I have been on the fence for many years of furthering my education (or starting one as I last 'studied' in year 12), I have found myself putting it off or making up excuses why I could do it or it was not the right time.
I have been working as a technical consultant dealing with payroll software for 10+ years, 6 weeks ago I moved away from consulting to a client-based role and was looking forward to the perks of life being a bit more relaxing. COVID and JobKeeper have not provided that for me that relaxation yet but hoping things quieten down over the next few weeks now that the processes are in place.
I decided now was the time to do it while I will largely be working remotely for the next few months so I have commenced my Graduate Certificate in Cyber Security using work experience as a qualifier due to no previous university qualifications. The idea is I will progress through this to a Graduate Diploma and then Masters all going well. I know this will not help my progress in my current role but may allow me to (take a step back first potentially) change career paths.
I smashed through some of those free Udemy courses I have been stockpiling in the weeks leading up to this have been beneficial already, not only getting me in the rhythm of studying but also expanding on some of the subjects I will be covering in my first few units.
I wanted to see who else had used this opportunity to upskill, whether it be through areas such as Udemy or more official channels! Share your successes/failures!
You should have seen the death stare from an Airline Flight Attendant union rep when a career academic suggested they spend their grounded hours learning about cybersecurity. Top 10 covid moment, for me.