5 Career-Boosting Distance Learning Courses

The adage that ‘every day’s a school day’ certainly applies to distance learners.

Because although flexible online courses are designed for life, a natural thirst for knowledge is a key motivational catalyst.

However, the vocational value of a recognised course is also crucial when weighting up whether you can balance earning a qualification with work and family commitments.

So to spell out the ways that choosing this convenient learning method can help you earn a promotion or switch sectors, it’s worth taking a closer look at five career-boosting distance learning courses.

You don’t need to be a tech whiz kid for a Digital Marketing BSc Hons to propel you towards an exciting new job – the digital and social media sector has roles that suit applicants of every age and stage.

And if you’ve got existing experience in areas like coding, design, traditional marketing, writing, languages or psychology, these can be converted to a dynamic career in digital media.

• A distance learning digital marketing degree provides you with a firm framework of business and marketing principles and practices, complemented by the latest creative, technical and practical skills and knowledge from the digital domain.
• Working with classmates and tutors in a virtual learning environment, you’ll get to grips with specific digital topics like campaign planning, customer journeys, data and analytics, B2B marketing, international marketing, content development and strategic brand management.

You can complete this type of Digital Marketing degree in as little as three years, and because it’s completed online in your own time, it fits comfortably into your lifestyle.

The current and future demand for digital skills is significant – so a Digital Marketing degree will arm you with the skills that many employers now regard as mandatory and ensure that you’re able to futureproof your career for the next 10 years and beyond.

Whether you work for a digital agency, in-house for a brand or in the public or third sectors, this is the type of data-driven qualification that can differentiate you from other job candidates.

If you’ve got great organisational skills and the knack for motivating teams to perform like well-oiled machines, a Project Management MSc might provide the building blocks for an eclectic global career.

Once qualified, you could find yourself working in a range of professional roles – and charged with anything from driving cultural change in a large corporation to bringing an architect’s creative vision to life in bricks and mortar.

• An online Masters in Project Management will enhance your expertise in the management processes and practices needed for project leader roles in various international sectors and territories.
• You’ll study Project Management modules on management theory and practice, project management systems and techniques, cost and financial management and research design and methods – all of which prepare you for a final major project that clearly demonstrates your expertise to prospective employers.

This type of Project Management Masters degree can be completed in 2-3 years – and with the goal of a promotion or an entirely new career in mind, the time will fly by.

When you’re an inventive person with an abundance of self-belief and a good business brain, an enterprise and innovation-based distance learning MBA helps hone and channel your talents towards launching your own startup or leading an existing corporate entity towards sustained success.

This type of course helps you align practical business and entrepreneurial skills so that you can navigate obstacles to create and deliver a range of projects in different industries.

There are several solid reasons that Project Management is a good job – it’s exciting, varied and offers the chance to influence the future direction of an organisation as well as coordinating people and resources.

But moreover, the transferable skills you’ll bring to the table after graduation mean you can work internationally in practically any industry, while securing an impressive salary.

• Technological advances have heralded challenges and opportunities in many business sectors – from scaling company culture during times of rapid growth to adapting products and services for new territories. An MBA endows you with the ideal skills to thrive in this environment.
• A Distance Learning MBA is designed to create leaders that respond positively to change and includes modules in marketing planning, organisational behaviour, strategic leadership, entrepreneurial action and more.

You can complete a distance learning MBA in 2-2.5 years – this means you can apply the lessons learned to your existing role as you progress or take time to prepare your new enterprise perfectly prior to its launch.

A distance learning MBA provides you with the practical skills, formal qualification and confidence necessary to climb the corporate career ladder or to start and sustain your own business.

It’s regarded as a game changing qualification that’s internationally renowned, relevant in countless sectors and desirable to many blue chip organisations around the world

A third sector career that’s dedicated to making the world a better place and equalising opportunities for marginalised groups and individuals is definitely worthwhile.

And a Charity and Social Enterprise Management Cert HE equips you with the skillset and tenacity needed to lead a charity from the front and achieve excellent results for stakeholders.

• If you already work as a volunteer, employee or manager in a charity, social enterprise or community co-operative, a Charity Management distance learning course will enhance your leadership skills so that you can make the tough, clearsighted decisions necessary for your organisation to survive and thrive.
• You’ll complete modules in specialised topics like HR management for the third sector, social impact management, marketing and financial management – all of which position you perfectly for a role at the top of the organisational hierarchy.

This type of course takes two years to complete – but you can apply all the expert knowledge you absorb at your work immediately, so the benefits are apparent to you and your employer from the outset.

To succeed in a competitive sector which relies on public awareness, fundraising and government support, charity leaders display a range of unique traits.

So a Charity Management Distance Learning course will boost your career by honing your ability to rapidly adapt to changing socioeconomic conditions, and act courageously and transparently while inspiring employees to achieve excellent results with limited resources.

Many progressive employers and employees expect a manager to be more of a leader than a boss, so completing a Management BA Hons via distance learning can equip you with the skills needed to stand out from the crowd and lead from the front.

Whether you want to move up or move on, this degree can drive you towards your ideal management career destination.

• By initially improving your understanding of how businesses operate internally and compete externally, you’ll learn how expert management skills help turn their strategic aims into reality.
• Core modules on subjects like sustainability, managing people, marketing, finance, decision making and leadership will systematically build your confidence and expertise until you’re ready to step up to the type of C-suite role you’ve been yearning for.

A Management BA Hons takes four years to complete. It does entail a medium-term time commitment, but the flexibility of distance learning means it’s perfectly possible to earn while you learn.

Not everyone is a natural leader, and sometimes people who are excellent technicians are promoted to management positions without the appropriate training – with negative consequences for team morale and productivity.

However, employees prize applicants with a Management BA Hons that’s accredited by a body like the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), because it’s a seal of approval which means graduates have the balance of soft and practical skills needed to get the most out of staff in their charge.

Any one of these five distance learning courses could be the career-boosting launchpad you’ve been looking for – and their inherent accessibility means you don’t have to keep your aspirations on hold.

If you want to find out more about distance learning, browse the following blogs:

• How Does Distance Learning Work?
• What Support Will I Get On A Distance Learning Course?
• Is Distance Learning Right For Me?

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