Maven Training recently offered a 5-day course in Managing Successful Programmes (MSP(r),), which I attended. I have been to Maven Training before and have met their CEO Melanie Franklin. Their innovative approach to training is the reason I chose them again. It works around my day job. In my case, I signed up for the weekend version of MSP(r). This includes Friday’s one-day in the office, Saturday, Sunday, and the weekend of training. It was a great idea! Five days of learning with only one day off work. This is a great way for me to manage my personal growth and my commitments towards my projects. It wasn’t right for me.
There is no downtime
Every weekend, I woke early to make it to the venue on time. I was wearing jeans and a Tshirt but I was still working on work and discussing it. Even though we didn’t have a team like me, we still discussed our programmes. It felt like work days. During breaks, emails were being sent to me from work. I was also thinking about work, and taking notes of what I needed back at the office.
After working for the normal hours during weekdays, we were given homework to complete in the evenings. I had to complete homework in addition to the normal weekend activities such as washing dishes, visiting my family, and grocery shopping. It was fine for the first weekend, but I was exhausted from the 13 days of work I had to complete in order to pass my Practitioner exam.
Weekends are closed in the City
The beautiful offices of Maven are located on Liverpool Street. Enjoy fruit, snacks, delicious lunches and afternoon tea. The City is closed. As a reward for my weekend off, I agreed to eat breakfast at Starbucks. It was fine for Friday but I didn’t realize there was no reason for shops opening on weekends. Some shops at Liverpool Street Station are even open Sundays. I don’t like almond croissants or skinny latte.
This means that office buildings cannot be used on weekends. The air conditioner was turned off and the windows wouldn’t open. We had to rely on fans to keep the room cool. Participants in PRINCE2(r) weekend courses gave up after just one day and returned home. It is clear that homework is essential.
It may be worth your consideration
My experience with training over two weekends wasn’t great, but it does not reflect on the excellent trainer. For some, weekend study may be a good option.
Contractors taking PRINCE2(r) or MSP(r) must take five working days to complete the course in the ‘normal’ way. This is 5 days of no earning and 5 without paying for it. It’s a double win.
If you have flexible work hours, weekend courses might be an option. This will allow you not to have to quit your job. You can negotiate with your manager for a split of the time, such that you would return to work each week for an afternoon.
The main benefit to me was the fact I had a week between the Foundation exam and the Practitioner exam. This allowed me to absorb more information, practice more papers, and was less stressful to complete the Foundation and Practitioner exams. It worked and I passed them.
Have you ever considered studying on weekends? What do you think about your employer?
