My daughter Alex completed her freshman year of college last week. I am not sure who had the bigger shock at the fact that the year went by so quickly. What resonated loudest was her feeling of "what do I do next?" Now obviously she will return to classes in the fall, but her real question was more of "wow, I finished my first year of college, what are the expectation of me now?"
I have had that same feeling for the past 23 years. Once leaving the safety and security of the university, there has always been an unspoken question of "what do I do now?" "What is my next step?"
Well, today I can tell you I know the answer (at least for the next two years). Because today is my first day of graduate school. Talley-ho!
As I accessed the distance learning Blackboard page, it was almost reminiscent of my freshman year. And although I have been developing distance learning programs and technology-based instruction for over two decades, being on the learning side is still very exciting. Why, you might ask? Simply stated, "someone else is in control."
I am the participant, the learner, the partaker of the experience. And while I know there is much work to be accomplished, I relish the chance to learn something new. Take chances where in the business world I am not always able.
So today I "open the doors" and answer "what do I do next?" with one word: learn!
- Ken
