HOW OFTEN DO you find yourself saying “I just wish I had the time for that” or something similar?
We all lead busy lives and it can feel like there’s hardly any time to spare to devote to something new. So if you’re someone who is looking to progress in their career but feels like the time just isn’t there to develop your skillset further, it can be extremely frustrating. Taking on a master’s degree can seem daunting, and besides, you probably can’t take the time off work to go back to college.
You need something that works for you. Something that fits into your busy schedule of work and play. Fortunately, Advance Centre, a flexible learning pioneer, is on hand to bring your career to the next level.
Advance Centre is a partnership between three of Ireland’s leading universities, UCD, ATU Sligo and TU Dublin. It offers a range of flexible and industry relevant courses, from single modules to a full suite of master’s level options, giving you the space to progress your career and future proof your knowledge and skills in a wide range of digital transformation areas.
Advance Centre’s courses are the perfect solution for those looking to specialise in their career or stay on top of innovations and new thinking within their industry. Best of all, you don’t have to attend in person lectures every week. With Advance Centre, progressing in your career doesn’t have to come at the expense of other interests.
To see how Advance Centre works for those already thriving in their career looking to reach even further, read the success stories of Noel and Jenni, two former students.
Jenni is an Associate Director of cyber risk with Aon. In her role, she provides advice and cyber risk consulting to organisations to help them identify and assess their cyber risk. This enables the development of ongoing strategies incorporating change, culture and risk tolerance. She is currently studying UCD’s M.Sc. Cybersecurity with Advance Centre.
Jenni said her reason for taking part in further studying was that she “wanted to expand my knowledge of cybersecurity”. As a mother, her time is spread thinly, but her desire to continue learning and honing her skills led her to choosing the master’s at UCD. The course itself is perfectly in tune with what’s needed in the industry, giving students a broad range of cybersecurity topics.
Noel is Safety, Health and Environment Assurance Manager at ESB Group and a graduate of the M.Sc. in Quality (Online) (at the time of graduation, he was Quality Manager at ESB International.) Noel had a long career in Quality, holding many posts within the industry.
His motivation for undertaking further studies was very simple.
When I undertook the course, I had lots of experience but no formal qualifications in Quality. Looking back on the course, I realised how much I enjoy research and always want to ensure that I keep my professional competencies up to date by consistently examining industry best practices. Those factors were the main drivers for me. The final factor was that the course curriculum was exactly what I needed and all the modules were relevant.”
With Advance Centre, blended learning is the chosen method of delivery. This helps eliminate a lot of stress for students who might not live near the campus or don’t have the time to travel due to work. Noel was able to fit his learning into his busy schedule that saw him travel abroad numerous times with work.
I travelled a lot for work, I have memories of logging on to live lectures from international locations. If the course was delivered ‘in person’ only, I would not have been able to attend, much less complete the course.”
Noel’s course took place before the pandemic when blended learning was not as common. His lectures took place after work, which suited his schedule once he was well-organised. Similarly, he was notified about exams and assignments well in advance, which meant he could manage his calendar effectively.
I blocked out times in my calendar for academic work which enabled me to meet family commitments, mainly at weekends when I knew I would be at home. During the week, particularly if I was travelling and staying away, I used the ‘away time’ for study and research.”
Staying on top of his job and his course wasn’t always easy, but Noel was able to manage his time effectively between the academic workload of the course, the requirements of the day job and family commitments. Noel was extremely committed to the course, having gone into it knowing that it would be challenging at times. His advice for those thinking of further study is to be prepared for any difficulties you’ll face trying to balance it all.
Fortunately, he excelled thanks to organisation and time management. His thesis, which he believes was the most significant component of the course, is an example of this.
I had agreed on my topic relatively early with my supervisor and that meant I could work on it using the ‘little and often’ approach. However, for family reasons, I had to apply for a deferral of submission which was granted and the additional time enabled me to submit a document with which I was happy.”
Another key aspect of the courses at Advance Centre is the extremely industry relevant content of the courses. The professional teaching offers comprehensive education on every course.
The 11 digital transformation disciplines have been chosen due to their importance in our increasingly digital world. From covering the application of AI to healthcare and biomedical research, to furnishing ICT professionals with all the relevant knowledge to support careers in data science and data engineering, a range of key industries are covered.
Jenni’s route into the workplace was nontraditional, having left school at 16. She worked her way up through various jobs in the IT industry before commencing an undergrad in Computer Science with UCD, in 2011.
Jenni epitomises the work ethic and commitment needed to succeed through continuous upskilling. Jenni said she saw the Advance Centre course as a way of expanding her cyber security pedigree in “both the leadership and technical side of things.”
Despite still undertaking her course, Jenni has already applied her learnings to her day job, saying “the major benefit is that I’ve been able to use the information I’m learning within my current role as a Cyber Specialist.”
Noel’s praise of the course also focuses on its practicality and relevance.
Looking back, I have probably applied the knowledge I gained during the course almost every single working day since, in one way or another.”
Both Advance Centre students took more from their course than what was covered in the respective prospectus. Interacting with other students on their course allowed them to share learnings from different workplaces, leading to new thinking and approaches. Developing a more academic way of thinking also had benefits for how they work.
Noel, for example, found that studying the academic basis for what he had been doing in work for his whole life made it easier to understand and help others understand easier too, as he could explain the academic knowledge in a practical manner that helped his colleagues.
Overall, the benefits of studying can be summed by Noel.
It certainly made me a better Quality Manager and I will bring extensive learning to my current (and future) roles.”
If you are keen to advance in your career, expand your knowledge and open up doors for your future, studying with Advance Centre offers the perfect opportunity to do just that.
Advance Centre currently offer courses in 11 extremely relevant disciplines. For a full list of courses offered by Advance Centre, or to learn how to enrol, visit its course hub.
Contact Advance Centre directly here.
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