Studying While At Work

Curious, has anyone asked to have time during the work day to study for a certification? The reason I ask is because I was at an interview a little while back and the manager interviewing me said he gave an hour a day for his employees to study if they chose to.

I haven't had another job where a manager said that and wondering if anyone else has got that or has asked for that before?

I realize some people have slow jobs and have time, but mine is pretty well paced, nothing stressful or anything. But I don't have time to set aside an hour and just focus on studying. I work on a team with 3 others and it is never really too busy.

(I didn't get the job because they said funds for the position fell through, interview went really well and he actually said I was their top candidate... Was never 100% if I believed that but it does seem like a nice way to let someone down)

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Comments

markulous

Unfortunately, most employees aren't like your average TE poster. They just want to come in and collect a paycheck and not really learn or move further in their career. Or if they do, they just don't want to put in any time and effort. When I was a help desk supervisor I'd try to give them resources constantly and engage them about certs/training since our company paid for it. Most just didn't care though.

NetworkNewb

ouch! yea, that crazy! that just pisses me off lol

networker050184

Indeed what you see here is very far from the norm in this field. We all care enough to further our knowledge and careers. 90% of people I've met in this industry just want to soak up a good pay check and go about their lives. Nothing wrong with that really. Not everyones goal in life is to get to the top of the technical food chain.

zoro_2009

I do it all the time

Iristheangel

DPG wrote: »

Do you know how many have taken advantage of this out of about 20 employees?

2

You know what's awesome tho? Those 2 employees will stand out, get bonuses and raises up the wazoo, and move up pretty damn quickly thanks to the other 18 guys making them look better :P Plus more budgetary money for those 2 thanks to the rest not taking advantage

markulous

Iristheangel wrote: »

You know what's awesome tho? Those 2 employees will stand out, get bonuses and raises up the wazoo, and move up pretty damn quickly thanks to the other 18 guys making them look better :P Plus more budgetary money for those 2 thanks to the rest not taking advantage

That's always been what I've experienced too. Me going to WGU and getting certs alone made me look like a rockstar at my last two jobs. Guess you don't have to be the best in the world to move up, just standout from those around you.

ITSpectre

Most IT jobs will let you study. When I was at the Help desk they encourage you to study. Where I am at now they encourage you to study as well. Most employers allow people to study and learn while at work.... When I was in retail I hated that job so I would spend downtime studying... but in retail there is no downtime.

JoJoCal19

DPG wrote: »

This is what I provide to my employees:

1. Just about unlimited study time while on the clock.
2. Dedicated 1-on-1 training time.
3. Provide almost any training material requested (CBT Nuggets, Pluralsight, books, etc).
4. Dedicated VMware lab with unlimited compute and storage resources.
5. Offer to pay for certification exams upfront.
6. Fully reimburse certification exams fees after passing.
7. Bonuses for passing a certification exam.
8. Raises based on exams passed.

Do you know how many have taken advantage of this out of about 20 employees?

2

That actually burns me up to see that. You hiring?

Iristheangel

ITSpectre wrote: »

Most IT jobs will let you study. When I was at the Help desk they encourage you to study. Where I am at now they encourage you to study as well. Most employers allow people to study and learn while at work.... When I was in retail I hated that job so I would spend downtime studying... but in retail there is no downtime.

That's why Security guard jobs are the shizzzzz. You need a pulse, guard card, and you're good to go. It also usually pays more than retail and most of the guard posts give you nothing but time to study. Helped me through my first year or two of IT :P

superbeast

I've seen some jobs that pay for their employees certification and allow them time to study during "slow times". If a company is paying for their employee to get certified then it would make sense to provide the employee with an environment conducive to success in that area. I recently applied for a company that highlighted this in their job posting so I'm eager to see how this will work with their corporate environment.

ITSpectre

Iristheangel wrote: »

That's why Security guard jobs are the shizzzzz. You need a pulse, guard card, and you're good to go. It also usually pays more than retail and most of the guard posts give you nothing but time to study. Helped me through my first year or two of IT :P

I agree. When it was slow (which it always is) I would study and review stuff. Even in retail people know that the majority of the time people are there to look and see what the new stuff is. People really do not buy anything until sat and early sunday. Other then that its 100% slow and nothing to do.

ITSpectre

doctorlexus wrote: »

I wish someone would just pay me to study and get certifications. But you know what they say: "if wishes were horses" or something like that.

I mean technically you are paid to get certs and study... there is plenty of downtime in IT depending on what you do. If you think about it during downtime an employer would rather see you studying IT related things rather then watch YT videos all day when its downtime. Not that they care what you do when its downtime but ijs

Iristheangel

I would also say you're paid on certs and studying in a more long-term way that has more buying power in the long run than just sitting and collecting an hourly check to do a task

Knowledge and education help you in your long-term financial position

doctorlexus

In a couple of my earlier IT jobs, I did have a good bit of downtime. Unfortunately, I didn't use it for much. I spent most of my time chatting with friends online and thinking about getting out of IT because I felt I'd never learn anything at work. As it turns out, I did leave IT for a while, got a couple degrees, got older, and then went back. I feel much more optimistic about being able to learn on the job now. I'm not sure if it's because I finished university, because I'm older, or because my attitude is different, but I feel like I'm no longer looked at as some dumb lemming who shouldn't be allowed to touch anything or learn a new skill.

AndersonSmith

It depends on the day and what I have going on but there are times when I'm able to get studying done at work. My employer is ok with it as long as it's something relevant to my job and they look at it as it's going to help them out in the long run because if I learn how to do something now then when I have to do it later it's less time I'll have to spend learning it then so it all evens out. Some days I have 0 time for anything else; it all depends on the day

tpatt100

When I was on the helpdesk I sort of started the "study during downtime" thing because our call volume was high before noon but dropped greatly after lunch. I finished my Bachelors, got my MCSA, CCNA while on the helpdesk.

Now a days I could probably study and discover an alternative source of energy for the planet..... My job comes and goes in waves depending on the day of the week/week of the month.

markulous

^^
I did the same with my CCNA and BS. Had a job where I'd maybe have 30 minutes of work a day and I definitely took advantage of it completing most of my WGU BS there.

E Double U

No time to study for certs on the job in my new role, but at least everyone is helping me learn the local language.

So glad I took advantage of studying on the clock while I could.

reload@

At my last job, you are given two hours a week to study. I seldom used it though because it was always too busy at work. But when I did use it, I would actually book a small conference room and have it on my outlook calendar so that people can't schedule anything with me at that time. You were expected to get certs as part of your growth so it wasn't abnormal to see people studying. They even have study groups sometimes during business hours.

superbeast

DPG wrote: »

This is what I provide to my employees:

1. Just about unlimited study time while on the clock.
2. Dedicated 1-on-1 training time.
3. Provide almost any training material requested (CBT Nuggets, Pluralsight, books, etc).
4. Dedicated VMware lab with unlimited compute and storage resources.
5. Offer to pay for certification exams upfront.
6. Fully reimburse certification exams fees after passing.
7. Bonuses for passing a certification exam.
8. Raises based on exams passed.

Do you know how many have taken advantage of this out of about 20 employees?

2

DPG, where is your company located and where can I send my resume? haha