In January 2019, Ms. Diana Pereira completed the part-time vocational baccalaureate in Business & Services at AKAD College. We spoke to her about the course she completed:
I first did a commercial apprenticeship at an insurance company. After completing my apprenticeship, I continued to work at my training company for a few years. Then I looked around for something new and was able to join a law firm as an assistant. During the course of this job, I decided to complete the "Berufsmaturität" paralegal certificate course at the ZHAW while working. This additional qualification made my job more interesting and challenging, as I was now able to carry out various legal tasks that arise in a law firm independently.
By completing my vocational baccalaureate, I am opening up the opportunity to study. After graduating, I would like to develop further in the direction of event management.
I first found out about the vocational baccalaureate courses at public schools. For the courses offered there, I would have had to reduce my professional activity more than I was able to, namely to 60%. The course at AKAD College had the decisive advantage for me that I could continue to work 80% on the side. In addition to the structure and concept of the course, the price-performance ratio of the preparatory course for the vocational baccalaureate was also right for me.
AKAD College relies to a large extent on self-study for its "Berufsmaturität" courses. This means that the proportion of classroom teaching is comparatively small, which gave me a lot of freedom to organize my learning and preparation time according to my needs. I also liked AKAD's location right next to Zurich Oerlikon train station and the modern infrastructure. AKAD has a good canteen and offers discounted menus for students.
There were no problems during the vocational baccalaureate course that could not be solved. In my opinion, individual teachers did not adhere sufficiently to the curriculum. However, we were able to address this openly and resolve the discrepancies.
I reserved the weekends for studying, and I also took a few days off before the exams. Over the course of the vocational baccalaureate, I actually needed less and less time to study because over time I had practiced concentrating on the essentials despite the wide range of topics covered in the vocational baccalaureate. It was important for me not to be constantly distracted while studying. For example, I didn't watch TV or use my cell phone while I was studying.
We had a very good class spirit during the preparation for the vocational baccalaureate. We also talked to each other via a class chat, for example. And if a colleague was unable to attend a lesson, we passed on the learning content and documents to them.
The teachers on the "Berufsmaturität" course were competent and always responded well to us and our concerns.
Yes, because the vocational baccalaureate not only broadened my specialist knowledge, but also my general knowledge. The course also made me more of a team player and I can now assert myself better. I was able to strengthen my personal skills overall thanks to the preparation for the vocational baccalaureate.
The amount of self-study at AKAD College requires good personal organization and discipline. To prepare for exams, it is not enough just to read the summaries of a book. You should read the whole book. If sample exams are available, I strongly recommend that you also solve these in preparation for the vocational baccalaureate. And if you don't want to run out of time with your final paper, you should also start early enough.
Overview of providers of preparatory courses for the vocational baccalaureate
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