Working, Exams and Professional Development

Hands up who thought when they left School, College or University that they would still be sitting exams be it 5, 15 or even 20+ years later? Not many hands up I bet!

As I mentioned in my last blog I commute to and from work. The one thing I wish I could do whilst travelling is study. I’ve tried it a few times, but if I read the book on the train I never feel as though I’ve taken any information in. I have a friend who travelled longer distances than I with work and practically sat all her exams on the train. I also have a friend who cross-stitches on the train but I can’t do that either.

Anyway…as part of my job I have to show that I maintain my knowledge in relation to the work I do and the industry I am in. This is done throughout the year via continuous professional development (CPD). I have to achieve a minimum of 100 credits which are obtained in a variety of ways ie, reading trade publications (for example 12 monthly subscriptions = 15 credits), reading technical guides and attending training seminars.

I also try to sit one exam a year (which counts as credits as well), this has worked out well as I now need to obtain a Diploma and because of the exams I’ve sat over the last few years, they count towards it and I now only have 2 papers to sit.  Each paper takes approximately 75-100 study hours to pass (according to the boffins at examining body).

One a year that can’t be too bad I hear you say? It’s not BUT it takes planning as the exams are usually studied for over a 3 to 6 month period. If you sat down and worked out what free time you really have for yourself after you’ve finished your day at work, you’ve finished with the kids and got them to bed, or cooked and washed up and got everything ready for the next day where would you find the time in your day to find a couple of hours to study? Especially if you are studying something that is similar to what you do day in day out rather than something completely different? I don’t know about anyone else but when I studying for a work exam which is all I have studied for apart from a few OU courses it me feel like I’m working instead of studying, if I study during the week after work. I also find as do friends when studying and working that you have to make time for the studying.

So as I only have 2 exams left to pass, I wanted to get them both done this year (instead of the usual one), firstly because there are other things I want to do now rather than study (until they bring out the next must have qualification) and secondly I’m 42 this year and it would be nice to have a break from studying and try something new that is different that I want to do like write. However as I need if possible to find 200 hours over the next 6 months I need to get cracking.

Like most people who work and study I always start with a study plan, this usually gets thrown out the window after week 2 as although I’m organised if work needs to be done that is a priority for me. I often work on a Sunday afternoon (yes I know I’m a workaholic I can’t help it I’m a control freak). I also have to take into account I also suffer from Chronic Pain in the form of headaches caused by variety of things which I’ll cover in a later blog. Good news is the pain is manageable the majority of the time but sometimes I need to sleep or relax rather than study/work.

So wish me luck I’m going to give it a go and see what happens, as I'll still be blogging and doing my book reviews as well J

The Life of a Commuter

Like many people I commute to work. I live in Essex and work in London. It takes about 1hour 45 minutes each way.

I have a 10 minute walk to and from the station which isn’t bad, a train journey that takes about 1 hour with pretty good views of the sea for 3 stops. Once in London I have either 40 minute walk to/from my office (the girls in my office could do it in 30 minutes but I have short legs and it is a really boring walk). I however usually get the underground which should take about 15 minutes including the walk to my office at the other end and stopping for coffee on the way (I need my Pret A Manger coffee or I’m a bitch). But no…… every morning we get held up at one station being told the train is running early even though some days we wait 10 minutes for the bloody thing to turn up. Considering I use the Circle Life which goes to all the tourist spots I think it’s one of the worst serviced lines we have.

Anyway…… I could work local but I would have to take a drop in pay of about a 1/3 of my current salary, which I can’t afford because I would still probably have to pay for parking, petrol, more in car insurance etc. Also for the work I do the jobs which are considered local by agencies can be up to 20 miles away, so it isn’t really worth my while at the moment especially as I like my job most of the time.

So I commute and even though it is a pain in the arse, costs me approximately £400pm, and come 9pm most nights because I’m up at 5.30am I’m usually falling asleep on the sofa watching TV (thank you Sky for Sky +), but call me a nutter I actually don’t mind commuting.

I find that I have to be as organised as possible (which isn’t always the case) I don’t usually get home until 6.45pm at the earliest, so dinners have to be easy to prepare and in my case diabetic friendly. While dinner is cooking I have a quick shower and prepare lunches for work the next day.

When I lived in London I would get the bus to and from work. I could get the bus outside my flat and it would drop me 5 minute from old office. It would take about an hour but it was cheaper and more convenient than the underground even though it took longer. I used to get the same bus every day (assuming it turned up) so I got to meet some great people (and some not so great people) and being a Publican’s daughter I will talk to anyone (except weirdos). We even used to have nights out after work and a Christmas Dinner.

My journey now is longer I usually walk to the station in the morning with my next door neighbour (but we usually get different trains unless I’m running late). I get on the same train carriage in the morning and at night so usually see the same people most days, as they do the same. Sometimes if I bump into people I talk to regularly we have a catch up chat but the time I spend commuting is my down time, I usually read a book, tweet, play my Nintendo or write a review (which can be interesting if it’s for my other blog and someone looks over my shoulderJ).

Although people tend to keep themselves to themselves, usually the journey into and out of London is quite pleasant and I’m lucky as I usually get a seat. The people I have got to know since doing my journey started as usual because the one time people will talk to each other is when they are annoyed with the wait, delays or cancellations of trains and you are left stranded in the middle of nowhere (being diabetic I now carry food with me for that reason always), the inconsiderate yob or passenger who is talking to loud or playing music in the quiet carriage OR maybe a smile or regular good morning/evening.

Although I try to avoid weirdo’s I’m not convinced that some people I talk didn’t think I was their weirdo after all let’s face it as kid we were all told not to talk to strangers LOL.