If life issued a degree…
(or multiple degrees) based on the things you have experienced or navigated in your life... what would they be?
This is a question I recently explored with a client of mine.
She felt - as many of us do - the constant pull to do more courses, more degrees, more certifications.
But when we think about how qualified we are for something, or whether we have the skills or knowledge necessary, we often tend to look only at our formal education. We put this kind of education on a pedestal, where anything less than a certificate or letters behind your name means nothing.
But there are also downsides to learning things formally. It's often far less practical, the information is outdated because it changes so quickly and often takes a really long time for research to make its way into education.
Not to mention the costs involved and the opportunity cost of the time spent on further education.
And how many of us can list some things that would have been REALLY useful to learn at university that we just didn't?? (*ahem* how to run a business *ahem* emotional skills *ahem* behaviour change psychology... I could go on)
Now, please don't think that I'm against studying further - I too have spent many late nights brainstorming which degree I'm going to embark on next. I have an insatiable love of learning so the pull is very strong.
I'm just FOR really being intentional about why you're doing it.
For example...
Are you doing it because you think that after a certain amount of certifications you'll magically feel like you know enough and that you're good enough at what you do?
Is it so that other people - the "big boys" will respect you more? That they'll think you're more impressive?
Do you use it as a distraction or coping mechanism for your unhappiness or anxiety in your current situation?
Or....
Are you LIT UP by the next degree path?
Is it the thing that you feel is going to make a massive difference to the value of the care you can give your patients?
Is it going to open up a very specific door of opportunity that you don't have access to now?
Are you bridging a very specific skill gap that you've identified in your career path?
Like with all our life & career decisions, the details of whether you study further or what you study is less relevant. You're an adult and you can do whatever you want - even if your motivations are fame, fortune or just pretending you're in a movie with that classic Academia Aesthetic 😉 🤩
It's about exploring the reasons behind it and loving those reasons.
And most of the time, when we try and satisfy an internal need by changing something externally... it simply doesn't work in the way we think it will. Feeling good enough, more confident, less anxious... these things have VERY little to do with the number of certificates on your wall.
And I'm also really FOR valuing the knowledge and education that comes from places other than formal institutions.
You have SO much knowledge and experience accessible to you from your own unique life experience. Maybe you've learned how to really relate to anyone and everyone from your previous career in hospitality. Maybe you've had to overcome people-pleasing or navigate burnout. Or had to deal with addiction or trauma in your family. You've experienced becoming a mom or a caretaker of ageing parents. All of these experiences MATTER.
You have access to books and research papers. To podcasts & documentaries.
You learn with every patient you see & every interaction you have with fellow humans.
You can hire a coach, seek out a mentor or learn from the experiences and insights of your colleagues.
You can develop your own philosophies & frameworks
Don't forget that you & your brain are not that different from most of the people that you really admire. You are also a human with a human brain, just like the people that research and innovate or set up those formal courses at universities.
So... I'd love to know what degree(s) life would give you if it could? What have you been through, navigated through, or made significant progress in?
