I can honestly say that it was one of the greatest things I’ve done
I completed my master’s in early childhood education in 2021 and I can honestly say that it was one of the greatest things I’ve done. When I originally applied for the course, it was purely to improve my knowledge of the early years.
As the manager of a private nursery, I wanted to make sure my knowledge and practice was as up to date as possible. Two years later and I’ve not only gained the knowledge I was originally hoping for, but I’ve also developed a new passion for developing the status and quality of the private early years sector.
Writing my dissertation was a personal highlight as I enjoyed the freedom to explore my areas of interest that had developed, and I felt really supported by my dissertation supervisor who helped me face any problems that arose head on. It was the process of researching and writing my dissertation and the support I was given that convince to me to apply for the EdD.
As my passions developed over the course, I applied for a new role that reflected this as a Segment Manager for the Private Nurseries area of Twinkl where I help create resources, work with a range of companies in education and alongside large educational alliances, such as Birth to 5 Matters. The master’s in early childhood education has increased my knowledge and confidence of working within the private sector.
Although the University of Sheffield has an outstanding reputation, I chose to study here because of the flexibility offered with the part-time distance-learning course. Having no prior experience of studying online, the structure of a weekly online workload (which did not have deadlines) combined with physical study school weekends throughout the year allowed me to create a study routine that suited my life outside university. The study school weekends also allowed me to create connections with other students on the course which I found vital later in the course. We were able to support each other via WhatsApp and Blackboard and these connections have continued.