Reach professional goals in 2024 by studying further with MBSE

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Prospective students have little more than three weeks left to apply if they want to study for one of Moonstone Business School of Excellence’s (MBSE) accredited qualifications in the first semester of 2024.

After achieving the highest number of students completing qualifications through the online learning platform last year, Monique Brummer, operations manager at MBSE, says they are excited to welcome the Class of 2024 in February.

“We look forward to breaking more records in the next academic year!”

Moonstone recently spoke to three of MBSE’s 2023 top achievers to find out what motivated them to study further.

Susan du Toit, a wealth portfolio administrator working as an independent contractor, says she enrolled in MBSE’s Advanced Certificate in Financial Planning to gain a comprehensive understanding of financial planning dynamics. She says the course teaches you the skills and knowledge relating to the elements and processes in financial planning.

“This was essential to me to apply in my job and I do understand it better now,” says Du Toit.

Completing the NQF6 course over two years (2022-2023) as a part-time student, Du Toit says she faced challenges balancing family life, children’s exams, and a busy workload. To overcome these hurdles, she diligently followed the provided study plan by MBSE, ensuring she stayed on track even during hectic times.

“I followed the study plan and made sure I did not fall behind. If I was too tired to work on anything, I would just read through a chapter, but made sure that I was using the study guide,” she says.

Devon Lumley, an independent financial adviser at Lumley Associates CC, enrolled in MBSE’s Higher Certificate in Wealth Management for self-development with the dream of becoming a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). Motivated by MBSE’s solid foundation in Wealth Management recognised by SAQA and the FSCA, Devon aims to enhance his skills for providing sound financial advice.

“I am motivated to develop my skills and increase my knowledge in financial planning. My intention is to continuously provide sound financial advice to clients and assist them in achieving their financial goals and objectives,” says Lumley.

Lumley too opted to complete the NQF 5 course over two years. He shares that he faced the challenge of juggling study requirements with a busy workload and family responsibilities, including a newborn daughter. Despite the challenges, Lumley successfully managed his time through consistent routines, achievable goals, and organisational skills, maintaining focus on his studies, work, and family obligations.

“MBSE Online education offers a great deal of flexibility. However, this freedom demands a high level of self-discipline and time management. Establishing a consistent routine, setting achievable goals, and staying organised were crucial in maintaining focus and productivity,” he says.

Shana Aleixo, currently working as an associate for a private client consultancy – wealth management in Algarve, Portugal, enrolled in MBSE’s Occupational Certificate: Compliance Officer to seize a career-changing opportunity presented by Insurance Underwriting Managers (IUM) in 2019.

Reporting to the manager of operations and compliance, Ezelda van Jaarsveld, Aleixo embarked on her studies with Moonstone Business School of Excellence in 2020.

Aleixo says the motivation behind pursuing the NQF 6 Occupational Certificate was to enhance her knowledge and understanding of compliance, enabling her to contribute to business growth and implement necessary policies and procedures aligned with regulatory changes.

“I commenced my studies to develop my knowledge and understanding of compliance to grow with the business and implement the necessary policies and procedures pertaining to the changes in regulation,” she says.

All three top achievers agree that online learning requires self-discipline and focus.

Du Toit shares she maintained a rigorous study schedule during the course, occasionally deviating due to work commitments, leading to late nights and weekend catch-up sessions. She says despite the challenges, receiving positive end results served as motivation for the next semester, driving a determination to persevere.

Her advice to prospective students is to stick to the study plan that MBSE provides and to always practice the assessment questions.

“Choose yourself and your future as a first priority, everything else after that,” says Du Toit.

Lumley highlights MSBE’s detailed study schedule, which, he says, provides clarity on expectations. He says staying ahead by a week alleviated pressure, allowing extra time for challenging sections.

“If I found a section difficult, I would then have additional time to go over it without falling behind,” he says.

He advises prospective students, to write down their goals and motivation for self-development and assess if their chosen course aligns with these.

“If you do decide to enrol, then I would recommend experimenting with different study techniques, to aim high and put in the hours. The rewards will follow,” he says.

Aleixo says time management plays an important role as there is a lot of material to work through.

“I used to print the ‘module schedule and deadlines’ sheet and stick this on my fridge at home to make sure that I completed the sections I needed to by the completion date set out. I used to track quite well, sometimes two or three weeks ahead of the completion dates. However, life eventually catches up with you and you think you have time until you need to try and cram which isn’t the best method,” she says.

For her, the key to success is consistency, time, dedication and not comparing yourself to others.

“Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally. It comes from what you do consistently,” says Aleixo.

Applications for the first semester close on Monday 29 January.

MBSE offers five accredited qualifications. These include:

Apply today at www.mbse.ac.za.

For more information, contact us at help@mbse.ac.za.