A business is only as good as the people it employs and engineer Dean Boyd has carried that with him throughout his working life, committed to being the best he can be for his employers. Today it remains one his greatest virtues.
With lots of experience at his disposal and with this knowledge firmly in mind, qualified electrician and engineer Dean was comfortably moving along the path to success, but there was just one hurdle standing between him and achieving his greatest potential – further education.
“That was the final piece of the puzzle that I was missing. I had all the pieces there and what I needed was something to bind them together. That’s when I settled on a course with eCampus NZ and that course gave me my lightbulb moment, that ‘aaah.’”
Adopting a rather intense approach to study in between his shift work, Dean’s focus was on the end goal – a Level 4 First Line Management qualification. “I was really well supported by my team leader. He kept checking in with me and asking me how I was going and was able to talk over the material I was working through.
“I was grateful for the fact that a lot of the guys at my work have come from challenging work backgrounds – we have staff from everywhere – a Swiss guy, a South African born Indian, a Dutch man and English man – none of us are from the Hawkes Bay, but we all have the same outlook that being difficult is not going to get you anywhere and that is a really key message and learning in the course. So is the idea that employees are the most important asset businesses have – I valued that because these are my philosophies.”
Not a fan of procrastination, Dean threw himself into the coursework and enjoyed the opportunity to work online. He also praises the quality of the material. “It was really good – it spoke my language and reinforced what I have learnt throughout my career. It is based on quality research.”
Working towards a senior role in the years ahead, Dean is thrilled to have invested in his future, one he wants to share with a family. “I’ve always paid attention to education – it’s important to find out what you like and need and when I have kids of my own, I’ll really place an emphasis on that.”
Be sure to check out our full range of Student Success Stories and if you would like to learn more about the qualification that Dean achieved, take a look at the New Zealand Certificate in Business (First Line Management) (Level 4)