Top Tips to Succeed with Distance Learning

Distance-learning courses can be a great first step towards a new career – or offer valuable professional-development tools for an existing one. With that in mind, you’ll want to approach them in a way that ensures you’ll get the best out of them. Here are my top tips on how to excel with your studies.

Set realistic goals

It’s good to set a target date to complete the course – but consider the content and don’t be overambitious. If you’ve signed up for the Publishing Training Centre (PTC)’s Essential Proofreading or Essential Copy-Editing courses, there’s a reason you’ll get access for 12 or 18 months respectively: a completion time of three or four months isn’t realistic if you want to succeed.

These courses start with the basics but get more in-depth as you work through them. So if you aim to be a qualified proofreader this time next year, don’t wait six months before signing up for Essential Proofreading!

This also applies to the smaller steps within each course. You can study at your own pace, but setting yourself an internal deadline for each module may help you to focus. As a tutor, I have some students who let me know what that deadline is – but remember that it’s self-imposed, so if something unexpected comes up, you won’t lose marks for submitting your assignments later than planned.

Use your tutor!

Contact time with your tutor is included in the course. Don’t be afraid to use it or feel you’re bothering them! Editing can be a solitary profession, so as long as you’re not sending too many emails, we enjoy a bit of communication.

It’s a good idea to prepare a list of questions ahead of time – you might want to clarify points from your tutor’s feedback on your previous assignment, ask about something you don’t quite understand from the course text, or a bit of both.

Try to ask questions using specific examples from an exercise or the previous assignment (don’t ask about future assignments). Make sure you consider how the response would apply more generally than in that one case. Asking ‘what should I have done different?’ might not be as valuable as asking ‘why should I have done something different?’

Create a suitable space and a routine

Back in the mists of time (2017), when I was a student on a PTC distance-learning course, I learnt how to proofread on paper: every time I sat down to study, I took over half the dining table. Nowadays, with courses being on screen, you probably won’t need as much space, but it can still help to create a suitable spot in your home.

The same applies to setting a routine – whether that’s making a cup of tea, spending ten minutes playing with the cat so she doesn’t bother you for a good while (yes, I’m speaking from experience), switching off your phone or setting up your lighting a certain way. Maybe you’re someone who works best with your computer in focus mode, to avoid distractions.

Turning your pre-learning time into a mini-ritual can help get you ‘in the zone’. It’s also a habit that will be useful in your working life after the course.

When you’ve qualified

Now the fun of marketing yourself and looking for work begins! Distance-learning courses offer practical advice on next steps – including how to find work and clients as a freelancer, how to explore in-house opportunities, and associations to join. Make sure to take note, and consider whether you already have a niche that could help you get work when you’re starting out.

As an example, before I studied to become a proofreader, I’d been a football writer. That meant I had various contacts who could put me in touch with sport-related publishers and organisations who might need a hand. Although I no longer work with most of those clients, it was a useful way to gain experience when I first started out.

You should also consider local or online professional networking groups, and announce your career change on any social media you use – you never know if a friend or acquaintance you’ve lost contact with might see it and get in touch to offer work (it happened to me, and his employers are still a regular client).

In conclusion

Time management, communication and a conducive working environment are good habits to adopt to make the most of your self-study. And they will be a huge help in your career after qualifying (whether freelance or in-house). Whether this is part of a career change or you’re updating your existing skills and knowledge, follow this advice and give yourself the best chance to succeed!

Sam Kelly is a professional proofreader and a tutor on the PTC’s Essential Proofreading distance-learning course. Follow him on LinkedIn.

To find out more about the roles of copy-editing and proofreading, download the free PTC guide to Copy-Editing and Proofreading.