Most of us think that, after college, we would not have to learn from books anymore. Those tedious hours listening to the Professor are over, and that, thanks God, we no longer need to write reports or participate in group projects anymore.
Even more, the sole thought of having to attend one of those mandatory sessions would repel us. Sure, College time was great too, but now we are adults, we are formed, we know about life.
But the truth is, we never stop learning, we should never want to stop learning. We live in a world that is constantly changing. Younger generations are born knowing everything about technology, and the pace of which they are evolving is sometimes way too fast to catch up with. Every piece of quality information should be cherished and nurtured and whenever possible, applied to real life.
Perhaps there were things back at the University that you wanted to learn more about, but it was not part of the curriculum. Perhaps it was not even related to your studies! It might even be that you are currently working in a field you did not prepare yourself for and now you wish you had.
When I heard about Coursera.org I was a bit sceptical: University courses that can be done from my home or phone without missing travel time or having to pay a high tuition fee? Did not seem very reliable. Then I saw some of the big names backing up this platform: Stanford University, The University of Tokyo, UCSF or ESADE? Curiosity kicked in.
As a Project Manager in the events industry, I thought if I could take a single course that would have an immediate impact on my work profile, what would it be? What knowledge am I lacking that would bring a plus to the team? Will all this learning be compatible with my work life?
At ENITED Business Events we have always been encouraged to learn more, to use our work time not only for client-based projects but to read and try to absorb as much information as possible. Because we are not only event coordinators, we are also consultants and mentors. We offer our clients not only our support, but also our knowledge. The more we know, the more we will be able to share.
And that’s why, at 32, I started to learn again.
