Anyone who has worked in a corporate or not-for-profit setting would have heard the term “growth mindset” – even if your work isn’t office based, chances are you’ve probably head it used before. It’s the cornerstone of contemporary leadership – our intelligence can be developed throughout a lifelong learning journey. I agree with this concept, we all have growth opportunities, but in my experience, organisations are horrific when it comes to investing in personal and professional growth. Across my career, the vast majority of development has been personally driven and funded. The biggest issue with this, when engaging in formal studies, we settle for something that fits around work, not within it.

For most of my professional life I wanted to undertake post-graduate studies, more specifically a Master of Business Administration (MBA). As fate would have it, while living and working in Toronto, I found myself with an abundance of time on my hands. Whether that be during the long, cold winters, or in airport lounges and hotel rooms while travelling with work. I couldn’t escape the feeling I was wasting time.

And so the search for an MBA commenced – and boy are there a lot of options out there. At that time, almost all MBA’s were facilitated in person, either full-time or part-time on campus. My visa status in Canada did not allow for me to undertake study, and therefore I either had to consider relocating or looking for alternative study methods. I stumbled across the Deakin University Online MBA, and after much consideration enrolled in their MBA due to the breadth of opportunity that would provide. In hindsight, perhaps I should have gone ahead with their Sport MBA (a world renowned program), but I’m comfortable with the choice I made.

That aside, here are some of my key takeaways from the online experience.

BE PREPARED FOR LATE NIGHTS.

The heading says it all – online study is time consuming. If your job requires long days and weekends, completing online study will be tough. I undertook between two and four subject per-trimester, and completing my degree took three years. Over the journey I would spend all Saturday in the library (every weekend), Sunday afternoons finishing coursework or assignments, and regularly 4+ hours per-evening completing assignments during the trimester.

You’re going to burn the candle at both ends, it’s inevitable. That time you need to complete your assignment, you’ll find that deep in the evening. I would regularly find myself working on an assignment at 2am, and then dragging myself out of bed at 6am to get into the office. This experience wasn’t a one off event, it was a regular occurrence – so be prepared to loose some sleep along the journey.

WATCH LECTURES AT 2X SPEED.

If you don’t have to attend live lecture (or like me, couldn’t due to the time difference), you can catch up by watching the recordings. I don’t know about you, but I really struggle with lectures at the best of times, my attention span isn’t long enough to remain engaged on one voice for that long. One of the great advantages of online learning is access to recordings – and that my friends is a blessing, as you can watch the lecture at up to 2x speed. Once you get used to the high pitched chipmunk voices, it’s an absolute game changer.

PICKING GROUP MEMBERS IS HARD.

Group assignments suck at the best of times, but you can multiply that by one hundred with online study. With no basis or connection from which to pick your study group, you’re in the hands of the university gods when it comes to finding good group members. From group members going missing, to withdrawing the day before the assignment is due, submitting half finished work and everything in between, it’s a massive test of patience and ability to manage people. I imagine if you’re with an ivy league school or equivalent, you’re less likely to run into this problem – in which case, count your blessings. Otherwise, strap yourself in, and remember, it’s a great test of people management skills that is directly applicable in your professional environment.

ONLINE DISCUSSION BOARDS ARE GREAT, BUT THEY DON’T REPLICATE REAL CONVERSATIONS.

The discussion boards are a great way to engage with other students, but the time lag and general platforms are difficult to navigate. In the end, you’ll find a small handful of people use the discussion board, and everyone else lurks in the background.

I recommend trying to find another study partner or a small group who connect over zoom regularly. You’ll swap notes or study together, motivating each other along the way. I didn’t find this until the penultimate trimester, and I wish I had access to this earlier – it can help beat the isolation of online study and build your professional network at the same time.

NETWORKING IS HARDER – CHOOSE THE UNIVERSITY CAREFULLY.

This goes hand-in-hand with the discussion boards. Networking in an online degree is significantly harder than attending on campus. You miss the incidental connections otherwise made at the library, in class and walking around the campus. Replicating learning online, particularly when there aren’t live lectures, means you’re isolated from your fellow students. It creates difficulties in building study relationship and friendships. Deakin didn’t create the best environment in which to network, and I’m sure other universities may have more advanced networking opportunities.

I encourage people to actively seek out others they find interesting on the discussion boards or other connections (or even run their own online networking event) – getting a tight group of people you can study with can open doors you’ve never imagined. The breakout room feature in zoom could be a unique way to run a networking event.

CREATE A SPACE YOU WANT TO STUDY IN.

When I started studying online, my office was tucked away in the corner of my bedroom. I hated it. I hated sitting there, so I found excuses not to. I was fortunate at the time to live in an apartment that looked over the city of Toronto, it was a beautiful view. I rearranged my furniture and put my desk in front of the living room window – it was a game changer. I loved sitting at that desk, smashing out an assignment while looking over the city.

Now, you don’t need an amazing view to motivate you to study. A clean space and a few plants might be all you want; whatever creates an inviting space you want to be. Take the time to set up an inviting space and watch your motivation soar.

BE PROUD OF YOUR ACHIEVEMENT.

You invest a lot of time, effort and resources into completing your degree, and submitting that last assignment will be a moment full of relief – and hopefully receiving your results will be a moment of joy! It’s one of the most rewarding and fulfilling journey’s of my life, one that I look back upon fondly and full of pride. You earn every piece of your degree, so celebrate your achievement as best you can!

Top 5 Tips for Online Learning.

1. Pick your University carefully – it can make or break your online learning experience.
2. Work hard on your networking – actively contact the people who interest you.
3. Find a study group – you’ll rely on them to keep motivated.
4. Be prepared to invest your time – no escaping it, you’ll put in some big hours.
5. Create a space for learning- study is hard enough, it’s harder if you hate the space. Create a space that encourages you to study!

While the short-course environment evolves at a frantic pace, I strongly believe graduate degrees remain a highly desirable qualification. Whatever you want to do, there isn’t a better time than now to jump in to learning.