Career Basics Course: Week 5, Day 22

“I am where I am because of the bridges that I crossed. Sojourner Truth was a bridge. Harriet Tubman was a bridge. Ida B. Wells was a bridge. Madame C. J. Walker was a bridge. Fannie Lou Hamer was a bridge.” —Oprah Winfrey

“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.” —Rosa Parks

Learn Outside of School

Nonlinear careers demand alternative ways of learning. This exercise is not mean to not meant to knock school itself. It's an opportunity to take control of some of your growth to find a different way to tackle some of the items on your to-learn list. Even the most esoteric ways of learning strengthen your ability to hold a question and move yourself forward along a path.

Taking courses outside of school is especially useful when you are still unsure of whether a particular line of inquiry is going to lead toward the next step in your career. ...

Taking a course outside of school can also introduce you to a whole new community with different norms, methods of making money, ways of working together, and topics of discussion. ...

A desire to get involved in a community can be its own form of learning and can double your chances of finding new opportunities. ...

Taking a course isn't just about the material you learn. The insights you gain and the people you meet can have unexpected outcomes that are even more important than any original idea you may have thought you were going for.

Each world has its own types of alternative educational paths -- apprenticeships in the art world, master classes in the dance and music worlds, journeyman positions in the trades, thirty-day online bootcamps in the start-up world, or even alternative art schools in the library world. There are courses, institutions, workshops, and places to learn where people are eager to teach and are looking for someone like you.

The Exercise

To find a course outside of the formal education system, try the following:

1. Consult your list of twenty people who are interesting, or your mentor list, and look through their information for communities that could lead you to learning opportunities. (For instance, the United Nations offers an extensive list of available -- and free -- courses including the FAO eLearning Academy where I will be taking Agripreneurship 101; very thankful to my colleagues at the Institute of International Education .)
2. Consult your to-learn list ...
3. Consider attending events, openings and ribbon ceremonies (ask Al Nunez about these), lectures, etc .... that are highly focused sessions rather inspirational talks.
4. [Talk to folks about] meet-ups for alternative learning communities. (For me, some of this learning might be done on your own but I've found during these periods of transition that community -- and being in community matters. We draw energy from coming together. And, in this category, I will also suggest volunteering ...

• Volunteer to learn something
• Volunteer to share what you know
• Volunteer for a cause that matters to you, your friends/family, your community, ...

Note: This is either ...

• Way 20, if you reference the 2018 version of the book, which I have, or,
• I'm going to recommend that you look at Way 26 in?50 Ways to Get a Job: An Unconventional Guide to Finding Work on Your Terms

For me, ... I very much need to improve some skills and knowledge around coding and will be relying on the following individuals to help me self-direct this learning:

• Airtable with Akshar Patel Basic web updating with Avery Cohen for the Tri Cosain website

Drupal Association with Dr. Sakshi Chhabra , Avery Cohen and several other colleagues as we seek to bring new life to the Teachers Design for Education: Unleashing the Potential of Teachers as Designers.

A Happy Tuesday -- Wow! Here we are at Week 5, Day 22.?

So where did Monday go? we'll that was yesterday, and the day of 2nd colonoscopy (good results). I had hoped to write and reflect a bit yesterday but the general anesthesia just wore me out .... so I rested.

As I mentioned last week, we begin Week 5 welcoming two individuals who will continue throughout the remaining 6 weeks of Career Basics Course as Contributing Respondents. They are:

• Caila Howell?... a business/digital marketing professional and education advocate. We're delighted that Caila has joined us in this journey.
• Kathleen O'Brien 欧凯林?... a mission-motivated, people-oriented and a collaborator between and among cultures. We're delighted that Kathleen has joined us in this journey.

Thanks for accompanying us on this journey. All the best to the you and your family as we begin this week.

All the very best to everyone. Much peace.

Gerald and?Al Nunez

P.S. Ramadan Mubarak to all who celebrate.

P.P.S. Build and cross bridges ... until tomorrow.