward in your career. But trying to learn new skills and knowledge while working a full-time job and managing family responsibilities can be difficult. Online certification training can help thanks to its flexibility and self-paced nature.
It is a given that moving forward in your career requires additional training. It comes with the territory. But balancing career training with a full-time job and family life can create intense pressure that could cause you to wonder whether it is worth it at all. We want to assure you it is, especially when you choose online certification programs over other forms of career training.
Online certification training is designed to be flexible. It is built around a self-paced model that makes it easier for people like you to fit training into a busy schedule. But even with the flexibility it offers, most students still need some practical strategies for making it all work while also staying motivated.
ProTrain is a world-class leader in online certification training. Our number one priority is ensuring that our students can train on their own terms. We have set up our courses and student resources to facilitate productive learning even when student schedules are busy. We also have a number of tips you can employ right away as a ProTrain student.
1. Develop Sound Scheduling Strategies
The biggest area of concern for new students is scheduling. If you have never learned how to come up with a sound schedule, this is your first task for remaining motivated and on track. One of the first things you might consider is blocking out your calendar based on your job, family responsibilities, and so forth. Then, choose some of the unfilled blocks and make them non-negotiable slots you will dedicate to online training.
Maybe you can block out:
- 30 minutes before breakfast
- 30 minutes of your 60-minute lunch break
- 45 minutes before going to bed in the evening
As you block out time, consider using the Pomodoro technique. This technique utilizes 25 minutes of focused study followed by a 5-minute break. Whether or not you utilize the strategy, the key is to consider these blocks of time as distinct and locked in. Treat them like business meetings, if you will. They must not be missed.
2. Lean on Others for Time Management Tips
Blocking out a sound schedule for learning works exceptionally well if you’ve already mastered time management. Otherwise, you could set aside dedicated blocks of time and still not complete your studies. The thing about time management is that it is more of a discipline than an activity. It is actually a learned skill for many people.
Lean on others who seemed to excel at time management. Ask them for advice and tips. For example, you might have friends who use a time logging app on their mobile devices to identify leakage – time spent doing things that aren’t necessarily productive to their job or studies. Commuting is a very common source of time leakage.
Some of the best time managers have figured out that prioritizing the most important tasks so that they are done at peak energy times works out well. The least important tasks are deferred until later in the day when energy is low. Regardless, there are lots of productive ways to manage time so that the blocks you set aside for study are actually dedicated to learning.
3. Come Up With Some Motivational Hacks
For some students, the biggest challenge isn’t blocking out time or managing it efficiently. It is about staying motivated. We get it. It’s easy to plunge into online training when you are starting your very first course. Your mind is fully focused on improving your career by attaining new skills and gaining new knowledge. But halfway through that first course, it’s equally easy to get bogged down to the point of losing your motivation.
What is the solution? Coming up with some motivational hacks that will keep you going. A motivational hack could be a micro-reward that you pair with training goals. Any kind of reward that gives you a dopamine hit could help keep you going at the end of a long day of exhausting office work.
Another motivational hack is something that allows you to visually track your progress as you learn. Perhaps it is a chart on the wall or scheduled celebrations with family as you complete certification milestones. Tracking progress is highly motivational because it helps you to clearly see the end of a course as it approaches. At a time when you are really tiring and wanting to do something else, you can see the finish line in sight.
4. Learn to Say ‘No’ From Time to Time
Balancing online certification training with the rest of your life requires saying ‘no’ from time to time. You cannot complete your training while always being the person who says ‘yes’ to extra shifts at nights and weekends. Until you finish your training, you might not be able to go out with your friends every weekend.
Not that you need to be a hermit while you are training. There is more to life than working a full-time job and earning more certifications. But certification training needs to be a higher priority to some degree or you might never get it done. If that means temporarily saying ‘no’ to other things, it needs to be done.
5. Make Sure You Always Train Intentionally
Last but not least, make sure you always train intentionally. By that we mean selecting online certification courses that actually help you accomplish something. Do not train just for the sake of doing so. Develop training goals and a plan to reach those goals. Then, choose courses that will get you where you want to go.
Training intentionally is both motivational and limiting. It’s limiting in the sense that you will not be training forever unless you really want to. Instead, you will train only long enough to reach the next goal in your career journey. Then you can take a break and devote your time to other things.
Balancing career training with the rest of life isn’t always easy. But if you can figure it out, the payoff could be huge. Contact ProTrain at (844) 292-8641 to learn more about how our courses can help.
FAQs
How long does it take to complete a ProTrain certification course?
Course lengths vary by industry and course type. On average, students have up to 12 months to complete an online course based on our self-paced model.
What is self-paced learning?
It is a model of learning that presents students with the information they need to complete a course. Students can complete coursework whenever it fits their schedules best. Some finish sooner while others take all the time allotted.
Are all your courses online and self-paced?
Yes, our courses are all online, and the live, instructor-led online courses are tightly scheduled.
What is the outcome of completing one of your courses?
Some of our courses conclude with a certificate being issued by ProTrain. Others prepare students to take an exam from an accrediting organization. That organization issues the certificate after a student passes the exam.
