Conclusion:
Before you want to complete a course at the "Project Assistant with Certificate (IPMA Level D)" level, you should be convinced that you really enjoy working as a project assistant. The course description should also appeal to you. If you have answered these first two questions with a clear "yes", you can look into these courses further. If you are unsure about these questions, you should consider which other further training courses are also suitable for you.
If you do not meet the admission requirements of a provider because you do not yet have any project experience, ask your employer whether they would allow you to take on an additional task as a project employee. Or look for a new job in your usual profession with a company that handles a lot of orders in the form of projects and where you can gain initial experience as a project employee. Or take a look at the admission requirements of other schools. Not all of them require project experience for entry.
If you do not meet the requirements because you do not have a basic education, it may be useful to clarify with an educational or career counselor whether it would help you in the long term if you first learn a basic occupation. If you have a foreign qualification, you should ask several schools or the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (www.sbfi.ch) whether your training is recognized as equivalent so that you can be admitted to the course.
Financing further education is not always easy. Several thousand francs have to be paid over 1-2 semesters. Many schools offer the option of semesterly or even individual monthly installments in individual cases, so that the entire amount does not have to be paid at once. In addition, it is helpful for part-time courses that participants continue to work during the course and thus earn money for the entire duration of the course. If this is not enough to finance the training alone, it is sometimes possible to obtain a loan from a private source. Banks and credit institutions sometimes also offer educational loans. A good argument for financing further education is the relatively quick amortization of costs through wage increases. Do the following calculation: How much would a wage increase of 10% per year amount to? How many years do you need to recoup the costs of the course? How much more will you earn over your entire working life as a result of this pay rise? In most cases, this is a six-figure sum, which confirms that training or further education is the best personal investment there is.
The time required for training or further education should not be underestimated. Going out, vacations and spontaneous wellness weekends often fall by the wayside. However, this time usually passes relatively quickly. The prospect of better job opportunities and more pay should be motivation enough to get through this time. It often helps to organize yourself into study groups. It also makes sense to stick with it right from the start and schedule fixed study times. Good learning effects can be achieved by creating summaries and mind maps. Flashcard systems help with memorization. There are many tools and ideas to make learning easier. You can obtain the guide "The personal learning strategy" free of charge if you register with a school via Ausbildung-Weiterbildung.ch.
If you have doubts about whether you will pass the final exam or the certification measures, you can expect that every school has an interest in ensuring that as many of your students as possible pass the final exams. Talk to your head teacher or course leader and ask about support options. Or find out in advance about the exact framework conditions and possible alternatives. But always assume that with good motivation, perseverance and hard work, it is generally possible to pass these exams. If you suffer from exam anxiety, good preparation, various practical tips, therapeutic treatments or, in severe cases, even medication can help. You can obtain the guide "Overcoming exam anxiety" if you register with a school via Ausbildung-Weiterbildung.ch. Here you will also findsuitable providerson the subject of test anxiety.
The benefits of further training are usually measured in terms of a higher salary, more challenging tasks or promotions. This presupposes that you make an effort to change your professional position accordingly and, if necessary, are able to assert your demands. If you have already experienced that this is not always so easy for you, you could also check whether personal job coaching could be of benefit to you in addition to further training.
Now it's up to you to decide. If in doubt, seek personal advice from a school or external advice center. If you enquire about course or training documents via www.ausbildung-weiterbildung.ch, you will receive a free educational or school consultation worth CHF 150.00 on request.
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We wish you all the best in your professional and private lives and a bright and exciting future!
The team of Ausbildung-Weiterbildung.ch