Rebecca Clarke is a mother of two, her oldest is four and her youngest three. Rebecca’s background is in hospitality and in 2017 she was looking at options to return to work. On review, Rebecca decided that she wanted to change her career path and in order to do this she knew she needed to upskill. This led to Rebecca’s decision to study with eCampus NZ.
Rebecca set a goal – to complete each qualification that eCampus NZ was offering in relation to Business (Administration and Technology). She started off with the New Zealand Certificate in Business (Administration and Technology) (Level 3), followed by the New Zealand Certificate in Business (Administration and Technology) (Level 4) and she is now working towards completing the New Zealand Diploma in Business (Administration and Technology) (Level 5).
Rebecca chose to study with eCampus NZ because of the flexibility it offered while allowing her to be a mum. “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.
When first starting out, Rebecca said it was challenging, but 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 at the end of the day, in relation to her studies, made her a better mum because she knew she was juggling two things at once and was proud of that accomplishment.
Rebecca completes her current studies in three-hour blocks while her children are in daycare. What she doesn’t fit in within that timeframe, she makes up in any spare time. “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 eCampus NZ is interactive, well thought out and relevant. While completing her certificates she enjoyed the team tasks with other students and said the online experience with them was completed effortlessly.
The thing that stands out most to Rebecca about her learning is that when she does return to work the things that she has learnt through eCampus NZ and through the course material itself, have not only been fun, but will allow her to comfortably transition back into the workforce with renewed ambition and relevant learning. “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 has a goal to start out in an admin role. She knows that when you have been out of the workforce for a while you may have to start at the bottom and work your way up. However, she knows the learning and knowledge that she has taken on board will allow her to transition into a beginner role while knowing she has the qualifications to lead on to other things.
Rebecca wants other stay-at-home parents who are considering studying to know that while you’re responsible for your own learning eCampus NZ has a fantastic support system to help you along the way or when you 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,” says Rebecca.