Goin back to school

[chappy1970]

At risk of penalising my already limited golf schedule, I'm thinking about goin back to school.

Looking at a part time distance learning post grad course, so that I can still pay the bills

Anyone had any experience with this.

[Webster]

Rodney Dangerfield is your hero.

[chappy1970]

yea maybe

[Bruce]

That Jack. He's alright!

*adjusts tie.

[Webster]

I'm a lover, not a fighter!

[markTHEblake]

Anyone had any experience with this.

yeah, but I couldnt do the 20hrs a week study plus the 40 at work

It was cruisey while the subjects were familiar, and i got away with about 5hrs per week, but then i got to Marketing 101 and that was the end of that- stupid stupid subject hate hate hate :lol:

but thats me, i never had any study discipline. I wouldnt have done 20hrs of study in 5yrs of Highschool so i have no idea why I thought I could manage 20hpw.

I am thinking I might be the only bloke who ever got straight HD's and then dropped out cos it was too hard :-)

[Moe Norman]

I'm currently doing a Masters but had to drop out this semester as I couldn't keep up with the lectures and it was one of those subject I had no chance of passing without attending lectures.

I anticipate I'll have it completed some time in 2012, as I keep taking breaks or reducing the workload.

[chappy1970]

I know how you feel Moe, I finished an IT Masters in 2006. The last few subjects was a slog.
I'm looking at doing a distance learning MBA, so that I can study from home as going to lectures a couple of nights a week was a stretch with a young family. But I think I can be disciplined enough studying at home. At least I think I can anyway.

[Grunt]

Rather than start a new thread I have re-birthed this one.

Looking to go back to school next year, just got home from an information session doing Graduate Certificate in Management with Charles Sturt University next year. Plan is to follow it in 2016 with Graduate Diploma and then again in 2017 for Masters.

Is 2 nights a week for 10 weeks each semester. 4 subjects for each course and $2200 a subject. Toughest bit for me will be the essay writing.

Anyone else used Charles Sturt for their Education?

[Coldtopper]

I had a crack at a Grad Dip Project Management at Victoria Uni all seemed fine then had do the work with young kids, farm and getting fat and in reality being past my working used by date so I gave up smoking, study and work instead! Completed one subject. Question is what will you get out of it? Is it needed? Is there better ways to spend 16k?

[PerryGroves]

Chappy, did you do the course, did it change outcomes, would you go again?

[Coldtopper]

There a few better Uni's around according to Mrs CT who is an academic. Might be worth checking them out. Makes a difference apparently

thttp://www.australianuniversities.com.au/rankings/

[Grunt]

I had a crack at a Grad Dip Project Management at Victoria Uni all seemed fine then had do the work with young kids, farm and getting fat and in reality being past my working used by date so I gave up smoking, study and work instead! Completed one subject. Question is what will you get out of it? Is it needed? Is there better ways to spend 16k?

Will be no cost, presenting to GM to pay costs this month. Need it to move forward in my role. Boss is very education focussed.

[Ron Burgundy]

FWIW I'm currently doing an MBA with UNE. Pretty sure you can structure it along similar lines to what you're looking into Grunt if you want, ie 4 subjects gets you a grad cert, 8 a diploma and 12 a masters. Price is about $2k per subject.

I've found UNE to be great. There are no contact hours which worked better for me with work, kids etc. They also do trimesters, not semesters which helps spread the workload. But I can endorse what others have said that the 10-20 hrs per week of study is a bitch on top of work and family. Probably why I only get to swing a club once every couple of months.

[Grunt]

yeah the 2 days a week will certainly be tough. Might be easier now that Tayla is starting high school guess I will find out.

[Sydney Hacker]

I am currently doing my MBA by distance and it is pretty hard going 20 odd years after finishing uni!

[Grunt]

Even harder when I never went in the 1st place.

[chappy1970]

Chappy, did you do the course, did it change outcomes, would you go again?

Perry I didn't complete it, but I would like to go back and finish it. Mine was a distance learning MBA out of Deakin uni in Melbourne.

Got a bit expensive to pay for out of my pocket, if work picked up the tab, I'd consider going back.

Whether or not it would add any material value to me as an IT professional in the market is questionable, but in all seriousness that wasn't the original intent. It was more a personal ambition.

Working full time, the wife and 3 kids getting older and more demanding on my time, would have to think about it a lot.

I never found the MBA course work overly difficult, it is just the sheer volume of it that you need to manage and they can be a challenge.

[PerryGroves]

Cheers Chappy, interesting, I work in an environment where everyone is "super" qualified and sometimes feel I should have done more. I think at somewhere 35 plus the academic quals in a corporate environment become irrelevant.

Study was always a means to an end so I wouldn't have ever done what you started, with kids etc.

Ron, same, power to you 10-20 hours a week, I just don't have the energy.

[Daves]

Rather than start a new thread I have re-birthed this one.

Looking to go back to school next year, just got home from an information session doing Graduate Certificate in Management with Charles Sturt University next year. Plan is to follow it in 2016 with Graduate Diploma and then again in 2017 for Masters.

Is 2 nights a week for 10 weeks each semester. 4 subjects for each course and $2200 a subject. Toughest bit for me will be the essay writing.

Anyone else used Charles Sturt for their Education?

I did a Masters in Business Management part time back in the 90's, whilst working long hours. I am assuming you are looking doing it on campus, not via remote education? Imo these courses are much easier if you are a member of a group that works together. My course was work sponsored and I had a few good friends/work colleagues doing it with me. Would have been very lonesome and tough going without the peer group support.

[Grunt]

I did a Masters in Business Management part time back in the 90's, whilst working long hours. I am assuming you are looking doing it on campus, not via remote education? Imo these courses are much easier if you are a member of a group that works together. My course was work sponsored and I had a few good friends/work colleagues doing it with me. Would have been very lonesome and tough going without the peer group support.
Sort of on campus at a Sydney TAFE that will house the 2 nights a week classes.

[AndyP]

I can't imagine going back to studying, unless it was coming out of work time. That said, I'm having enough trouble doing the assessments for a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment at work.

[goughy]

Me go back to school - for it is to laugh!

[Ron Burgundy]

I never found the MBA course work overly difficult, it is just the sheer volume of it that you need to manage and they can be a challenge.Agree 100%. The work itself is easy enough but the volume is relentless. Can see the light at the end of the tunnel now though. Looking forward to finishing so I can get some sort of life back.

[chappy1970]

Cheers Chappy, interesting, I work in an environment where everyone is "super" qualified and sometimes feel I should have done more. I think at somewhere 35 plus the academic quals in a corporate environment become irrelevant.

Study was always a means to an end so I wouldn't have ever done what you started, with kids etc.

Ron, same, power to you 10-20 hours a week, I just don't have the energy.

Perry I tend to agree r.e. Post 35 yo relevancy of Post grad studies, the irony of it is, people of over 35 and into their early 40's have such fantastic experience. Applying those experiences to study, particularly an MBA, would make the course far easier and more relevant.

If you do progress down this path, my only advice would be to choose study groups wisely for each subject. It's quite common that career students doing their MBA's will want to jump into your group to leverage your experience. Whilst I understand the intent, invariably you'll end up doing a lot more work

[Peppas]

I might be going back to uni next year part time as well.

It will be probably for the next 6 years though, urgh.

Just waiting to hear back on if I have been accepted or not...

[Sydney Hacker]

Perry I tend to agree r.e. Post 35 yo relevancy of Post grad studies, the irony of it is, people of over 35 and into their early 40's have such fantastic experience. Applying those experiences to study, particularly an MBA, would make the course far easier and more relevant.

If you do progress down this path, my only advice would be to choose study groups wisely for each subject. It's quite common that career students doing their MBA's will want to jump into your group to leverage your experience. Whilst I understand the intent, invariably you'll end up doing a lot more work

You are spot on in the "experience" part making the application to study easier, it is just the volume of reading which had me struggling with the work load. I travel at least 2 days a week and my original thinking was I would use the time in hotel rooms to my study, reality has told me after being up at 3.30am to get to a flight, you don't want to do much study at night!

In regards to the group exercises, that is one of the reasons I also went for the distance options so I didn't have to rely on others or get annoyed at free loaders!

[backintheswing]

I did an MBA, started it in 1998. Studied at USQ. All external, with very limited on-campus time.

First 4 subjects got you a Graduate Certificate of Management, next 4 was a Graduate Diploma, final 4 was the MBA.

Was $680 a subject when I started. $2280 a subject when I finished. Work paid for it all when I passed each subject.

Biggest waste of time ever.

[Peppas]

I did an MBA, started it in 1998. Studied at USQ. All external, with very limited on-campus time.

First 4 subjects got you a Graduate Certificate of Management, next 4 was a Graduate Diploma, final 4 was the MBA.

Was $680 a subject when I started. $2280 a subject when I finished. Work paid for it all when I passed each subject.

Biggest waste of time ever.

What about the uni girls? :)

[goughy]

My mates wife has, until a few weeks ago, been pretty much studying part time for as long as I can remember. I can't remember how many post degree things she's done so far but has run out of them she can do. She left school in grade 10 and spent her first 18months of work operating the elevator in a local department store. She now run's the local office (or might be state office) of a govt funded organisation taking home somewhere between 100k and 200k a year (I don't know the exact figure, but her xmas bonus one year sent them to the Maldives for a holiday).

[backintheswing]

What about the uni girls? :)

I did engineering full time at 22 after doing an electrical apprenticeship. Was fun with all the 18yo uni girls. You get my drift Pepps?

[Peppas]

I did engineering full time at 22 after doing an electrical apprenticeship. Was fun with all the 18yo uni girls. You get my drift Pepps?

Stuff only old men can dream of?

[Peppas]

Got my letter of offer today so it looks like I will be going back, part time. YAY!

[Grunt]

I did an MBA, started it in 1998. Studied at USQ. All external, with very limited on-campus time.

First 4 subjects got you a Graduate Certificate of Management, next 4 was a Graduate Diploma, final 4 was the MBA.

Was $680 a subject when I started. $2280 a subject when I finished. Work paid for it all when I passed each subject.

Biggest waste of time ever.

Was part of my feedback from my recent unsuccessful promotion application, need to have uni quals and they would pay for them. Worst part is if i had the paper I had the job for a $5-10K pay rise. Nw they are going to pay for the course, it is going to cost them at least 16K and I will probably get another couple of CPI payrises.

Will be interesting to see where I am when i finish it.

[Hux]

Grunt

If you have never done uni, then go for it mate. I did a HR/IT dual Bach as a young married working detective and it ran the cowboy out of me and every hint of tertiary study has had me ducking since - I only have 6 units to do for a MPA but still can't raise the energy even though work would pay $5k p.a towards it.

However, if I didn't have a degree up my sleeve I would jump at the chance. BTW Its a great example to your kids - Dad went from being a tradie with yr10 to a manager with a masters by hard work and perseverance. Good luck and DO IT.

[PeteyD]

I am just starting the useless MBA that Bits has. Yah.

[Grunt]

1st stage complete, have completed the Grad Cert part of the MBA today with the marks for the final assessment. Already enrolled to do the Grad Dip next year.

[markTHEblake]

Dr Grunt, Phd
nice work.

[Dotty]

Dr Grunt, Phd
nice work.
I just had a flashback to Cannonball Run.

Keep up the study.

[Pencil]

Why am I considering this? I don´t have any spare time now.

[Grunt]

1st stage complete, have completed the Grad Cert part of the MBA today with the marks for the final assessment. Already enrolled to do the Grad Dip next year.

Got the official transcript of results this morning, Graduate Diploma in Management (professional practice) Distinction Honours :lol:

[Hatchman]

Got the official transcript of results this morning, Graduate Diploma in Management (professional practice) Distinction Honours :lol:

Well done.

[Grunt]

Well after 3 years, 12 units, 14 text books and 49 assessments, I officially hand i my last paper tomorrow night to end my Uni days. Subject to results going the right way it will be a Masters in Management with Graduation in December.
Might go and swing a club this weekend too, will have to dust them off I think they were last used at the NSW champs over 12 months ago.

[Dcanto]

Well after 3 years, 12 units, 14 text books and 49 assessments, I officially hand i my last paper tomorrow night to end my Uni days. Subject to results going the right way it will be a Masters in Management with Graduation in December. Might go and swing a club this weekend too, will have to dust them off I think they were last used at the NSW champs over 12 months ago.Well done Grunt! Congratulations on completing your degree.

[Grunt]

Job done, the results that had me a little concerned has come through. Graduation in December here I come. :) :)

[Toxic]

Job done, the results that had me a little concerned has come through. Graduation in December here I come. :) :) Congrats