It’s been said by more than one great philosopher that we never stop learning. And the true beauty of education is that it enlightens and empowers, particularly those who have ambitions beyond their current employment status.
These principles certainly ring true in the case of TANZ eCampus student, Claudia Gutheil, who is currently working towards her New Zealand Certificate in Business First Line Management. Concurrently, Claudia works for a nationwide healthcare service as an advisor and is using her study as an opportunity to pursue a team leader role, which is her ultimate goal.
“I had to look around for an education option. Yes, there are weekend courses, but these don’t give you an NZQA recognised qualification that companies appreciate and are interested in when hiring candidates. That’s when I came across TANZ eCampus and I enrolled straight away. The distance learning works really well with my working hours.”
A qualified educator and naturopath, originally from Germany, Claudia is excited to graduate with her certificate and plans to use all of her skills in a team leader role. “I want to be able to combine all of my expertise so I can educate and mentor my staff and it is very much the certificate that leads me to where I can work as a team leader within my company or another company.”
Conceding that she was surprised how quickly she got into the swing of study in her first term, Claudia has three more papers to go until she completes her qualification and she is bracing herself for a busy time ahead. “It’s a busy time with Christmas and getting married in February. I have lots going on! The key to managing it all is to study something you are passionate about.
“If you can work towards something that comes from the heart, and that you really want to research, then it makes the assignments easier and you are always wanting to learn more about the subject.”
Claudia also emphasises the importance of having a good support system in place to bounce ideas around with and to call on during the tougher times. “I’m very fortunate in that the company I work for is very supportive. I have lots of discussions about my study with my managers.”
For the future, Claudia has her eyes set firmly on a promotion and is entertaining the possibility of completing a diploma through TANZ eCampus if this helps fast-track her dreams.