Getting your Career out of the Rut and Back on Track

So, you have been feeling like you are trapped in a dead-end job with no hope of growth and have forgotten what it was like to have fun at work. You feel like you are stuck with a hard nosed and unappreciative boss and can’t see a future to your career. This feeling of “being stuck” usually ends up draining you of energy and hope, it can even significantly affect your personal life and have an impact on your feeling of self-worth.

You need to break out of this rut that has been dragging you down and get your career back on track, to achieve this you have to make changes to your thinking and thereby change the perception your colleagues have of you. The following five steps are a few suggestions of how you can go about trying to achieve this change.

  1. Be Optimistic: It will be a challenge to get out of your negative mindset and get thinking and feeling positive again. Begin small, set aside an hour or two every day where you try to push aside everything that you perceive is holding you back and picture yourself and who you want to be five years from now. Set yourself self-improvement goals – public speaking, improve your knowledge, read motivational speakers, attend short term courses. Until you get yourself into a positive frame of mind, you will remain blinded to the opportunities around you.
  2. Bucket List of Jobs: Make a list of the jobs you have always you have had/ dreamt of having. Don’t be constrained by what you think you presently deserve but what you have always dreamt of having, be unrealistic (The President of the United States is not out of the running from your list). As your list grows, look at the pattern developing, and you will see that you are drawn to a certain type of job (Marketing, Media, Supply Chain, etc.), in certain industry segments (Automotive, Aerospace, Shipping, IT, etc.). Look for clues about what excites you and makes you feel energised again, then work towards achieving these goals and getting a job in line with your dreams.
  3. Perception Matters: As someone once said, “Dress for the job you want, not for the one you have”. Look in the mirror and ask yourself if the person looking back is the person who will be able to occupy the highest position listed in your bucket list. Identify what do you have to change in order for others to see you in that position. When re-evaluating your image, look at all aspects that make up your image – from the clothes that you wear to your social media profile, to the way you socialise. Start making the changes, but take your time and do it right.
  4. Networking: One of the key factors that will help you achieve your goals will be the contacts you develop. Work towards developing new contacts, people who are unfamiliar with the old you and have only seen the new and improved you. Use platforms like LinkedIn, Alumni Associations, Professional Associations, Clubs, etc., to develop your new network. Talk about your passions and goals with these people, ask for their advice, get a mentor who has your best interests at hand. And when your big break comes, the odds are it won’t come from someone you’d name if you had to list the 50 people you know best. Most opportunities come from people at the very edges of your network or someone you haven’t interacted with in a really long time. Remember, all that’s holding you back is you. Don’t bury your dreams. Day after day, tell people what you really, truly want to do. Share your dream with them, and one of them will make that dream come true.
  5. Qualification: Education Qualification matters and will be one of the driving factors in helping you achieving your dream job. Knowledge, networking, creative thinking, self-discipline, time management are just some of what you can gain from a quality education. Anyone who tells you otherwise has either been in that small fraction of the job population that has been very lucky or has had it handed to him. So, ensure you have the qualifications to go with that dream job or your dream job might just go to someone who does.

 

Robert Kennedy College with almost 14,000 students from almost every county in the world offers one of the most diverse, accredited and globally recognised online master’s degree programmes in both Business Law, Leadership and Management through exclusive partnerships with British universities. For more information download programme catalogue.

A step-by-step guide to the enrolment/admission process at Robert Kennedy College

So, after speaking with our education advisors, going through our programme catalogue and experiencing our OnlineCampus through the 14 day trial access we offer, you have decided to make a positive change in your life and join our online Master degree programme.

For your better understanding, what follows is the step-by-step breakdown of our admissions process. Please note, we welcome applications from students who may not meet the formal entry criteria but who have relevant experience or the ability to pursue the course successfully.

  1. Putting the required documents together.
    • Copy of your Bachelor’s degree certificate. Please note, if your certificate is unavailable or if you have not completed your bachelor’s degree, please check with your Education Advisor for further guidance.
    • Your updated CV/ Resume with correct dates of employment and education (month and year).
    • Signed application form (Please download the application form, fill it, print it, sign it, scan and email it to your education advisor).
    • A reference letter from your present employer on the company letterhead. The letter should be current dated and addressed to The Dean, Robert Kennedy College, Zurich, Switzerland.
  2. Application Fee payment of 100 CHF (Swiss francs). A credit card payment link will be emailed to you once your online application has been created. You can also make the payment by a Bank Transfer, details will be provided once the application has been created.
  3. Statement of Purpose (SOP) of a minimum 300 words, in English, this statement allows the admission office to determine your suitability for the programme.
    • Points to cover in your SOP –
      • Why did you choose Robert Kennedy College and the University of Cumbria?
      • What is your ambition and motivation to study and graduate from this master programme?
      • Where do you see yourself, professionally, in 5 years’ time from now?
      • Please ensure that your SOP has no spelling, punctuation or grammar mistakes and no short forms is to be used and is to be written in your own words and is not to be copied.
      • You can write and email the SOP to your education advisor as a Word/ PDF document.

Alternatively you can directly create an online application digitally sign the application form, upload the reference letter, degree certificate and your CV, write the SOP and pay your application fees.

At Robert Kennedy College we have truly simplified, modernised and streamlined our admissions process but at every stage we recommend that you keep in touch with and take the advice of your Education Advisor who is there to be a guiding hand.

Doing a Masters without a Bachelor degree

Postgraduate study usually requires an undergraduate (Bachelor’s) degree as a prerequisite – but if you haven’t completed an undergraduate degree, earning a Master’s qualification isn’t out of the question.

There are a number of criteria that a university might take into consideration when evaluating an application for a Master’s degree programme. Some universities insist on a Bachelor’s degree from a recognised and accredited university. However this should not dissuade you from applying for a Master’s degree as the long term professional benefitswill stand you in good stead, and a large number of universities will take into account your professional experience and other certificates and diplomas in lieu of a Bachelor’s degree when considering your application.

Here’s how to get your Master’s without a previous undergraduate degree.

Leveraging your professional experience – The best way to learn is to do! There will be a number of concepts that you learn in your Master’s programme that you might have already executed in your professional life to great success and yet be unaware of the theories, best practice or the full practical potential of the concept. But having already executed the concept and seen it work (or fail), your knowledge of the concept will put you equal to if not steps ahead of a Bachelor’s graduate who has joined a Master’s programme directly after graduation. The knowledge you have gained through your time in employment or self-employment may prompt a university to consider you favourably for a Master’s degree in lieu of a Bachelors’ when considering your application.

Other Education/ Professional Certificates or Graduate Diploma – There are a number of reasons why a person might not have completed their Bachelor’s degree. Maybe at the time of your Bachelor’s programme you were only able to attain a graduate certificate or a diploma, or maybe you were unable to enrol for a Bachelor’s programme in the first place due to personal or financial commitments. But It is a fact that the only way to continuously and consistently grow in your professional life and have a successful career is to keep updating your knowledge and to this end you might have accumulated a number of professional certificates which testify to your knowledge and professional expertise. It is such knowledge coupled with your professional experience that a university might take into consideration when evaluating your application for a Master’s degree programme.

Robert Kennedy College with almost 14,000 students from almost every county in the world offers one of the most diverse, accredited and globally recognised online master’s degree programmes in both Business Law, Leadership and Management through exclusive partnerships with British universities. For more information download programme catalogue.

Benefits of joining an Accredited University

A degree can have a significant impact of your career aspirations, from the opportunities extended to the salaries offered. However, your choice of university or college will have a major influence of these career opportunities. As more universities begin to offer degree programmes online, it’s especially important to know which ones provide the academic excellence desired by many employers.

The quality of your education is probably the most important consideration in making your decision as regards a college or a university, after all you will be investing a substantial amount of your time, effort and money in obtaining this degree and will be expecting a return on your investment.

Due to technological advancements and a growing need for organisations to have a qualified workforce, the number of universities and colleges that offer online programmes to meet this requirement have increased dramatically over the last few years. However not all programs deliver an excellent education.

Accreditation means that an institution was evaluated based on specific guidelines. Some of the benefits that an accredited university offers are:

  • To ensure that education provided by institutions meet an acceptable level of quality
  • Facilitate a graduate’s entry into certain licensure and certification programs
  • Ensure a university honours its promises to students
  • Monitoring and Improving education standards

Recruiters place importance on credentials and will likely verify whether a school is regionally accredited and this can have a direct impact on not only whether you get the opportunity offered but on the salary that is being offered. So ensure the degree programmes you consider are offered through a respected – and accredited – educational institution.

From the student perspective an accredited university will help you stand out from the competition when applying for the best jobs and give your prospective employers the confidence that you possess the skills and education they are looking for.

Robert Kennedy Collegewith almost 14,000 students from almost every county in the world offers one of the most diverse, accredited and globally recognised online master’s degree programmes in both Business Law, Leadership and Management through exclusive partnerships with British universities. For more information download programme catalogue.

Advantages of an Online Education

An on-campus education offers a number of traditional benefits – from access to the infrastructure of the university, face-to-face interaction with the faculty, and better networking opportunities with your peers, to on-campus placements and career opportunities.

However, with the access given us by technology these “traditional benefits” are no longer unique to an on-campus education.

Most universities that offer an online programme usually give their students access to their online libraries. These online libraries usually come better stocked with a wide range of reference papers and ebooks as there is no physical space required for the library and these online libraries can be accessed by students at any time and from anywhere in the world.

A number of online education institutions have also adapted video communication tools like Skype, Facetime, etc., to give a virtual classroom experience to their students. Through these virtual classrooms students can interact live with the faculty and fellow students, discussing subjects, answering questions and experiencing a classroom environment from the comforts of their homes.

Through social media, students and institutions have created a more extensive and robust network than anytime before in history, creating platforms for not only the sharing of ideas and discovering partnerships but also creating and broadcasting job opportunities that might have otherwise have gone unnoticed.

Another advantage of an online education is that most of the students who enrol in a programme also have a full-time career and are pursuing their education parallel to career and life commitments in order to enhance their career prospects. Having to effectively manage work, life and education has the added benefit of making a student learn to manage time better and become more self-disciplined.

In today’s global village, organisations are truly multinational and technology plays a vital part in the decision-making and communication process of an organisation. Having completed an online programme, students are prepared for this modern business environment, with familiarity in online communication and information platforms and learnt skills in online research, data mining and appropriate writing etiquette.

Robert Kennedy College with almost 14,000 students from almost every county in the world offers one of the most diverse online master’s degree programmes in both Law and Business through exclusive partnerships with British universities. For more information download programme catalogue.

Advantage in having Student Diversity

The world has become a smaller place, a global village and organisations have truly become multinational. Today’s managers must not only know how to manage business at a global level but also understand the nuances of doing business at local level.

Diversity in your college in terms of race, gender, religion and other factors has a positive impact on all students. Diversity enriches your experience by exposing you to a non-homogenous composition of students as an introduction to the cultures of the world and so to a richer learning experience.

This exposure will also create a diverse learning experience providing:

Greater Self-Awareness – Joining a college that has a diverse student base exposes students to a wide spectrum of cultural and life experiences, shattering preconceptions and prejudice and enhancing the overall learning experience.

Knowledge and Critical Thinking – The course curriculum is not the only source of knowledge in college. The opportunity to interact with diverse peers, leads to greater active thinking, intellectual engagement and motivation.

Global Perspective – In today’s global business environment with clients, suppliers and employees from all over the world and different backgrounds, an exposure to a diverse college environment lays the foundation for a global perspective and builds the social abilities needed to interact productively with individuals of various nationalities and backgrounds. The experience will enhance your career prospects because you are prepared to face opportunities you may not otherwise consider.

Social Development – Interacting with students and faculty from different national and social backgrounds will not only create a global network but will be enriched with diversity. This diverse exposure will also create a diverse learning experience providing the socialisation skills and knowledge which would otherwise have been out of your comfort zone.

Collaboration – A study conducted by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that ideas generated by diverse teams were of better quality in terms of feasibility and effectiveness with input from individuals of diverse backgrounds and perspectives that otherwise would not have been raised.

Robert Kennedy College with almost 14000 students from almost every county in the world offers one of the most diverse online Master’s degree programmes both in Law and in Business through exclusive partnerships with British universities. For more information download programme catalogue.