Hello,
I was just wondering whether anyone had done the AKC course at King's College London, and whether they thought it was worth doing? Is it viewed as a bit of a 'vanity' qualification, or do you think it can't hurt to have something like that on a CV? I am going to be working at King's which makes me eligible to do it, and it does look quite interesting, but it would involve time and energy which may be better spent elsewhere.

Any thoughts?

I did a short Spanish course for the last few months and found that fun and easy to fit in around my PhD, and my girlfriend completed a GCSE in Spanish whilst doing her doctorate so in terms of "will I have time" then I'd say that yes you would.

Having had a quick look at the web site describing the course and as an outsider to the university I would say that you should do it solely if it is something you're interested in. As a qualification I doubt it will be seen as much use by anyone who is not an alumni of the university, or unless you're subject area is closely linked. Therefore I would see it as an 'extra curricular' thing, similar to say doing a basic language course or taking a cookery or short basic history course. That is, if you enjoy it or think it would be interesting then do it, but if you're looking for a qualification that's worthwhile, perhaps do something else with your spare time.

As I say, this is just an outsiders view (though I guess most employers will be outsiders too), perhaps a view point from someone who's done it would be worth considering too if you can find someone.