Sharon Button
When Sharon Button was a first time manager in the ACT Public Service, she knew she needed a little help to make her the best manager she could be. So she came to CIT and studied the Diploma of Business. "It gave me the skills and confidence that I needed," she says. Now currently completing the Graduate Certificate in Management, Sharon is enjoying the next level of skill building she needs to become a senior manager.
"This course is good for my career. I really enjoy how it is facilitated. Getting together with like minded people and talking about real issues is very different to uni, where you are just sitting in a theatre and getting preached at." Plus, she says, it is great to get a university qualification without having to go to university!
When looking around for study, Sharon knew that CIT would be able to help. "I knew CIT would have the courses I needed and that I would come out with something that was tangible, that was recognisable in the public sector."
Her study has helped her progress through her career, as she quickly went from ACT Government to Federal, working at Parliament House. "The diploma helped me manage a team of staff with confidence and to think outside the square. The graduate certificate is cementing that further, by teaching me how to develop strategic plans and properly manage change. It gives the diploma subjects more substance at a higher level."
Sharon has recommended both the diploma and the graduate certificate to friends and colleagues. "It is work and time, but it is worth it because it is practical and beneficial. You can put it into practice straight away. The teachers are friendly and approachable and they know their stuff."
In the future, Sharon wants to move through the public service up to a Director level. She'll combine that with more study to broaden her already large scope of knowledge in project management, to help her get started in program management.