Qualifying as a Professional: Challenges of Studying & Working

Given our focus on professionals and their career goals, Protagion’s members tend to share a common experience during their lives: the challenge of studying and working simultaneously. Many professionals attest to the personal effort, dedication and diligence required in tackling their professional exams, particularly at board or fellowship level. While this pressure often arises during the earlier years of their careers, it can arise later too, if for example, they study further or write additional exams to change specialism or profession. And, once complete, the sense of accomplishment (and relief) is well-earned – every qualification is a substantial achievement to be celebrated! I know of an actuary who vowed to celebrate every week for a full year once she was done...

Two specific difficult areas which professionals reference are:

• Making the change from studying full-time at university to balancing working and studying in your first job – it can take some time to find a rhythm which works personally, and support from your employer (such as study leave and/or payment of exam fees) can be very helpful in lessening the pressure
• Picking yourself up again after failure, especially if you’ve written the exam multiple times already (not again!) – repeated failure can be psychologically devastating, especially considering the superhuman effort required to study for and write each paper

The global contagion and national lockdown responses this year are adding significantly to the stress involved in writing professional exams, including:

• Uncertainty about whether the scheduled exams (which students will have dedicated months of study time to already) are going ahead; some professional bodies are making online alternatives available, but changes to the “exam conditions” that you prepared under can be incredibly disturbing to your state of mind
• The impact of working from home on your study routine, compounded by family responsibilities you may have too such as homeschooling children or looking after relatives who live with you

Even under normal circumstances the nature of your role affects your possible study schedule. For example:

• if you have client commitments, like a consultant might
• if you have times of the year that are particularly pressurised at work, such as in a financial reporting area
• if there is a pressing project (say a product launch or reprice or system upgrade) with a deadline near your exam dates

​Vacancies or unplanned absence of your teammates can also contribute to additional work pressures. And, especially now given the possibilities of people falling ill, study leave may be cancelled at short notice in order to deliver on corporate priorities. Some roles will also be facing additional work at present, like those in risk management or business continuity areas. 

All of this work pressure is compounded with the team working from different home locations, possibly with less reliable access to the software and systems needed to operate optimally. Communication within the team and with seniors can also be more challenging.

Some suggestions for how to manage work and studying while working from home:

1. Ask those in your home for their continued support in getting through your exams – this may involve showing them the hours required of you to prepare for each paper, as well as your planned study schedule
   
2. Set aside specific days and/or times (such as evenings) for studying, including setting yourself targets for the number of chapters and/or exam questions to get through in each study session – it is important to get into a regular routine, even in the midst of the current turmoil
   
3. If you find work colleagues are interrupting you during your dedicated study times, speak to them respectfully during your allocated work time; consider including on your email signature which are your study days and adding an out-of-office message on those days, confirming when you'll be back online and able to address work queries
   
4. If possible, designate specific zones at home for different purposes i.e. a study space and a work space as this will help separate the two activities for you; ideally leave your phone, laptop and other work equipment in the work zone so that they are not accessible when you’re in your study zone
   
5. Make commitments to others as to your weekly study progress, such as someone studying the same exam as you, your boss and/or your family – these public pledges can demonstrate to others how serious you are, as well as motivate you to honour them

Do you agree? Any other suggestions to achieve both passes and promotions? Which techniques have helped you study for professional qualifications while simultaneously delivering above expectations at work? Please also share further ideas to manage the particular challenges of doing this while working from home.

A final thought: given the significant personal and professional stresses we’re all facing at the moment, one of Protagion’s coaches in South Africa has very kindly offered to support our professionals with their current worries by offering a free confidential coaching session per person. Her intention is to be of service and support others through this difficult time, including sharing what she personally practises to remain calm in stressful situations. Please contact us if you’d like to take up Gretha’s offer of a space for those in need to unpack, offload and lessen some of the emotional stress.