Re-Schooling Your Career

Something a friend told me many years ago has become my personal mantra for everything in my life. She was trying to talk me into going back to university to finish a degree. At the time, I was 27 and felt like I was too old, like the days of being a college student were behind me and I had just missed out. I was a single parent of two year old twins and I thought it would be too much, that I didn't have time, that I should be prioritizing earning what little money I could at the time. Excuses abound and I was mired down by them. My friend said something that changed my way of thinking ever after - "Four years from now you'll be four years older or you'll be a college graduate. Education is something no one can ever take away from you."

Wow, that moment was pivotal for me. I didn't even realize it at the time but it started me down a path of becoming a life long learner. Since then, I have re-schooled my role or career several times by learning applications, methodologies, systems, etc.

I have done this by reading and studying on my own, attending short bootcamps, completing certificates and taking classes online and in person. Some of it was paid for by the companies I was with and some were paid for by me. Many times if you have an idea for something that will provide growth in your role and make you better at your job, you can present it to your supervisor/manager and they will support you in asking the company to give the time and money for it. The times I couldn't get approval for training I wanted, I paid for it. A few times I used a credit card or took a loan because I thought the training could be a big impact. I can't think of a time I regretted it. Some of the training I have completed has helped me at home as much as at work (project management, time management, negotiation, etc.)

My latest "re-schooling" effort is to learn software development, where my mother told me I should have started out when I was a kid (if only I had listened instead of taking the long way). You might have noticed from my diagram that I went from a Senior back to a Junior position when I transitioned to Project Management. I'll be doing this again as I move into a developer role.

That might be a hard thing to swallow for some folks, but you don't just step in the kitchen for the first time and call yourself a Chef. If you did, the people around you would quickly realize you don't know what you're doing. This is a recipe (see what I did there, haha) for a disaster. Mastery takes time; accept that. Once you have attained a level of mastery, you will be valued based on your total skillset and each time you do this it will be easier and easier.

Re-schooling is something anyone can do at any time. There is no reason to stay in a job or career that isn't providing you growth or making you happy. Move forward.

I'd love to hear about your experiences with re-schooling so please give me a comment!

@Deanna2000 - see my intro post