Kirstin takes her next step, and now helps others take theirs

It was during the first COVID Lockdown that Kirstin started thinking seriously about what she wanted to do. Like all of us, she found herself with a lot of free time on her hands. But instead of spending the time sitting in front of the TV, she had a long hard think about her passions, talents, and life experience. Ultimately, she ended up asking the big question… What is my future going to look like? The answer? Helping others achieve their dreams. And the best way to achieve it was through life coaching.

"I wanted to help people on a deeper level. Help people accomplish their dreams, their goals"

she says. Kirstin knew where she wanted to be, but what she needed was a path to get there, and the solution presented itself in the form of The Career Academy.

After looking at a number of different study options, The Career Academy jumped out as the options for flexible online education meant that she could continue to work while learning. She enrolled in the Certificate in Life Coaching, as well as the Diploma in Psychology & Counselling, as the Online courses covered a wide range of topics including principles of life coaching, change management, ethics, counselling skills and techniques, and the fundamentals of setting up a life coaching business.

Very quickly, Kirstin realised she made the right choice. "I found the courses and the layout of the modules to be very good, and the tutor's feedback was great." she says, "and with being self-employed I could work easily around my studies as well."

After finishing her Online course - Kirstin went on to found Take the Next Step, a life coaching business built on helping people embark on their own journeys of success and helping them navigate their way forward. "Whether it is going through a transitioning phase of life, finding a new career pathway, to dealing with relationships or relationship separation."

She prioritises a calm, relaxed, and holistic approach when it comes to her practice, an approach drawing on her natural temperament and reinforced by her studies at The Career Academy.
As for the next steps, Kirstin is going to focus on building Take the Next Step and helping people find their way forwards in life, and hopes that someday soon it will be her full time job. Outside of that, she says that there might even be some more study on the cards for the future.

You can see all of the amazing things that Kirstin is achieving at Take the Next Step. If you would like to follow in her footsteps you can study the Certificate in Life Coaching which teaches you the fundamentals of life coaching and helping others achieve their own success.

A new odyssey in accounting

The Greeks are no strangers to an Odyssey, but George started one of his own when he uprooted from Greece and moved his family halfway across the world in 2012. "I think the transition has been easier for our boys than for my wife and I." he says. "They're younger and they're surrounded by English-speakers at school every day. They often correct our English - but that's good, it helps us improve even more!"

With more than 20 years professional experience as a Dentist, George found that his Greek qualifications weren't recognized globally, and that re-qualifying would be like pulling teeth - literally. Instead of dealing with the arduous, lengthy, and expensive process of re-qualifying, George decided to take his first tentative steps in a new career.

At first, George was considering a career in tourism, but considering that "I'm not in my twenties anymore," and that he had a proven record of business acumen, he instead opted to begin a career in accountancy. Attending polytechnic was not appealing; it was more costly than online learning, and would seriously cut into the hours where George could be earning an income.

So, he searched online and found The Career Academy's Certificate in Accounting. From his first phone call, it was obvious George had made the right choice. Amy (his one-on-one student advisor) was patient and kind on the telephone, carefully answering his questions, explaining how online learning would look (you can see it for yourself here), and letting him know he'd be supported every step of the way.

Studying around his temporary job at a fast-food restaurant, George successfully completed the 140 hour course in just seven weeks. George's online experience at The Career Academy was so good, he decided to take a second course, this time in the Diploma in Accounting, which expands on the core concepts he learned while studying the Certificate. Ultimately, George has his sights set on becoming an Accounting Technician, and he likely won't be far away with the certificate's endorsement by the International Association of Accounting Professionals. The course also includes up to six months access to MYOB and allows students to receive the official Xero Advisor Certification, so George will be well equipped with the tools of the trade.

George's Odyssey is far from over, but if you want to follow in his footsteps check out the Certificate or Diploma in Accounting and you can get started immediately.