Studying? It’s decision time. See what Helen did.

Last month, the final 2015 Assessment results for December were announced. It’s now time to make some decisions about what comes next. Whether you passed or failed, there’s plenty of support available to London marketing students to help you decide what to do. Take heart from Helen Cox’s experience of trying to study whilst working which she says can “seem like an overwhelming task” and see what she did about it. 

Next steps and support in London

This decision guide is brought to you by the London region’s Jon Twomey from Student Support Group (SSG). The group provides a free helpline for studying members in London, sponsored by CIM’s Greater London Region Board, on 01784 463057.

Congratulations, you passed!

If you’ve just passed your qualification, then you’ve every right to feel pleased with yourself. One option is to move up the qualifications ladder and start the next set of professional CIM qualifications. But you may want to take a break first, as a well-earned reward for all your hard work. Applying your new skills and knowledge to your current role, before beginning more studies, can also be very satisfying and a great way to embed what you have learnt. And with CIM’s professional qualifications under your belt, new promotion and career opportunities may open up for you. So decide what you want and be ready to grasp the next step.

If you want to keep the momentum going, you can find out about higher level CIM qualifications from our Learning Zone. It gives a helpful overview of what you’ll learn, course content and fees.

Need a digital boost?

If you are interested in topping-up your digital marketing knowledge, our digital qualifications are a sensible option. There are digital modules aligned to each qualification level. Completing each module earns you an Award in its own right.

There’s also the CAM Diploma in Digital Marketing. If you’ve completed the CIM Certificate, Diploma or Postgraduate Diploma you’ll be exempted from one of CAM’s three digital modules, so you’ve already given yourself a head start! 

Improve yourself and your options for promotion by taking your thinking and knowledge to the next level.

Get free personal advice on what to do next and how best to fit these studies around your busy professional life. Take advantage of the study helpline on 01784 463057 with London’s Student Support Group.

If you failed or deferred, keep moving ahead

Failing a CIM assignment or exam can be quite disheartening, especially if you got the dreaded ‘grade D’, a marginal fail.  It can be equally disappointing working for months on an assignment or exam preparation, and then finding that due to work commitments you are unable to complete your preparation in time and have to defer your assessment until a later date. If you hit a barrier like this, don’t give up; consider your options.

View from CIM member, Helen Cox

Helen Cox suffered plenty of disruption to her CIM study journey but is now a happily qualified professional marketer, as she explains here.

“I am a Senior Marketing Executive with nine years’ experience in the charity and not-for-profit sector. I had already completed my Professional Certificate in Marketing with the CIM and wanted to build on that knowledge and include more strategic thinking in my role. I passed the first two modules, but with work and home life I struggled with the Project Management and Managing Marketing modules. After a short gap I decided to give them another go.

Unfortunately, I again found it a struggle to balance studying with full time work and home life, my studying suffered as a result and I began to worry that I wasn’t going to complete the Managing Marketing with enough good content to get me a pass let alone anything more.

I talked through the options with Caroline from SSG who told me not to beat myself up that I wasn’t ready to submit my assignment by the deadline, and she was right. As soon as I stopped thinking this way I realised I would be better off deferring my submission to September 2015. This did mean that I would be working on the Project Management in Marketing at the same time, however I felt more confident about this subject and knew I could do it with the support of SSG. My tutors, Jon and Joe, got me through both assignments with their constructive feedback and indicated where something needed more thought, theory referencing for each assignment.

The result was a ‘C’ for my Managing Marketing and an ‘A’ for my Project Management in Marketing, which goes to prove with the right support and a focussed mind you can achieve what seems like an overwhelming task.”

If you’re at a crossroads, talk to Caroline at Student Support Group on 01784 463057 for a free telephone conversation which aims to shed light on what may have not gone to plan for you.

Helping you to pass

As well as operating a free study helpline, Student Support Group is a CIM approved study centre and provides CIM and CAM assignment support and exam revision services, to help you turn a short-term negative into a long-term positive. Some fees apply.

• Find out where you went wrong: diagnostic test of your CIM subject knowledge; review of your (failed/deferred) assignment script.
• Make a plan: revision/assignment support plan to help you organise your submission/re-submission.
• Fill the knowledge gaps: syllabus refresher to fill the identified knowledge gaps including recommended reading/research sources.
• Assignment briefing: your CIM subject expert tutor helps you dissect the assignment brief so you know exactly what the CIM examiner requires.
• Assignment draft support: your CIM subject expert tutor provides critical and friendly feedback on your draft assignment to help you reach, at least, a CIM pass standard.
• Exam technique briefing and mock exam service: to help you prepare and practice your exam technique and get subject expert feedback on your mock exam to improve your exam performance.

Study again, when you’re ready

Once you’ve made some firm choices about what CIM subject to tackle next, you can register for the June/July or December 2016 assessments. With 10 years allowed to complete a CIM/CAM qualification, there really is no rush, just your own desire to become qualified and move ahead in your career.