I enrolled for the TCTrainNet course in April 2023 to help me take my tekom certification. The course allows you to study at your own pace. There are no virtual lectures to attend and no fixed times or schedules to fulfil, so student marks their own pace.
This way of studying has its advantages and disadvantages. Not having a schedule was a clear advantage for me, I could thus organize my studies around my full-time work. Yet, not having a schedule for the course was also a disadvantage for me because it demanded extreme discipline on my part.
My experience with the TCTrainNet course has been very good. It has given me a measure of my ability for continuous learning. It has also been extremely difficult at times because of the lack of direct contact with other students.
I will recommend the course to any person specially if they are interested in changing careers. The range of techniques offered for learning covers if not all, most of the ways in which humans learn.
The course
The course was very well structured and offered a variety of learning techniques, including full lessons, webinars, he further reading materials, and interactive exercises.
I personally would have liked more interactive exercises. These helped me to identify my weaknesses in a way that the webinar or the lessons did not.
I also found the discussion forum with the tasks very useful. However, as students, I don’t think we made the most of this learning feature, so I did not make the best of the potential learning possibilities offered by the discussion forums and the tasks.
The tutor’s support
The tutor’s support was excellent. This is a course that requires your constant individual input. You organize your study, the speed of learning or your development path.
All in all, you can easily feel that you have lost the purpose and direction of your learning. You may feel that there is no reference point for the work done so far. Also, the other students may seem far away or non-existent unless the discussions in the forum remain lively.
At one point during my learning, I felt totally lost and isolated, but the response I received from the team was excellent. My tutor organized a phone call via Skype without delay.
The simple phone call reassured me that I had a team supporting my learning and that I had only to ask for help when needed. I did not have to wait politely for my tutor to notice my discomfort. I had to be proactive in everything I did.
This experience has helped me to grow and mature enough to believe in my skills and my ability to learn.
The administrative support
Regarding the administrative support I can only say that it has been ten out of ten.
The administrative support was straight to the point, always on time. In fact, they always acted beyond and above their remit. They made me feel 100% supported to the point where the administrative staff replied to my emails while they were on holiday! Ten out of ten!
The tekom certificate and I
I am currently a gas engineer in London. I wanted to change careers while using my previous experience and knowledge. In this context, becoming a technical communicator seems the ideal profession.
The tekom certificate gives me the qualification, the knowledge, and the confidence to gain employment as a technical communicator. Currently, I am upgrading my CV and putting it out there!
Conclusion
The course is very good value for money. The content is excellent. Furthermore, the course offers several methods of learning ensuring that the information will be communicated to all students regardless of their learning style.
The support from the tutor and the administrator was excellent. As a student, I discovered that the most important aspect was to maintain active communication with the tutor and the administrator whenever I needed clarification on any subject, or I felt isolated or anxious.
The tekom certificate is the key to my new career. It is a professional qualification that tells employers that I am a very capable technical communicator.