I have made so many lasting contacts in the Careers and Coaching field and benefited from practical resources and techniques.

Nita Lad studied our PG Certificate in Career Development and Coaching Studies and recently found out that she had received a distinction overall! Here, she shares her experience as a student with CLL and some of the amazing opportunities she has been offered since completing the course…

About me – what were my motivations for studying the course?

Having worked as a recruitment professional helping people secure jobs and in marketing, promoting professional courses, I always love to hear people’s stories and why they have chosen their course and career path. I really enjoy motivating people through career transitions and building confidence. Whenever the opportunity arose, I would help family and friends with job hunting, preparing CVs and for interviews.

Working in marketing, I felt something was missing, I spent a lot of time behind a desk writing. I really missed that one-to-one connection with people and working with clients as a recruiter. During a professional development programme,  I came to the realisation that I wanted to support people to open up careers and develop themselves and started to think about a career transition.

How did I find out about the programme?

I spoke to people in the career consulting field and an alumna of the Warwick programme recommended the Postgraduate Career Development and Coaching programme. This person had changed their career completely from a career in the music industry to becoming a career leader in education.  I connected with course tutor Gill Frigerio, who spoke to me about the course, the diverse background and sectors people came from on the current programme and the blended learning style. I knew then this was  the right programme for me.

How did you find the programme?

Coming onto campus, it was great to get the buzz of learning, the online library was amazing and could be accessed from anywhere. Module one was about Career Development Theories and it gave me a solid foundation of career models and approaches to how people move through their careers. Initially, the reading was challenging with lots of academic papers. I found the Moodle site and the audio presentations really helpful as I was able to really embed learning by listening while I was out for a walk or run. After each workshop, we formed study groups, we kept in touch and I learned a lot from peer-to-peer support via the online discussion groups too.

The Career Learning and Career Coaching and Counselling modules were really practical and I was able to start implementing things into practice. Tutors were very supportive, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

I am proud to have received a Distinction for the Postgraduate Certificate. During the course,  I’d had so many life changes – a new job as an Apprenticeship Coordinator, moving house, my children started secondary school and yes we had a global pandemic, so this was a great accomplishment!

What’s important to me and how am I using the skills?

Levelling the playing field for people through inclusivity and equality is important to me. I’d met people that faced barriers or struggled with career role models and exposure to experiences in their life.  Coming from an immigrant Indian background I know what it’s like to feel different. My son has a hearing loss, and as a parent I don’t want him to face barriers. It’s important to believe anything was possible – it’s just about honing your career management skills and being able to access professional development support.

During the programme, I developed a career-related learning programme for students who identify as being from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Group (BAME) background and I was able to deliver one of these sessions in collaboration with the Careers Team at Oxford Brookes University to students and budding entrepreneurs. I’m still seeing how I can do more.  I’ve been invited to join the Steering Committee of the Oxford Brookes BAME staff network as a Professional Development Officer and will be working on ways to introduce professional development opportunities for staff. I’m now looking for a role in Careers Advice and Coaching, and looking to set up a Career Coaching Practice. I’d love to hear from people about this.

What advice would I give someone?

I highly recommend the course and the tutors who were very approachable and supportive. I have made so many lasting contacts in the Careers and Coaching field and benefited from practical resources and techniques. The course is definitely  helping me make a career transition.  If in doubt I would say take that leap and apply!