My name is Debra and this is the start of my learning and personal development journey with TrainingMatchmaker.com which was created by Watson and Co. Chartered Marketing founder: Trainer Christine Watson.
Christine contacted me after a cry for help with my CV on a LinkedIn post during the Covid-19 pandemic when I was furloughed, however was in desperate need to find purpose and direction in my life.
In this blog, you can see what challenges I face as an independent parent, the goals achieved (hopefully!) and how to overcome any fears in your own learning journey.
This is my first blog detailing my learning commitments and how I will achieve them: My Learning Plan.
I am a mother of two boys aged 4 and 12. I am an independent parent. I have a first class honours degree in Economics with Social Policy and prior to being furloughed I was employed as a working from home Office Manager for a tourism business, managing ten staff members, business relationships, meeting international buyers, and controlling supplies to name a few of my responsibilities across two countries.
I am always open to new opportunities and new connections – you can find me on Linkedin.
If you are inspired by my learning story please do feel free to share on social media – you can add the hashtags: #GetLearningNI #GetBloggingNI #MakeItClick and #TrainingMatchmaker.
If you would like to get started or reinvigorate your learning journey you too can guest blog for TrainingMatchmaker.com – contact
In this blog, you can see what challenges I face as an independent parent, the goals achieved (hopefully!) and how to overcome any fears in your own learning journey.
This is my first blog detailing my learning commitments and how I will achieve them: My Learning Plan.
Background
Who am I, well this is usually the one where people list the societal titles upon themselves, I am a mother of two boys aged 4 and 12. I am an independent parent, I reject ‘single mum’ due to the systemic derogatory association with the label. You can already tell I have strong opinions and a secret fire in me when it comes to any injustice. Challenges they have faced in their young lives in which I was their guide, constantly learning myself to ensure they are healthy both physically and psychologically are Autism, ADHD, food allergies and severe eczema. Personally, I have a first class honours degree in Economics with Social Policy and prior to being furloughed was employed as a working from home Office Manager for a tourism business, managing ten staff members, business relationships, meeting international buyers, and controlling supplies to name a few of my responsibilities across two countries. Post March 2020, I am home full time with two children, home schooling Year 8 and preschool, and trying to keep a level head and keep everyone safe.Challenges
There have been two main challenges for me. Firstly, time to focus on myself and my journey. While I may be able to sneak in an hour on the computer while my children watch TV or play outside with the football, there will always be the distractions of Paw Patrol, Cocomelon or Blippi in the background, or ‘mum what’s for lunch?’ when all I can say in reply is, ‘you just ate!’. Children of course like structure, want to know what is coming next and the security of knowing they can ask mum anything at any time. Mum guilt does not allow for me-time when I am essentially their world right now. They cannot see their grandparents and friends. Secondly, deciding what I want to learn about. We have a world where there is so much going on, so many online courses available, and evolving marketing techniques. It is difficult to decide where I want my career path to go in a changing world to ensure I have the skills for the future. The advice has always been to learn what you enjoy, and you will find a career you love. My issue is, I find lots of things enjoyable! I have a joy for learning. For every new thing learnt, my brain creates the new cell, sending an electric current and endorphins through my body. It is a natural drug and it is addictive. My first task is to create a learning plan; to list in order of priority what I am going to do. This has therefore been my second challenge but thankfully, my trainer Christine has a list for me to work with. We developed the list from a telephone call where we instantly became acquainted and she had an instant sense as to what would be suited to me. So here goes…Learning Plan
Let’s create my learning plan together now; because I skipped it earlier to write this blog. One of the pieces of advice I give my son doing schoolwork and tests, if you cannot do it, move on to the next question. Here is the initial list sourced from the free learning opportunities listed on the Make it Click portal- WordPress – create a free website or blog
- Create a CV in Google Docs
- 50 Free Microsoft Word CV Templates
- Canva – online image designer and editor
- What exactly is Twitter and how does it work?
- A guide to Twitter for new users
- What is Twitter?
- Speaking in public (excuse me, my youngest wanted an ice lolly, where was I?…)
- Build confidence with self-promotion
- Get noticed with social media
- Master social media
- How to create a Social Media Content Calendar
- Create a GV in Google Docs
- 50 Free Microsoft Word CV Templates
- What is Twitter?
- What exactly is Twitter and how does it work?
- A guide to Twitter for new users
- How to create a Social Media Content Calendar
- Get noticed with social media
- Master social media
- WordPress – create a free website or blog
- Canva – online image designer and editor
- Speaking in public
- Build confidence with self-promotion
- WordPress – create a free website or blog
- Canva – online image designer and editor
- What is Twitter?
- What exactly is Twitter and how does it work?
- A guide to Twitter for new users
- How to create a Social Media Content Calendar
- Get noticed with social media
- Master social media
- Speaking in public
- Build confidence with self-promotion
- Create a CV in Google Docs
- 50 Free Microsoft Word CV Templates
About Me:
I am a mother of two boys aged 4 and 12. I am an independent parent. I have a first class honours degree in Economics with Social Policy and prior to being furloughed I was employed as a working from home Office Manager for a tourism business, managing ten staff members, business relationships, meeting international buyers, and controlling supplies to name a few of my responsibilities across two countries.
I am always open to new opportunities and new connections – you can find me on Linkedin.
If you are inspired by my learning story please do feel free to share on social media – you can add the hashtags: #GetLearningNI #GetBloggingNI #MakeItClick and #TrainingMatchmaker.
If you would like to get started or reinvigorate your learning journey you too can guest blog for TrainingMatchmaker.com – contact
