So wonderful to be back home in the UK for two whole months! My poor children had to find their own window seats to look out of as we flew over the fields of Surrey on our final approach to Heathrow back in May - I had my nose pressed to the glass and I wasn't budging for anyone! Even Slough was somehow glittering in the afternoon sunshine! I didn’t plan for the impact the jet-lag would have on me flying in from Tokyo, so that caused a few wobbly moments on my study schedule, but now as of the time of writing I am pretty much up to date and nearly finished on my first module……!

The course

Well, I think we have pretty much already established that I have a looong way to go before I can claim to be an expert in this particular field! But after successfully completing the induction programme, I was given access to the first module within a couple of days and I grabbed a pen with an enthusiasm usually only reserved for grabbing a wine bottle (which unfortunately is pretty much off-limits right now so I am improvising) and logged into Managing Self and Others.

The first thing I noticed is that, unlike the HND and (I believe) some of the other university courses, this course is entirely online-based. On the plus side, it gives you a wealth of links to different websites with supporting information on the particular topic under consideration. On the more negative side it makes it more difficult to actually leave the PC – I used to love curling up with a cup of coffee and my textbook on the sofa and making notes. I can balance the laptop on my knees on the sofa but it is just not as comfortable somehow! It is just something I am going to have to get used to. I have bought a textbook from the reading list to support this module though, because old habits die-hard and as much as I love modern technology I also love reading the old-fashioned way!

Another thing I have noticed that is different to the HND is that we are expected now to do much more of our own research, especially given that the course is not textbook based. Not being “spoon-fed” the information kind of forces your hand into researching for yourself, and there is no shortage of places to go and get the information you need, but it does require more motivation  - which is on the menu for this module around about lesson 9!

Thankfully, the horrendous tiredness and sickness of the previous couple of months is coming to an end now, and my energy levels are starting to pick up, fuelled largely by the wonderful Tesco jammy doughnuts that I see have gone up in price slightly since I was last in the UK but are still an absolute bargain and are doing a grand job in lieu of my beloved chardonnay! Well, my midwife did tell me I was underweight and needed to gain more than average – her command is my wish! The baby is starting to kick around now, which is nice, but slightly distracting!

It also helps to motivate me that this course is SO interesting. We are covering the traditional HR topics of recruitment, selection, motivation, rewards and training, etc, but we are also dipping into some fascinating psychology and looking at areas like assertiveness, creativity and decision-making skills, individual perceptions and attitudes, and a particularly relevant one for me – stress management!

The Other Students and Time Management

We are encouraged to do regular group work which is neither compulsory nor assessed, but is a useful forum for swapping ideas and getting other perspectives on topics. One such topic was how we decide to study and how we plan our study time. I’m ashamed to say I didn’t contribute to that one in the end because during the two weeks I was supposed to be monitoring how I make those study time decisions, I was sick, incredibly busy helping friends, and then flying back to the UK and dealing with jetlag so all plans kind of went out the window during that time and I didn’t think that would be a particularly good way of demonstrating how I was applying the techniques we were learning to my study plans, by posting “I just planned it and then gave up!”

But I have been back just over a week now, the worst of the jetlag is over, and now I have re-juggled the work I have to do and should be back on course within two weeks.

Everybody seems to have different demands on their time. Some people seem to be able to plan their study time around their jobs quite easily, others do so and then find sudden unexpected demands coming up at work which causes them to re-think things, some students seem to be in a similar (i.e. leaky) boat to me with children and jobs to juggle around study time. Many people are in a full-time business environment but some are part-timers, housewives, teachers and career-switchers, and they seem to come from all over the world. There really doesn’t seem to be a “typical” student on this course, and that is a good thing I think, because we all have such different perspectives on things.

How I am coping

In my case, I set out everything I needed to study at the start of the module on a weekly schedule, broken down into bite-size chewable pieces, and although I am not sticking exactly to the plan, I am making sure I don’t get too far behind, and where possible am trying to keep slightly ahead. This way I can adapt to any unforeseen events. And believe me, they are always out there, gremlin-like and waiting to rear up and grab your pen out of your hand with a big snarl and a “Nya ha ha! You thought you could study tonight but I sent cousin Adam to visit unexpectedly / the dog ate the dodgy-looking plant / the kids tried to eat the dodgy looking dog / best friend and hubby have had a fight again and she needs to talk,” and so on.

But so far, against all the odds, I am only slightly behind with about 5 lessons to go. At the end of this module we need to complete a personal development plan which is kind of intimidating given that I am barely keeping my head above water with my life as it is at the moment, never mind considering areas for improvement (!) but one thing I am noticing is how useful this exercise will almost certainly turn out to be, not just for professional development but personally as well.

The biggest problem I am having right now is this beautiful summer weather we have in the UK! Damn it, I thought it was supposed to rain here all the time?! How hard it is to sit at a computer and research and note-take whilst Mum, the kids and the neighbours have a little impromptu party in the back garden and I can hear the sounds of laughter and the sizzle of a BBQ drifting in on the afternoon breeze as I study groups and teams! The sacrifice will be worth it in the end I know, but I am sooo tempted to go and make use of my new-found assertiveness skills and tell them all to shove off to another garden! But no, that would totally contradict the lesson on positive thinking!

This is hard work, but it is very interesting and – dare I say it – even fun at times?! There is special kudos for my husband who just loves telling anyone that will listen that his wife is a “university student” (yeah, he wishes!). As this is the first module, it is very very difficult to know exactly how to “pitch” the first assignment, the same problem I remember having with the first module on the HND in fact. But I remember there were times that I thought I was NEVER going to finish a particular HND assignment and it all went through in the end. Positive thinking – lesson 6! Must bear that in mind and put it into my Personal Development Plan – Think Positive!

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