Distance learning while holding down a full time job
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Distance learning while holding down a full time job
I'm currently a few weeks into the course and am managing around 20 hours per week, on top of a full time job (40-45 hours per week). It can be exhausting at times and I'm wondering what others (in a similar situation) have done to maximise their learning potential.
Personally, I find studying before work each morning helps a lot. Perhaps this is because my brain is not tired or saturated with useless information from the office at this time.
I wonder if there's anyone on here who has tried to manage both full time work and study but quit their job to allow more quality learning time. If that's you, I'd like to hear about it. Unfortunately, I'm not in a position to send that beautiful letter to the boss just yet. I'm just trying to gauge how others manage to fit everything in and i'm open to any tips, methods or advice!
Personally, I find studying before work each morning helps a lot. Perhaps this is because my brain is not tired or saturated with useless information from the office at this time.
I wonder if there's anyone on here who has tried to manage both full time work and study but quit their job to allow more quality learning time. If that's you, I'd like to hear about it. Unfortunately, I'm not in a position to send that beautiful letter to the boss just yet. I'm just trying to gauge how others manage to fit everything in and i'm open to any tips, methods or advice!
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Though I am not in your position, as a freelance ATPL theory instructor I see and talk to students in the same predicament nearly every week.
Everybody is different when it comes to learning so if mornings best for you (& me) then continue down this route, when I did my training many years ago I always took a full day off per week as you can get information overload.
Students make the mistake of just reading the material, this is not good enough and you need to HAND write notes and key facts. Eg definition of great circles and rhumb lines. I also suggest you get some cue cards and write down all the various formulas separated by subject. Eg. distance/speed/time, convergence etc.
Students certainly have quit their jobs to either do more D/L or switch to full-time courses but not everybody can do this though. Your 20 hours sounds more than enough providing you are taking it all in and passing the progress tests.
D/L is not an easy option and requires time, commitment with no distractions and full support to achieve results and as you say can be an exhausting, lonely uphill battle. Regretfully those students who are missing any of these elements - however well intended they might be are likely to be taking two/three attempts for a subject and/or running out of time (18 months) and having to start again.
Hope that helps.
Everybody is different when it comes to learning so if mornings best for you (& me) then continue down this route, when I did my training many years ago I always took a full day off per week as you can get information overload.
Students make the mistake of just reading the material, this is not good enough and you need to HAND write notes and key facts. Eg definition of great circles and rhumb lines. I also suggest you get some cue cards and write down all the various formulas separated by subject. Eg. distance/speed/time, convergence etc.
Students certainly have quit their jobs to either do more D/L or switch to full-time courses but not everybody can do this though. Your 20 hours sounds more than enough providing you are taking it all in and passing the progress tests.
D/L is not an easy option and requires time, commitment with no distractions and full support to achieve results and as you say can be an exhausting, lonely uphill battle. Regretfully those students who are missing any of these elements - however well intended they might be are likely to be taking two/three attempts for a subject and/or running out of time (18 months) and having to start again.
Hope that helps.
Been there, done that!
I did all my CPL groundschool, the higher of my two degrees, and most of the teaching theory for my CRI distance learning and also did my CPL flying part time. The last is the only bit I regret as I think doing the CPL flying full time somewhere with decent weather would have cost me a lot less.
As Richard says, different people work best at different times. For me it was generally about 2 evenings a week, and two 3-4 hour slots each weekend. If mornings work for you, use mornings.
The most important thing for me, for all of those, was having a plan - generally blu-tacked to my study wall, and forever being ticked off or amended. But, the plan was absolutely essential to time my progress, and to ensure that I was on track to achieve within the timeline I needed or wanted to work to. (In reality both my PhD, and my CPL groundschool took about a third longer in months than I'd hoped, but I still got there). Having lots of achievable targets within that plan was really helpful to my personal motivation. It also helped me pace myself, and avoid burnout through trying to do too much too early.
The next most important thing is the passion. I honestly think that if I ever stopped finding what I was doing interesting, then I'd have just given up. That takes a certain amount of self-persuasion.
Third, and for me least important is self-discipline. For me personally I can only keep doing stuff if it's interesting and worthwhile enough for me, and if I can't find that, I find it tough to separately find the discipline to do something I dislike. That said, I needed it for air law, which try as I might, I will never develop a passion for.
Obvious other things: having a working space and some dedicated shelf space are very good. Organising life to grab a few extra hours here and there helped a lot - for example I made a point of, where I could, travelling to meetings by train rather than car, as a long car journey is lost time, whilst a long train journey is uninterrupted free study time.
I don't know what your own educational background is TM, but I was also helped by good study skills from a good school and tough first degree. In particular I already knew the importance of active learning, developing my own notes, using multiple sources, and precis. If you don't have a strong study background, you might find that time now invested in learning good study skills will pay back with a lot of interest.
I did all my CPL groundschool, the higher of my two degrees, and most of the teaching theory for my CRI distance learning and also did my CPL flying part time. The last is the only bit I regret as I think doing the CPL flying full time somewhere with decent weather would have cost me a lot less.
As Richard says, different people work best at different times. For me it was generally about 2 evenings a week, and two 3-4 hour slots each weekend. If mornings work for you, use mornings.
The most important thing for me, for all of those, was having a plan - generally blu-tacked to my study wall, and forever being ticked off or amended. But, the plan was absolutely essential to time my progress, and to ensure that I was on track to achieve within the timeline I needed or wanted to work to. (In reality both my PhD, and my CPL groundschool took about a third longer in months than I'd hoped, but I still got there). Having lots of achievable targets within that plan was really helpful to my personal motivation. It also helped me pace myself, and avoid burnout through trying to do too much too early.
The next most important thing is the passion. I honestly think that if I ever stopped finding what I was doing interesting, then I'd have just given up. That takes a certain amount of self-persuasion.
Third, and for me least important is self-discipline. For me personally I can only keep doing stuff if it's interesting and worthwhile enough for me, and if I can't find that, I find it tough to separately find the discipline to do something I dislike. That said, I needed it for air law, which try as I might, I will never develop a passion for.
Obvious other things: having a working space and some dedicated shelf space are very good. Organising life to grab a few extra hours here and there helped a lot - for example I made a point of, where I could, travelling to meetings by train rather than car, as a long car journey is lost time, whilst a long train journey is uninterrupted free study time.
I don't know what your own educational background is TM, but I was also helped by good study skills from a good school and tough first degree. In particular I already knew the importance of active learning, developing my own notes, using multiple sources, and precis. If you don't have a strong study background, you might find that time now invested in learning good study skills will pay back with a lot of interest.
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I did mine in 2011 distance learning while holding a full time job. It took me 12 months to complete from starting study to final set of exams. It wasn't helped my work moving me from a site that was 25 minutes from home to one that was just over an hour, meaning I lost at least an additional hour a day to commuting.
Same as the OP, I found it useful to do an hour of study before starting work then I did another couple of hours in the evening. In my favour was the fact I didn't have family or anyone else to deal with when I was at home, so it was always my time.
I also did CPL part time, but took time off to do MEP and MEIR. I'm glad I did that. I'm now in the position of being able to leave my old non-aviation job, hopefully moving on to bigger and better things...
Same as the OP, I found it useful to do an hour of study before starting work then I did another couple of hours in the evening. In my favour was the fact I didn't have family or anyone else to deal with when I was at home, so it was always my time.
I also did CPL part time, but took time off to do MEP and MEIR. I'm glad I did that. I'm now in the position of being able to leave my old non-aviation job, hopefully moving on to bigger and better things...
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Remember that the fulltime brushup courses are excellent. They really will prep you for the exams and you will be dreaming of formulae and typical questions in your sleep leading up to the exams.
My point is, concentrate on each progress test and make sure you understand the topic thoroughly, but once its done forget about it. Switch focus to the next topic and dont try and revise previous lessons or memorise facts and formulae. Its a waste of time and energy. Press on through the syllabus.
If you've understood the subject thoroughly, the brushup will bring it together nicely.
My point is, concentrate on each progress test and make sure you understand the topic thoroughly, but once its done forget about it. Switch focus to the next topic and dont try and revise previous lessons or memorise facts and formulae. Its a waste of time and energy. Press on through the syllabus.
If you've understood the subject thoroughly, the brushup will bring it together nicely.
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Thanks for the replies and insight. It's reassuring to hear this from others who have went through the same process.
With regards to study methods, I find I absolutely HAVE to write things down. I've been like that since a young age and studied like this through high school and university. I guess it's a balance between writing things down that you have to learn thoroughly and noticing when it's best to just read over something, taking only a few notes (rewriting HPL examples/accident stories aren't going to be an efficient use of time).
My working situation is changing soon and I'll be able to work from home a few days a week which will help me massively. It definitely is a lonely uphill struggle at times. I'm keeping my eye on the end prize (the thought of going home once the ATPL's are done - I'm living on another continent just now) and that's keeping me going!
That's good to hear your current situation Taybird - keep us up to date!
With regards to study methods, I find I absolutely HAVE to write things down. I've been like that since a young age and studied like this through high school and university. I guess it's a balance between writing things down that you have to learn thoroughly and noticing when it's best to just read over something, taking only a few notes (rewriting HPL examples/accident stories aren't going to be an efficient use of time).
My working situation is changing soon and I'll be able to work from home a few days a week which will help me massively. It definitely is a lonely uphill struggle at times. I'm keeping my eye on the end prize (the thought of going home once the ATPL's are done - I'm living on another continent just now) and that's keeping me going!
That's good to hear your current situation Taybird - keep us up to date!
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"dont try and revise previous lessons or memorise facts and formulae. Its a waste of time and energy.
Then what's the point? Given the crossover between subjects, that would be a big mistake.
Then what's the point? Given the crossover between subjects, that would be a big mistake.
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The only time you will need to have the facts and formulae memorised is for the exams themselves. You can pile it into short term memory during the brush up courses
The ATPL theory course is a marathon. There is so much to learn. Concentrate on understanding each individual topic as opposed to cramming facts and figures, and don't be afraid to use your manuals during the progress tests.
Everything will come together during the brushups.
The ATPL theory course is a marathon. There is so much to learn. Concentrate on understanding each individual topic as opposed to cramming facts and figures, and don't be afraid to use your manuals during the progress tests.
Everything will come together during the brushups.
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So what happens after you've take POF and forgotten about it, then get POF questions in Ops and/or Performance? Similarly for any other subject.
The progress tests are not supposed to be open book, they are there to ensure that you have actually learned something before you go on to the next stage.
And don't come up with the old bromide about never needing it in real life. It's getting boring. Ask the guys who have had navaids fail over Africa. You are supposed to be learning a trade.
The progress tests are not supposed to be open book, they are there to ensure that you have actually learned something before you go on to the next stage.
And don't come up with the old bromide about never needing it in real life. It's getting boring. Ask the guys who have had navaids fail over Africa. You are supposed to be learning a trade.
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I did the whole thing whilst holding down a full time engineering job, got qualified, and got a flying job soon after completion. Now work for BA, so it's possible. Ignore the naysayers, but don't underestimate the hard work and dedication required! Good luck!
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I did the same. I'm one of those people who had to set targets per day, such as read 20 pages or so many chapters. I also, split my exams into 4 instead of the BGS 2 modules. I read through all the material before the brush ups, but the month before the exams only concentrated on the subjects required for that sitting. I decided to take the harder subjects on their own, such as gen nav and met, and, perf and prof. The rest I did in 2 lots. This gave me more time with e material and it worked for me.
I agree. You do use the theory far more than one might think.
Was using some Gen Nav stuff the other day when we discovered the course on the plate and the FMC disagreed. A solid theoretical underpinning is important, though some areas are more so than others.
Thread drift I know, but the areas I think are most important are, in no particular order
Principles of Flight
Law/Ops limitations
Performance
Met
For example, I got the Swatton aircraft performance book after reading a discussion here recently and was seriously enlightened. Has led to some serious learning and interesting conversations in the cruise.
Was using some Gen Nav stuff the other day when we discovered the course on the plate and the FMC disagreed. A solid theoretical underpinning is important, though some areas are more so than others.
Thread drift I know, but the areas I think are most important are, in no particular order
Principles of Flight
Law/Ops limitations
Performance
Met
For example, I got the Swatton aircraft performance book after reading a discussion here recently and was seriously enlightened. Has led to some serious learning and interesting conversations in the cruise.
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I would say human performance as well
Visual effects
The cooling body means you go to sleep so have a hot shower works.
It strange when you go back to it and use it.
Sometimes years afterwards.
I was in the middle of Saudi at FL230 with no nav aids within 400 Nm's and the GPS got taken out by jamming due to the Israelis practising taking out Iran. No notam as you might expect. EFIS, FMC and the machine didn't have a clue where it was. No radar cover so we just dead reckoned it until we could pick up the VOR at destination. We were only 2 degrees out on the expected radial to boot. All done with a calculator and high level enroute chart.
Visual effects
The cooling body means you go to sleep so have a hot shower works.
It strange when you go back to it and use it.
Sometimes years afterwards.
I was in the middle of Saudi at FL230 with no nav aids within 400 Nm's and the GPS got taken out by jamming due to the Israelis practising taking out Iran. No notam as you might expect. EFIS, FMC and the machine didn't have a clue where it was. No radar cover so we just dead reckoned it until we could pick up the VOR at destination. We were only 2 degrees out on the expected radial to boot. All done with a calculator and high level enroute chart.
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Gents,
I am not suggesting for one minute the ATPL material should be treated as one time only cram and forget.
Constantly returning throughout your career to revise the underpinning theoretical principles of your craft is a feature of any trade worth its salt.
However, I would wager money that there are very few professional pilots flying who know inside out, every detail of the entire syllabus off the top of their head at any given moment. (PCNs and assumed weights of passengers on different types of flight etc...) Unless you are a true anorak.
What is more important is that you are aware of gaps in your knowledge and know where to look to refill those gaps. Some areas of the syllabus will be more pertinent to different types of pilot at different stages in their career.
The OP has said he is struggling to cope with a busy lifestyle simultaneously, a situation I can certainly empathize with.
I am simply suggesting an efficient way to focus study time. As the syllabus progresses it becomes self evident which parts are more important and need to be revisited due to 'subject crossover.'
I am not suggesting for one minute the ATPL material should be treated as one time only cram and forget.
Constantly returning throughout your career to revise the underpinning theoretical principles of your craft is a feature of any trade worth its salt.
However, I would wager money that there are very few professional pilots flying who know inside out, every detail of the entire syllabus off the top of their head at any given moment. (PCNs and assumed weights of passengers on different types of flight etc...) Unless you are a true anorak.
What is more important is that you are aware of gaps in your knowledge and know where to look to refill those gaps. Some areas of the syllabus will be more pertinent to different types of pilot at different stages in their career.
The OP has said he is struggling to cope with a busy lifestyle simultaneously, a situation I can certainly empathize with.
I am simply suggesting an efficient way to focus study time. As the syllabus progresses it becomes self evident which parts are more important and need to be revisited due to 'subject crossover.'
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every detail of the entire syllabus off the top of their head at any given moment. (PCNs and assumed weights of passengers on different types of flight etc...) Unless you are a true anorak.
My example I use during training is ETOP's why do we mention it when we arn't qualified for it, there is no way in hell the aircraft will ever be approved for it etc etc.
We mention it because they need to know that we can't be more than 60mins single engine away from a divert. And that is not only for flying across the Atlantic. Now you might say so what, well regularly operators take turbo props directly across the bay of Biscay completely busting the 60min ETOPS requirements.
There are loads of little nuggets like that, if you bust facilitation rules you will go to jail and get a hefty fine.
So a lot of it is just to make sure you know it exists.
I agree something's are more of interest than other depending on the type of flying. ie I have dumpy large tyres and as lower PCN as you can get. The biz jet boys are looking at it all the time because they have skinny tyres.
I actually read that the OP is doing the right thing, he just wants some advice on how to mange his time. And good for him I say.
I wouldn't say forget about it after every gate, put the occasional revision period in to recap the previous stuff and just refresh what's been previously learnt.
Some subjects that you are familiar with you don't have to do it as much. My problem subjects were air law and ops procedures. The tech stuff some of it was the 4 th time I had covered it since I was 12 so to be honest I did the progress tests with only skim reading the sections. The air law stuff I had to go back to time and time again because it really didn't push my buttons. Some others are different and that sort of stuff they suck into their heads and they struggle with the tech subjects.
So everyone is different.
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When I started ATPLs I was working full time. I found it quite hard to study in the evenings, never mind mornings after doing approx. 45h and working 6 days.
I was moving very slow and the whole thing was just dragging out.
( half of it was my problem,laziness and tiredness)
I got fed up it with it, and I decided to go part time so I could dedicate more time to my studies.
This worked quite well for me, I was able to go trough books much quicker,learning better without being constantly tired and wrecked from full time job.
I do miss the funds from full time work, but it's only a temporary solution.
So each to their own. It is all down to your capabilities.
Regards,
I was moving very slow and the whole thing was just dragging out.
( half of it was my problem,laziness and tiredness)
I got fed up it with it, and I decided to go part time so I could dedicate more time to my studies.
This worked quite well for me, I was able to go trough books much quicker,learning better without being constantly tired and wrecked from full time job.
I do miss the funds from full time work, but it's only a temporary solution.
So each to their own. It is all down to your capabilities.
Regards,
