Online learning gives you flexibility over when and where you learn, making it a popular option for parents with wee ones at home.
This Mother’s Day, we’re celebrating five incredible mums who made study work around their busy lives! Let’s find out how they did it…
“We have our own little thing.”
For Toi-Ohomai online learner, Orianne Meiller, learning online meant she could continue to pursue her professional goals as she welcomed her first child, Aedan. Orianne began studying towards a Diploma of Business (Human Resource Management) while she was pregnant with her first child Aedan. She initially hoped complete the qualification before he arrived. When she realised that she wouldn’t be able to finish before she gave birth, Orianne got in touch with her eCampus NZ course facilitator and student advisor.
“My facilitators, Nathan and Melanie, and my student advisor, Rachel, came together and discussed what they could do to help out,” she said.
“We have our own little thing. I do my work when he sleeps. It does not always mean I can do all the learning that should to be done on that day, but with part time learning I can balance it with his and my needs,” she said.
Orianne highly recommends online learning to those balancing parenting and study.
“The fact that you can choose between part time and full time really gives you the flexibility to take your time with your study when you need to. Every time that I’ve had a hard time, I’ve always had somebody that I could talk to. Always. It’s worked really well,” Orianne said.
“Work it around the kids.”
Online learning seemed like the logical first step for Eastern Institute of Technology learner and IT professional Julie Blair, who got ready to step back into the workforce by studying online on the eCampus NZ platform.
“I wanted to get myself ready to go back to work before my son turned five, and I decided to take up studying part-time,” said Julie.
Julie says the key to her success was setting short-term goals for herself and completing as much work as she could when she found the time.
“I was able to work whenever I could, and work it around the kids, without being tied to making sure I was in a certain place at a certain time. That was a huge advantage to learning online,” she said.
“I study mostly at night”
For NorthTec learner, Anna Marina John, studying as a new mum meant working around her little one’s sleep schedule.
“I began studying when my baby was four months old. Everything was new,” she said.
Anna decided to study online via eCampus NZ. With the support of her facilitator and student advisor, she has found a routine that works for her and her child, now fourteen months old.
“A lot of people told me my baby would sleep through the night at six months, so I thought I’d get more time to study then. But the nights without sleep continue! I study mostly at night, which is how I manage,” she said.
“All the facilitators have been very supportive. Each of them has their own unique ways of supporting learners. To get the opportunity to study here has been really empowering,” she said.
“Something to aim for.”
With a full-time career in the event hire industry, as well as being a mother and host-mother to two international students, Otago Polytechnic learner Julia Kruskopf is living proof that even the busiest people can find the time to achieve their academic and professional goals.
The flexibility of learning online on the eCampus NZ platform meant that Julia was able to study around family commitments. She never lost sight of her goal, and often focused on how she would feel once she had gained her qualification.
“This gave me something to aim for,” she said.
Julia also acknowledges her family for their role in helping her to achieve her goal. Her parents’ pride in what she was doing helped Julia to keep going when things got tough. “They were absolutely amazing.”
“If you have a spare moment.”
UCOL learner Rebecca Clarke chose to study online with eCampus NZ because of the flexibility it offered.
“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 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.
“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.
Are you interested in learning more about how you can make online study work around your world? Check out the list of qualifications available on eCampus NZ and enquire online or call 0800 328 269 to speak to one of our friendly Learner Service Coordinators today!