Monique Dixon: My Distance learning MBA experience

Monique Dixon, Marketing Technology Expert / Author, explains what it's like to study the Distance learning MBA as a full-time employee and mum.

"Doing an MBA as a full-time employee with the family commitments a mum and wife will likely have, wasn't something I anticipated would be feasible for me in the near future.

I embarked on the journey of doing an MBA as a distance learner when a friend planted the seed in my head post a conversation about exploring our ambitions. She advised, "You can do it!" And six months later I'm in month seven of my Distance learning MBA having just completed a round of final assignments.

Related course: Distance learning MBA

Although I've blogged and written a novel whilst working full-time in demanding sales roles, I've not studied in this way since my uni days back in 2002, some 15 years ago! My brain's capacity to learn in this way, under what seems like immense pressure, has been an eye-opener. I've adapted to the pressure as I've done with many other pressures in life. However, what makes this all the more doable, is the understanding that you're doing this fight, climbing this mountain, overcoming the reoccurring hurdles, armed with your peers in a study group going through the exact same thing as you!

For our study group we have a WhatsApp group, a group Office 365 OneDrive account for sharing documents and group discussion notes, a group environment within my.wbs to have a conference call in what we call a classroom where we can whiteboard notes and have video chat. Of course, for those in London, where I'm based, we meet face-to-face occasionally, and also make arrangements to meet when we travel to the homelands of our fellow study group peers. Nevertheless, WBS provides a multi-touch point environment for you to be connected and engaged with your fellow students. 

Studying distant learning can feel just that, distant. Distant from the day-to-day student life, distant from your tutors, the brick and mortar facilities that pays homage to your studentship. Your peer study group, and the opportunity to engage with people, albeit mainly digitally, from all over the world, all different walks of life, all different personal and career challenges and/or desires, provides the grounding that you need to reinforce the fact that you can do it. Whatever you're facing, someone is also likely facing. And if you're in a group as superb as mine, you'll be picked up, encouraged on and will tackle challenges that face one as a team. That is what's most priceless of all."

Monique Dixon
Marketing Technology Expert / Author
www.moniquedixon.com
@moniqueldixon