It has been four months and nine days since my last blog post, or 141 days if you want to do the math. Since my previous post, “Stuck in Limbo,” I have not only found a new job, but I have started to implement my 900,000-point plan for the future. TLDR: I’m busy but happy working full time and have enrolled back in University. If you want to read the full story, continue!
The 900,000-point plan
I tend to become a bit overdramatic, so a 900,000-point plan is a bit of a stretch. However, we’re talking about 11 giant steps in the right direction. If you remember, way back in April, I laid out which courses I needed to take to become a well-rounded person whose business plans could take over the world. Those plans were:
- Taking the following courses:
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- AAT Bookkeeping Levels 2 and 3
- Business Management Levels 3, 5, and 7
- Marketing – CIM Level 3, 4, and Digital Marketing
- Health and Safety in the Workplace
- Human Resources CIPD levels 3, 5 and 7
- Procurement and Supply
- Take a bookkeeping class
- Edit my cv to show all of the skills I have earned
- Get a job in a medium-sized company for experience
- Eventually, take over the business world
- Open my design studio
There are many more steps between all that planning, but I left it out, hoping I’m not boring you to tears yet. So now we’re moving on to the actual plan and what has happened so far.
The Actual Plan (What’s happening so far)
I began my new job processing auto insurance claims shortly after that last blog post. Oddly enough, I was approached by the recruiter from an agency via email without applying for the job, and was offered an interview for the company I am working for now as a temp. I work from home, which I absolutely love. My initial contract was for three months, which, to be fair, seemed like more of a hassle than it was worth.
I waffled around with my decision for a couple of days, called the recruiter back, and set up the interview. The interviewers loved me (as far as I could tell), and I received an offer for a temp position within an hour of getting off the Teams call with them. That’s pretty sweet!
Work
I started my new job, and to be honest, I was utterly overwhelmed with the amount of stuff I had to learn. The position is very involved; I’m talking about a huge stack of notes of different processes for several systems sitting on my work desk. There are approximately 10,000 (slight exaggeration) sticky notes on every surface of the edge of my dual monitor setup in layers, and even a ton of them stacked neatly and bound with paper clips for each system sitting on the desk. I need to type all of them up at some point and put them in a binder.
The feedback I’ve had from my boss and the other team members has been phenomenal. I’ve been told several times by the admin team staff and the engineers who assess the claims several times that I’m a speedy learner and the best temp they’ve ever had on the admin team. Go me!
Extended Contract!
Here’s the exciting news: My initial contract ended mid-august, and the recruiter (I’m technically working for the recruitment company, just placed with the company I’m working for – you know how recruitment agencies work, right?) sent me an exciting email stating they’d like to extend my contract until the end of January. The recruiter said they typically extend the contract two or three times before offering a permanent contract with a pay raise and loads of benefits.
If I can keep up the excellent work, they’ll keep me on permanently! So far, four months in, I’m enjoying my job and the team I’m on. Next week I’ll be cross-trained in the HR department and be working with that team for a few weeks. It’s always great to grab more experience in other business areas when the opportunity presents itself!
Education is fundamental
While I was in a good mood after a fantastic day of work at the beginning of August, I decided to skip a few steps of the 900,000-point plan and enroll back in University for the Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration that I started in 2012. I chose to pause my studies because Punky was only two and not sleeping – can’t study when you’re perpetually exhausted!
So, Yup, that’s right, I’m officially a student again! I have five classes (modules) to take before I have my BA with Honours in Business Management. I enrolled in two of the five modules I need to complete, and they both begin on October 1st. My books arrived in the mail today, and my student dashboard, which gives access to other study materials and tutor contact details, is now live.
The modules I’ll start in a few weeks are:
- Shaping Business Opportunities (30 credits)
- Fundamentals of Accounting (60 credits)
These two follow the modules I have already passed:
- Intro to Business Studies (30 credits)
- You and Your Money: Personal Finance in Context (30 credits)
- Managing in the Workplace (30 credits)
I can choose the last three 60-credit modules once I have completed the two classes I will be taking.
Mr. H and I had a conversation about the future and what my goals are. Once I’ve finished with my Bachelor’s, I want to go ahead and enroll in The University of Edinburgh to complete my Master’s degree. I’m sure The Open University has an excellent Master’s program, but I haven’t done enough research on it to make a final decision yet. So we’ll see where we are after I finish my Bachelor’s and reassess when the time comes.
Final Thoughts
That’s currently all I have to update you on for now regarding the plan. If you’re contemplating returning to school to get an education, I highly encourage you to do it! I’m currently a 37-year-old university student; it can be done alongside a full-time job, raising a family, and running a household (though I’m assuming it will be tough). It’s never too late to earn more qualifications!
If you’d like to support me in other ways, my shop is still live, and Etsy is back in play despite my post on November 30th, 2021, titled “Why I Closed My Etsy Store and You Should Too .” I’ll try to upload more fun stuff for you to browse this weekend. But I make no promises. I’m tired! Look at amandahodesigns.com, or click the “Shop” button in the main header. It’ll take you right to my store. If you purchase directly from Amanda Ho Designs, your products will be cheaper than on Etsy as I don’t have seller fees to pay, and there is more to choose from!
Have a wonderful day, everyone!