With a full-time job, a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter and a baby boy on the way, Christian Aak could easily have put off his studies once again. Instead, he enrolled in Cloud Security and Infrastructure at Noroff.
Christian Aak (33) had considered further education several times, but the timing never felt quite right.
– I eventually realised that the timing would never be perfect. The only way forward was to organise my daily life and put in the hard work, he explains.
Today, he combines online studies in Cloud Security and Infrastructure with a full-time job at Eviny Fiber and family life in Bergen. He and his partner Ida have a daughter, Emilie, who is expecting a little brother in October.
Planning the week every Monday
To make everything work, Christian and Ida carefully plan their weeks. Every Monday, they go through their work schedules, days working from home, appointments and other commitments. A shared calendar helps the family stay organised.
– It might sound a bit rigid, but for us, it actually has the opposite effect. When we have everything planned out, there is less to worry about in our daily lives, he says.
On weekdays, the family prioritises spending time together until their daughter goes to bed. Christian then usually sets aside a couple of hours for studying.
– When you have a full-time job and young children, you rarely find yourself with an entire day to study. That's why I make the most of the small windows of time that come up. An hour here and an hour there quickly adds up over the course of a week, Christian says.
He has also become more conscious of how he spends his time.
– It's surprising how much time you can free up simply by putting your phone away, he points out.
Building on ten years of experience
Christian has worked with IT and technical solutions since 2015. After starting his career in technical customer support, he moved on to BKK, which is the grid company in the Eviny group.
Today, he works at Eviny Fiber's network operations centre. His responsibilities include monitoring the fibre network, updating equipment to address security vulnerabilities, and configuring routers, switches and firewalls.
After ten years with the company, he wanted to develop his skills further. He chose to study Cloud Security and Infrastructure at Noroff.
– More and more companies are moving their services to the cloud to benefit from flexible capacity and only pay for what they use. The combination of the programme's content and the direction the world is heading made this an easy choice for me.
His studies allow him to build on his existing experience while gaining deeper knowledge of a field that is becoming increasingly important.
– I'm fortunate to have a great employer that prioritises professional development, Christian emphasises.
The importance of support at home
When both work and studies demand a lot of time and energy, support at home is essential. Christian is particularly grateful for Ida.
– She has an incredible capacity to take things on and a huge heart. She makes things easier for me when life gets hectic, and that means an enormous amount.
At the same time, he is determined to make sure the family has enough time together.
– I do most of my studying after our daughter has gone to bed. Making time for family is important to us.
Adjusting to a new normal
When Christian first considered studying, he thought life would eventually become less hectic. However, with young children, new routines and stages of family life kept coming along.
– Eventually, you realise that this isn't just a phase. This is your new normal.
With another child on the way, he knew his schedule was unlikely to become any less busy.
– I had to stop asking myself when I would find the time. Instead, I had to decide that this was something I wanted to prioritise and make room for it.
– Do it now
Christian is clear that combining education with work and family requires time and self-discipline. The flexibility of online studies is therefore essential.
– I don't have to organise my entire life around my studies. Instead, I can largely fit my studies around my everyday life. That's what makes it possible.
His advice to anyone considering further education is simple:
– Just do it now. Don't wait for the perfect time, because it will probably never come.
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