Changing Careers – Points to Consider

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People consider a change in career for a number of reasons – hopes and aspirations at the start of your career might have changed, you may have developed new passions and interests, desire for better salary, better work hours, etc. These are just some of the reasons, amongst the multitude of reasons, that might be influencing your decision in changing your career.

However, before you reach decision, it is vital that you evaluate your present situation and the opportunities that might still be available in your current career. Explore the other career options available and evaluate how this new career aligns with your objectives.

The following are a few points to consider when evaluating your career change.

  • Evaluate Current Job Satisfaction:The fact that you are contemplating a change in career is ample evidence of the level of your job satisfaction. But have you sat down and analysed why you need this career change, is it job satisfaction (related to the actual work that you do) or is it because of some external factors, like – work environment, colleagues, the company culture and not the actual work that you do, then may be all you have to do is change this external factor that seems to be having such a profound impact on you. If the dissatisfaction arises from the job that you are doing, look at opportunities within your organisation in the field that you are interested in, as you already have knowledge of the industry and the organisation, this is probably the easiest move to make.
  • Skill and Interest Assessment:Analyse all of your previous roles, regardless of how significant or insignificant they might seem. Identify your stronger skills sets, your strength and weakness, the jobs you enjoyed doing, the roles you enjoyed handling. This will help in assessing possible career alternatives.
  • Career Alternatives: Consider alternative careers based on your skill set, educational qualifications, work experience and other qualifications. Discuss with your family and friends the possible career options. Get in touch with the business network you have developed over the years and discuss possibilities with them. Also, it’s never too late to meet a career counsellor for professional advice.

  • Job Opportunities: Once you have determined on the kind of job vertices that interest you, do a comparative evaluation of the various verticals and identify a few with potential for an in-depth analysis. You will find a wealth of information online, but try to also get personal, set up meeting with people in your network (friends, family, school alumni, professional contacts, etc.) and discuss the opportunity and possible career change with them. There is no more valuable information than first-hand information.
  • Get a feel of it: If you are going to be changing careers then you should be certain that the move you make is the right one for you. It is very rare that you will get a third opportunity at building the career you want. Try to secure an internship or even take on a part-time job in the field of your primary interest, it need only be for a short time, however the more time you can commit to the study the clearer picture you will get.
  • Upgrade your Skill: The best way to change your career is to get qualified for it. Do a short-term course or better still, do a master’s degree programme related to the field that you are interested in, it is the quickest way to get ahead or catch up on lost ground.

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.

3 British Universities, 31 Online Programmes to choose from

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Robert Kennedy College is a private educational institution in Zürich, Switzerland that was founded in 1998. RKC is a pioneer in online education and provides Swiss Quality Education from Universities based in the United Kingdom. Thus our slogan “Swiss quality, British tradition”. At Robert Kennedy College, we offer Online Masters programmes in exclusive partnership with three British Universities.

 

 

Our Education Partners:

  1. University of Cumbria

The University of Cumbria is ranked on the Guardian University Guide. A number of courses come out “Top in the North              West” and the university is Ranked in the Top Three in the North West for Business and Management studies. The University offers a high-quality learning experience in a supportive environment which enables students to achieve their personal and professional potential wherever they study. RKC in collaboration with University of Cumbria offers Online MBA and LLM Programmes. You can choose from the wide array of specialisation that suits your career requirements; from MBA in Leadership and Sustainability, MBA International Healthcare Management, MBA Media Leadership to MBA Energy and Sustainability and MBA Finance and Sustainability are the most popular courses amongst the students worldwide. Online Master of Laws LL.M is offered in International Business Law. The University of Cumbria is ranked 15th in the United Kingdom in the Guardian University Guide for Law (2014).

2.  University of Salford

Thanks to an exclusive partnership with the Robert Kennedy College in Zürich, Switzerland, the University of Salford Business School MSc Programmes in Global Management, Project Management, Financial Services Management, Marketing, and Procurement, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Human Resource Management and Development, Information Systems Management, International Banking and Finance and LLM International Commercial Law are now available on a global basis via online learning. In this video, Prof. Dr. iur. David Costa, Dean Robert Kennedy College, explains why you should consider RKC to pursue your Master of Science, MSc Programme:

 

3. York St John University

Today the University is based on an award-winning campus in the centre of the ancient city of York where its students study a broad range of subjects. It has a highly recognised reputation for its teaching and learning, and a wide network of regional, national, and international partnerships which now includes Robert Kennedy College. Programmes offered include MBA Leading Innovation and Change and MBA Management Consulting amongst four other specialisations. Verify our exclusive partnership with York St John University here.

Talk to our education advisor today, to know more about the Online Masters programmes offered.

 

 

Getting your Career out of the Rut and Back on Track

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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.

Fear of Failure

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In life, on several occasions, the real-world situation unfolds in an entirely different manner than what we are advised or we envision it would. We are taught to be leaders, be confident and be certain of every action we take. Of the several traits and qualities of being a competent leader, we are taught to be fearless. However, the fear of failure is an all-pervasive part of the human psyche. Failure is defined as the ‘lack of success’. Lack of which induces a feeling of paucity, in turn further inducing the ‘fear of failure’ in the future endeavours.

“Failure is so important. We speak about success all the time. It is the ability to resist failure or use failure that often leads to greater success. I’ve met people who don’t want to try for fear of failing.” – J.K. Rowling

Fear can adversely affect one’s ability to do things, confidence  and willingness to face any challenges that arise. We are afraid of deploying any ingenious methods, stemming out of the reluctance of taking even minor risks. We fear not only of the outcomes, but also of the deemed image; especially when one is at a leadership position.

“Failure isn’t fatal, but failure to change might be” – John Wooden

Fear cripples the progress and creativity. Change is inevitable and one must embrace the change and advance with valour. First, we must create an environment in which failure is not ridiculed or shamed but encouraged. Teams should strive for a culture rooted in trust because it grants the members a greater capacity for innovation

 “It’s failure that gives you the proper perspective on success.” – Ellen DeGeneres

 

Second, we must not be risk-aversive. Once we are surrounded by those who are more accepting of failure, we can encourage and pursue taking risks early. Fail hard, and fail fast.

 “When you take risks you learn that there will be times when you succeed and there will be times when you fail, and both are equally important.” – Ellen DeGeneres

By taking risks early on, we contrive plans to embrace larger repercussions, and the confidence bolstered in those unconventional decisions, results in greater achievement.

Reflection session

Reflection session

Now taking risk not always commensurates to the need of the hour. Planning the ‘next step’ and thinking ahead is vital. Risks come with only a chance of success, and sometimes the odds are not in our favor.

 “You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don’t try to forget the mistakes, but you don’t dwell on it. You don’t let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space.” – Johnny Cash

We can instead redirect our efforts on what to do next. We encourage this outlook to prevent plateauing personal growth with negative emotion, which also has a high chance of affecting the team’s performance and our future level of contribution.

Finally,

“Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” – Denis Waitley

 

Do not let fear come in your way to advance your studies. Talk to our advisor today about the courses offered online and get your customised study-plan.

 

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

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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.

How to choose a career for yourself

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When It Comes to Careers, Change Is a Constant

Apparently, it is one of the toughest and most crucial decisions (apart from choosing a life partner) that each one of us take in our lives. You can be at any stage of your life – a professional working in the field for several years – trying to do something new or just venturing into the practical world after finishing your education; determining your career path can prove to be an extremely overwhelming process.

There are hundreds and thousands of career options. And with the advancements in technology, social media and online interfaces, newer careers have boomed in last few years. The more choices we have, the more anxiety it causes us and the more we fear the consequences of making the wrong decision. We have a natural tendency to not want to close doors, so instead we will scramble back and forth to keep each option open “just in case.” Instead of helping us, this leads to a debilitating sense of indecision.

 

For most of us, our career paths are predetermined. Predetermined by parents, friends, peers, society and circumstances. As a child, we swim (or just try to) in the river, which our parents and society trust is the best path to our successes. We are told how to keep afloat and follow the pack and what our goals should be. Our job isn’t to think about our path—it’s to succeed on the path we’ve been placed on, based on the way success has been defined for us. Now, some of us develop passions and interest on the path they are put onto and make successful careers; whilst others are left pondering on their career decisions. But everyone, (including the successful ones) should pause and introspect if it was really them who chalked out their career paths? The map of your career path should be self designed.

With a little self-exploration and some research, you can easily choose a career that will leave you feeling fulfilled.

Ideally, everyone would know their true calling early in life and find happiness in their work, but it often doesn’t work that way. One survey (of New York professionals) found that they expected to change careers three times in their lifetimes; lifelong careers may not be the norm any more.

Here is what you can do:

Identify your skill set : Evaluate yourself on the various aspects where you are good at. Ask friends, family, colleague for their inputs and narrowing down your strengths.

Jot down your interests and passions: Enlist the things you love to do. It could be sculpting, nature walks, travelling, volunteering, building things, woodcraft etc.

Determining the Option Pool: Bringing together your wants and the reality (skill set), you get a pool of practical options for your career choice.

Be lead by your own aspirations and not societal expectations: Your career choice should be an informed personal decision based on a thorough knowledge of your own strengths, skills, interests, style and values; and not what society expects to become or do in life.

and most importantly,

Believe in yourself!

 

For more information about our Online programmes that can help shape your career; download the catalogue.

 

 

Organisational Behaviour and its Importance in Management

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“There are only two ways to influence human behaviour: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it” – Simon Sinek, Author, Motivational Speaker and Marketing Consultant

Understanding why people behave the way they do and studying the complex nature of human being in an organisation is important to better manage and increase the value of the human capital in an organisation. Organisational Behaviour helps us understand this by studying the cause and effect of human behaviour within an organisation.

Some of the reasons why Organisational Behaviour is an integral part of most management programmes is as follows:

  1. Understanding the relationship between an organisation and its employees: The study of Organisational Behaviour helps in the better understanding of the relationship between an organisation and its employees thereby helping in the development of better Human Resource strategies in creating a better work environment, employee loyalty and increasing the overall value of the human capital for the organisation.
  2. Motivating employees: Studying Organisational Behaviour help managers to better understand their employees and motivate them, applying different motivational tools as per individual requirements resulting in the better performance of the organisation as a whole.
  3. Improving industrial/ labour relations: Organisational Behaviour help in understanding the cause of a problem, predict its future course and control its consequences. As a result, managers are able to maintain better relations with their employees by nipping any problem in the bud.
  4. Effective utilisation of Human Resource: Knowledge of Organisational Behaviour help managers to effectively and efficiently manage their employees, inspiring and motivating them to higher efficiency and productivity through a better understanding and analysis of human behaviour.
  5. Predicting human behaviour: This is probably the most important reason for studying Organisational Behaviour in management. Knowledge of Organisational Behaviour prepares students to become better managers by becoming a student of human behaviour from a management perspective and thereby contributing to organisational effectiveness and profitability.

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.

Master’s…Now or Later?

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A majority of the people struggle with this question, whilst contemplating to pursue a Master’s: should they start their Master’s now or later? Being at different stages of their lives, prospective students find the reasons to postpone the Masters primarily are lack of time (they have full time and demanding jobs), their jobs require them to travel a lot, lack of money and family responsibilities. So when is the right time to pursue your Master’s? Right after you finish your undergraduate degree? Or rather wait for couple of years and then become a student again?

There are on set ways and either approach works for different people.

Advantages of starting your Master’s right after finishing your undergraduate degree:

  1. Still in a habit of studying : People start working right after undergraduate degree to earn a salary, support life-style, family, buy house etc. and the delay becomes indefinite. When you start your Master’s early, you are still habitual to studying, attending classes, submitting assignments, without having to worry much about other chores of your life.
  2. Peer Support: Everything gets harder as the time flies. Generation gaps are huge these days, even between first and second year students. So when you start early, you will find peers of your age and generation and the support and understanding is better.
  3. Be able to plan ahead and define better goals: After completing your undergraduate degree you have a fair idea of what you want to do and where you want your career to head. A Master’s degree will help plan your future better and give it a definitive direction in the field you want to be in eg. Finance, Healthcare, Media, Human Resources, project or Information systems management.
  4. Give you an edge in job market: Appearing for a job interview and having a Master’s degree already on your resume, will give you an edge and put you way ahead of others.

Advantages of starting your Master’s later in your professional lives:

  1. Switch careers: This is one of the most popular and easiest way to switch your careers to different fields, no matter what stage of your career you are in. You can start alternate careers or even enrich your existing jobs with new knowledge of the Master’s degree.
  2. Fund your Masters: When you have worked for a couple of years, it becomes easier for you to fund your Masters’ yourself or even secure an education loan. You find yourself in a better position financially.
  3. Build a valuable experience: Most of the students studying online bring with them vast seas of practical knowledge and add to the quality of the course in group assignments, interactions, and discussions. You are able to apply the theoretical knowledge of the course to the practical business world in real time with the online programmes.
  4. Clarity of life and career: you would have a better vision and aim for your life and know exactly where you want your career to head.

 

Download our course catalogue, and speak to our advisors today about the next intake.

Doing a Masters without a Bachelor degree

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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.

Sustainable Leadership

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” Good Leadership is a lifelong leadership process. The best leaders know the difference between a dream and                            a purpose  and they learn to follow their purpose” – Mama Jan Smith

Leadership is defined as the ‘action of leading a group of people or an organisation’.

In today’s complex business world where businesses are multifaceted and multicultural; leadership definition has taken a whole new level. Leaders are not only expected to ‘lead’ a group of people but also effectively manage and influence the group towards goals and values which are sustainable and contain a vision for the future.

YSJ - RKC - MALIC Signing

“Earn your Leadership Everyday” – Michael Jordan

Leadership is not confined to the top levels, to people with a ‘C’ in their business designations. To be successful, organisations need leadership ‘at all levels’ of operation. Leaders at all levels critically convert ideas to reality through far-sightedness and actively engaging in their environment.

Leadership ‘remains the No. 1 talent issue facing organizations around the world.’  Finding good leaders has, of course, always been a crucial issue for all sorts of organizations. This is why the armed forces, for instance, put so much effort into training their officers and why business schools and other providers of executive development have thrived. But the ’21st century leadership is different’.  Companies face new leadership challenges, including developing Millenials and multiple generations of leaders, meeting the demand for leaders with global fluency and flexibility, building the ability to innovate and inspire others to perform, and acquiring new levels of understanding of rapidly changing technologies and new disciplines and fields. No wonder organizations are coming up short.

At University of Cumbria, we offer MBA in Leadership and Sustainability and MBA Media Leadership programmes that cater to the increasing demand of distinctive managers with the aim of developing a unique leadership-oriented career opportunity.

Click here to know more about our programmes.

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