Here’s my suggestion for how to get certified in 2023. It brings together the theory of habit forming and your own tendency in relation to meeting your own expectations.

1. Do the tendency test

Seriously, take the test here – it only takes two minutes.

1. If you’re an Obliger – look at getting an accountability partner or find some other external entity that can hold you accountable to your study plan.
2. If you’re an Upholder – you’ll just need to set your goal and decide that this is something you really want to do for yourself.
3. If you’re a Questioner – you’ll need to be convinced that being certified is actually going to be of value to you. Do your research, or ask me what certs will be valuable and why.
4. If you’re a Rebel – you’ll really need to love what you study and have the freedom to choose how you do it. This means choosing your cert carefully and your method of study. If it’s boring or poorly presented and you don’t love it, you won’t stick at it.

2. Choose the certification

This is all about knowing your career direction. Study the field you enjoy, make sure it is in line with the direction you want your career to go in, and is a field that is growing not declining.

3. Build the habit

1. Choose the days and times that are best for you to consistently commit to each week. Try and make it at a time where you have the greatest energy/will power.
2. Link the study time to a trigger event that happens automatically for you. (i.e Straight after dinner, take your glass of wine/coffee/water and sit down at your computer)
3. Prepare your study environment – no distractions – links to the study materials saved in favourites. Accounts already signed up and passwords saved. Virtual host environment ready to go.
4. Start small – 10 minutes at a time is fine if it’s consistent. You can do it for longer but don’t make it onerous. The idea is to build the study habit.

4. Book in your first exam

After you’ve done it for a few weeks and the habit is being built, book in your first exam. This date will help focus your study and confirm your study habit, which keeps you on track.

5. Review and work out

If it’s getting tough, review what you’ve done and work out why you’re finding it hard. It’s likely the answer is in the list above rather than related to difficulty of content. If the academic nature of the content is the problem then seek help from others, or change the study materials you are using. You may need to pay for online, live instructor led training rather than self paced, video or course based training.

Here to help, reach out if I can be of assistance.