Project management | career change success
We catch up with Learning People project management student Charlotte Crenn, who successfully changed her career. Charlotte has studied and passed the PRINCE2® Foundation, PRINCE2® Practitioner, PRINCE2® Agile Practitioner, and the PMI Certified Associate Project Management (CAPM).
She now works as a Project Coordinator for Andor Technology.
Tell us why you inquired with Learning People
I decided on a career change last year into project management but had no idea where to start, so I looked around and read a lot. I saw there were a few certifications that were widely recognised in the industry and decided to look up different providers.
Were there any specific skills you were looking to gain or develop by enrolling with Learning People?
I was looking specifically for project management certifications. PRINCE2® were my first choice with the CAPM following as a bonus.
Was there a particular reason you chose to enrol with Learning People, and did you speak to any other educators or training providers?
The first call I had with Learning People felt like a lot more than someone just trying to sell me something. Right from the first call, Matt provided me with useful advice which gave me a good feeling. I often go with my instinct and it felt well supported with Learning People right from the beginning.
Tell us what the career consultation phone call was like for you.
I really appreciated being given useful advice about the career and industry before signing up. It was great career advice with helpful recommendations that gave me a better view of what to expect and what the path beyond the certifications would look like. So a lot more about the career change and not just focused on the certifications and the training.
Tell us about your experience of learning online using our system and the associated labs.
Very straightforward and very good. The videos and support were very easy to use.
Were you able to gain support from our StudentCare™ team when you needed it?
The courses were very well presented and easy to understand, so I never needed any clarification from mentors or StudentCare™. I did have to contact StudentCare™ to book my exams at the end of the courses and their response was almost instant, they were very fast to answer.
Did you utilise any of the course mentoring – if so, how did it help you?
No, I had no need to use the mentoring.
How did you get on with the practice exams / test preparation?
All good. Again, it was very straightforward and felt inline with everything I had studied.
Tell us about your experience of working with our Career Services team, and what did you find most useful?
I have to say this was my absolute favourite part. I was having a pretty bad time in my former employment, to the point where I decided to leave and go back home before looking for work in my new field. Which was quite a terrifying thing to do.
This is when I first spoke with Robyn from the Career Services team. I told her what I wanted to do and asked if she thought it was achievable, or am I crazy? She said if you do everything I tell you and you work with me, your chances will definitely be increased.
I didn’t think I needed help making a CV, I’ve made plenty of them in my professional career. But it turned out Robyn had a lot to show me and teach me and held my hand all the time. It made a huge difference and gave me the confidence to move forward with my career plan. As you can tell I’m a big fan.
How did enrolling with Learning People affect your career (new job / promotion etc)?
Once I decided it was time to find a job, Robyn was there to prepare me for everything I needed. I had to do a presentation as part of the interview for the job I really wanted, and Robyn took hours to help me rehearse and to prepare me for the day. So it really was a big help.
Tell us about your new job / promotion.
I love it, it’s amazing. Best decision ever. I now work for Andor Technology who manufacture high performance scientific cameras, spectrographs and microscopy systems. I work with lots of products on different projects with lots of different teams and no two days are the same.
What has been the best part of your Learning People experience?
I would say the Career Services. This is what made the experience above and beyond my expectations.
What advice would you give to somebody who is thinking about enrolling with Learning People?
Sometimes the hardest step is the first. It costs literally nothing to pick up the phone and speak with a career consultant. The internet is a great resource, but can be very overwhelming, there’s so much choice. Speaking with a human being really helps put things into perspective, especially when it’s good advice.
If you’d like to experience world class career education and support from the experts in tech and project management, simply get in touch with one of our specialist career consultants today.
