WWYD - professional qualification

[ExamConundrum]

My work will pay for me to complete a professional qualification which will increase my salary. The qualification is related to what I do but not directly relevant to my role - think doing the GDL if you work at a law firm, but are not a solicitor, IYSWIM. I signed up to do the qualification but work pressures and maternity leave meant I had to defer. I need to decide soon whether to pick up the qualification again.

Argument in favour: Completing the qualification would mean an extra £350 per month after tax. Opportunities for promotion don’t come up often so I’m unlikely to get a pay increase any time soon unless I do this qualification. Although not relevant to my current role, the qualification would give me an edge in other roles I could go for in future.

Arguments against: no direct relevance to my current role, and not really to areas I’d like to work in in future. Doing the qualification is time limited (basically 3 months leading up to an exam) but intense and requiring a lot of study at weekends and evenings - this is the main drawback, as I have 2 DCs under 3 and I’d need to do a couple of hours most evenings after bedtime and probably half a day at least each weekend. DH and I work full time so we don’t get much time together as a family so our evenings and weekends are precious. The money would be nice obviously but we’re doing ok without it.

DH has said he’s happy to support and take the kids a bit more, but I feel like it’s a lot of lost family time for not that much pay off (though obviously any extra £ would be helpful!).

I know I need to make the decision myself but keen for other perspectives - WWYD?

I would knuckle down and get the qualification done

It will be hard work in the short term but definitely worth it

This ten times over!

350 a month to go in your pension if you don’t need it for holidays or other nice extras..l did it when mine were small…..a masters which took a year ( I’m clinical nhs) …..like you wasn’t directly related to my role but was paid for by work……took a side step role on same pay….but later it opened doors which I hadn’t even thought about later and allowed me to progress upwards on the pay scale…only you know if it’s worth it….no one on here can tell you

3 months of mild pain for permanent gain. An extra £12.6k for your family just in the next 3 years for a mere 3 months of studying.

I think it would be silly to turn it down for such a short term reason. The DC will be asleep for the weekday studying, so you're talking about 25% of 12 weekends that you'll be doing something different.

It's really not as much as you're painting it to be (maybe just because it feels daunting it looks bigger to you?).

For three months, it's a no brainer, it'll be a difficult three months but it's not like it's 3 years and your husband sounds supportive, so you're not doing everything on your own

I'd go for it. It sounds a short amount if time and £350 is a lot of money to me! Plus you might find it does progress your career in otherwise eventually.

Is it one exam OP or a series of exams for different modules? I did a professional qualification whilst working full time and it was bloody hard work.

intense and requiring a lot of study at weekends and evenings - this is the main drawback, as I have 2 DCs under 3 and I’d need to do a couple of hours most evenings after bedtime and probably half a day at least each weekend.

if your employer is paying for the qualification, I would check their policy on study leave. Most organisations have a CPD policy with allocated time off for study and exams.

They really ought to support you with a day per week study leave while you're preparing for the qualification and a day prior to the exam plus the exam itself.

They can't expect you to have to work a full day and then 2 hours plus studying and then eating into your weekend.

Thank you - yes, I think I do need to give my head a wobble and look at the longer term. You’re right, when I first looked at the material it looks very daunting, but once I get started hopefully it won’t seem so bad…

It’s one exam per module. To get the full qualification you have to do multiple papers and exams, but my employer will give me the salary bump after just one module, which is definitely more doable than the entire qualification!

Good point. I’d get a week of paid study leave plus the time off for the exam. My employer does expect me to do most of the studying in my own time - because it’s a voluntary qualification rather than something they require me to do. From talking to others who have done it you definitely need to put in a lot of additional hours as well as the week of study leave.

5 hundred times over. Just crack on with it. Bag the qualification now; you have no idea what future life will look like.

But DH needs to be bringing up his kids equally as you both work full time. He's "happy to support and take the kids a BIT more". Is he not already doing 50:50? If not why not? So now you are studying he needs to be doing MORE than 50%.

And £350 extra a month. Not to be sneezed at, at all. Even if you save it all.

Think about the cost per hour of your “family time” if you don’t do it!!

I'd get reading up on the topic, looking through the literature if you can get it in advance and studying the topic now in any spare time you get beforehand, to lessen the weekend load.

Definitely do it!

It’s only three months. Just get it done.