Continuous Learning at School, Work and in Retirement
The non-stop educational journey
Throughout our lives, there is always something new to learn as we follow the steps toward the life we wish to pursue. Some of the required aptitudes are already well within us, otherwise we wouldn’t have chosen that direction. However, sometimes we need to grow into those roles with time, practice, and training.
I had the incredibly good fortune of working with some amazing leaders whose coaching and mentoring inspired me through my journey and in finding ways to fill some of those gaps whether through formal training or volunteer opportunities that aligned strategically with my goals.
Every year, we were asked to prepare a personal training plan, to revisit and restate our goals. Then, we were to itemize the training we planned on pursuing that year that aligned with those goals. In doing so, it allowed management to budget for training expenditures for the coming year as well as to coordinate the scheduling of courses to ensure continuity in operations.
But now with the school and career years in the rearview mirror, as much as I often feel relieved in not stressing about annual training plans and next career steps, little did I know that I would still be signing up for new training opportunities!
My move to a rural property has been a non-stop educational curriculum.
In preparing for putting in an offer on the house, I took to YouTube for a crash course in wells, septic systems, and sump pumps, just enough to be able to understand a home inspector’s report and to know what questions to ask to ensure I wasn’t missing red flags.
After that, without really planning for it, my home repair CV started building with a variety of new tasks like gutter cleaning, wheelbarrow repairs, and power tool maintenance. Not bad for a city boy!
It was in following my dreams and aspirations as a full-time writer that an avalanche of new learning opportunities presented itself.
My first stop was reading the books on creative writing that I had accumulated over the years, learning from well-respected writers how to build upon the transportable writing skills I acquired in the work world and adapt them to the creative space.
I then fell down another rabbit hole of videos, watching interviews with masters from the writing world, sharing stories of their humble beginnings to their award-winning productions.
With a boatload of inspiration nudging me to finally set sail, I started putting pen to paper while still reserving time to keep learning from the best, devouring brilliantly articulated articles.
What amazed me was how one opportunity led to another and another. I attended a virtual writers’ conference which led me to join a writing group, where I found the most amazing like-minded colleagues. At the same time, the conference’s keynote speakers introduced me to writers I might not have otherwise heard of and whose books became quick favourites and new sources of inspiration.
Similarly, blogging platforms have always been a phenomenal learning space for me. Not only do I enjoy reading high-quality stories and articles, which helps me to elevate the quality of my articles, but I have learned so much from working with amazing editors who have been more than generous with their time and coaching.
While I wouldn’t consider myself an “old dog” by any stretch of the imagination, I do enjoy learning new tricks as the saying goes.
That being the case, the training and learning journey appears to be far from over, but the consolation is that courses are now all of my choosing and a source of great enjoyment.
