I'm indecisive about whether to do some training or just keep learning on the job.
Anonymous NOWIE member
“I’m 10 years into my events industry career and my degree seems a very long time ago! I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some brilliant professionals and learn a huge amount from them, as well as have the odd day of formal training here and there on health and safety, technical matters and a bit of mentoring. As I’m now leading a team full-time within a business and taking on more commercial responsibility, I just feel like I’m making it up as I’m going along and there’s a lot I don’t know. I don’t know whether to look at doing a masters or enrol in some short courses or just keep learning from the people around me. How do I think this through and make some decisions?”
Making decisions like this can often feel daunting. You don’t want to “get it wrong” because the implications feel big and the investment of time and money around certain options is significant.
First of all let me say, there is no getting it wrong. There is simply a choice you are going to make. So let that ‘getting it wrong’ part go.
I think from there I’d like to ask, what might lie beneath these feelings that you need to upskill? Is this role one you want to stay in for the long term and therefore your decision is all about feeling good as you inhabit the role and make it yours? Or do you have a vision for yourself in the future at a higher level than this and your desire to do more training has more of a basis in forward momentum? (The worry might be: if I feel like this in my current role, how will I ever get to that one?) In other words, where do you want to be in 5 or 10 years? This role? Or another? If another, what role is that?
The training implications for each of those answers is very different.
If this is your ideal job and you just want to feel more secure or confident doing it or getting better at it, do you need to upskill in a specific area? Where are you weakest or really struggling? What aspect of your job causes you the most stress? Do you need new tools or more experience using the tools you have? What is the industry standard way of developing these skills? If there is no industry standard what would be the easiest way to upskill? Which of these options feels right to you?
Or if this role is not where you ultimately want to get to in the industry, take a good look at what your final destination is. As far as you know right now. Visions change and that’s fine and natural. But right now, where do you see yourself wanting to get to? What is the upskill necessary to prepare you for where you want to go? Is there training - masters or short courses that will best prepare you for where you want to go? Or a natural trajectory most people followed to get to that role. Who do you know in your ideal role and what training did they do? If you don’t know, can you find out? Once you’re clear about your destination and your best path to it, you can dive into Remi’s great questions on the specifics.
Tamara Gal-On, Creative Industries and Intuition Coach
First of all, I feel I need to speak up in defence of ‘making it up as you go along’. You will have gathered a vast amount of information and experience over the last 10 years which you are using to operate in a range of new situations and make some guesses, assumptions and use problem solving skills to figure out the best course of action. That in itself is a skill, and if you feel like you don’t have all the answers, that’s okay!
The urge to grow and learn is positive, and there are a number of ways to do this which are equally valid. I don’t know whether you are paying for yourself or asking your employer to invest in you.
First off, some information gathering. Do you actually need to do a further academic qualification to move up in your career? What is the specific knowledge and network that you would be able to access through a second degree? What is the time commitment and the cost? And what specifically do you want to do better - will the degree help you to do that?
A masters (done well) should take you 10-12 hours a week part time for 2 years. If you committed that time to other types of learning, how would you use that time?
Networking: could be addressed by committing to taking part in conferences and events, doing a short course, scheduling coffees regularly with people outside the business or joining an association like NOWIE and actively taking part.
Training: could be addressed by creating a programme within your organisation that could help a group of you improve your skills, could be a reading or accountability group that meets up to discuss useful articles and books over a lunch hour, could be an online course.
Management and Leadership Skills: could be addressed by a shorter leadership programme (like Music Leaders Network) or by working with a coach or mentor specifically on developing and practising these skills.
Whatever you decide, you’ll get back what you put in. You might feel that unless you’re on an organised programme it just won’t happen. So be really honest with yourself: what level of commitment do you feel about actually carrying these plans through? If you’re thrilled by the idea of getting back onto campus then academic study could be for you, but if timetables and exams aren’t where you shine then think about a more experiential way of developing and recording your progress.
I’d challenge you to make some definite plans for spending time working on your skills in the next 1-3 months, and then review after that time - was it enough, or do you need something more formal?
Remi Harris MBE, Trainer, Business Advisor and Coach
interested in hearing more about music leaders network?
Music Leaders Network is the transformational leadership development programme for mid-career women in music. Co-founded by Remi Harris MBE and Tamara Gal-On, its powerful blend of executive coaching, training and a supportive network support 'life-changing' results for women ready for professional growth.
