Learning Styles – What is yours?

If you have not studied for a period of time it is advisable to refresh your understanding of what your learning style is and use it to your best advantage. There are a lot of web sites that can help you do an inventory to learn your most developed style. Google “Learning Styles” for more information.

Are you a visual, auditory or kinesthetic learner? Visual learners process information by visual stimulation which can be enhanced with colors, graphics, and note-taking. Auditory learning experiences are enhanced with spoken material. Listening to CD’s while driving can increase the comprehension for auditory learners. Kinesthetic learners like to do. Engage them and do hands on activities when possible.

As a highly kinesthetic learner I employed enhancements for all three learning styles. The act of “doing” this helped me retain much more efficiently. There is no getting around the fact that studying for this certification exam is a lot of rote memory. Volumes of it! I suggest stacking the deck in your favor. I created note cards, read the chapters, wrote notes, typed the notes and then read them into a digital recorder to listen to while driving. Overkill? Maybe but it worked. The CD’s really helped me burn the information in my brain. I find Rote memory extremely challenging and this exam requires little bits of information in a lot of areas. I don’t want to scare you away but I encourage you to employ strategic study methods! In our CMP Boot Camp we do games, practice tests and as many fun exercises to support the acquisition of the material. Fellow CMP’ers please post any methods you have used that you found useful.

I want to but.....

Deciding to sit for a certification exam is a tough and personal decision. There are so many reasons why it isn’t a good time or next year is a better time. I had been in the business for fourteen years but I still wasn’t sure if it was “what I wanted to be when I grew up.” Why should I expend all of that energy if this is not what I was going to be doing? In addition it costs money!!! So now I am considering something that will make me have to study and spend some hard earned cash. I live at the beach remember? So let’s see study 2 HUGE textbooks or go to the beach. You can see where I am going with this! That being said it is my responsibility to continue to grow and improve my skills. Ultimately it makes me a more valuable employee.

I worked for myself in 2004 so the money came out of my own pocket but I had flexibility with my time. If you are in a position where your employer doesn’t financially support you taking the exam have a discussion with them about allowing you two hours a week for study time. I have spoken with many of our CMP study group members who have said that customers were more comfortable knowing they were working with someone who had the designation. With that knowledge as ammunition I recommend a frank discussion with your employer. Be prepared! Ask some of your top customers how they feel about the designation. Do they consider it when looking at other locations? Bring these examples to your discussion. Ideally your employer would support your growth both financially and with study time. Do not be surprised if they have a caveat on their support. I.e. they may reimburse expenses 1) if you pass the exam, 2) after 6 months of employment or 3) cover a portion of the expenses. These are fair requests.

For me six years have passed and I still wonder if I know “what I want to be when I grow up.” Who wants to grow up anyway! If this is something you have been considering take the next step and remember: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Confucius