A Look in the Rear View Mirror

Yesterday, I had an opportunity to (literally) see how far I've come these past two years ...

Two years ago, I wrote this post: Return to the 9 to 5 . I was so close to the end of my schooling that I could almost reach out and touch it. My future ... and what I thought it would be.

Did I have a clue of the reality that I would soon be living? Not an iota. But I had my education, my diploma, a brain full of freshly learned knowledge and I was on my way!

A diploma does not guarantee success. My goals took a detour but I was still fueled by the knowledge that I had taken and succeeded in learning all about the Microsoft Office applications. I had the education. I was armed and ready for my future. Whatever that may be.

Yesterday, I met a lady who was just completing her work practicum for an Admin Assistant course. She was working within Microsoft Word and was stuck when some formatting issues prevented her from completing a simple task. She was so disappointed in herself because "... I should know this! I just completed a course all about this ..."

For the first time in two years, I was the one with some answers. I reassured her that all that she has recently learned has given her the tools to really begin to put this textbook knowledge to practical use. I assured her that she will learn far more as she goes along. We talked about trial and error ... and the beauty of the 'Undo' button and the ability to save a document and try whatever we think may work ... and not losing all of the work we had already done.

We are both 'mature' students of life. Both of us are stepping into a brand new world that we are not entirely familiar with. She talked of the steep learning curve that she felt when she returned to school. I warned her that there is another steep learning curve ahead of her when she starts her next job.

An education doesn't give you all of the answers. It opens doors and gives you new opportunities to learn. The learning does not end once you have that diploma in hand. If you are lucky, the learning never ceases. Your ability to learn as you go, think on your feet and trust that you have the tools to take you where ever you dream is just the beginning.

I hope that this lady has the same zest and enthusiasm that I felt when I wrote that blog post two years ago. I hope that she can weather the winding road ahead. I hope that she doesn't encounter as many twists and turns as I did. But if she does ... I hope that she remembers the small victories that I talked about as I gave her the Reader's Digest version of my life-after-my-education.

I looked at this lady and saw myself. I saw how far I have come over the past two years. I still don't have all of the answers, a secure future or even a full time job. But these past few years have taught me things that you can only learn by living the dream and giving it your best shot.

It was like looking in a rear view mirror. Now that I've had a time to appreciate and reflect on my most recent round of 'education', I am ready to look ahead and keep following this road ...