Continuing Education: Learning Over a Lifetime
jfernandez January 4th, 2009
In 2003, I happened to take a continuing education class on a whim at Discover U, a lifelong learning school in Seattle. At that time in my 30s, life was feeling repetitively boring with the same old, daily work grind, week in and week out like a robot. Mostly everything after graduating from college had been about work, career, and making money as well as a living. Personally, I had always enjoyed school and learning new things, but over time in the workplace, I had lost my learning spirit. Weeknights and weekends were about vegetating, recovering from work, and escaping from work.
Taking that initial class at Discover U helped me rediscover a joy for learning. It awoke in me a long, lost hunger to learn new things. It was refreshing being back in the classroom after 10+ years, interacting with other students and meeting new people. I think it is a common experience for many adults in our culture where life after graduating from school becomes all about work, and any desire to learn new things disappears. At Discover U, I enrolled in another class, took another class, and another. I instantly became hooked on taking all kinds of classes from cooking to travel to exercise to career development classes. Rather quickly, I became a volunteer instructor at Discover U teaching my favorite hobby, volleyball, to beginners. I have taught now for the last 4 years, and it has been addictively fun and a wonderful blessing to see students learn how to play volleyball and play it well! Another class I took was an introduction to real estate appraisals, which was an entry point into a new career and preparation to obtain a license with the state of Washington. I definitely plan to take classes and teach classes throughout my life.
Why continuing education? One, for personal growth and enrichment. Learning of any capacity has many health benefits in life such as brain stimulation, stress reduction, alleviated boredom from routine and repetitiveness of everyday life, to counteract business, and to combat aging. Henry Ford, the famous American industrialist (1863-1947), said it best that, “Anyone who keeps learning stays young. A great thing in life is to keep your mind young!” I read an anonymous saying once that if you stop learning, you will stop growing, and if you stop growing, your mind will deteriorate quickly.
Secondly, for career growth and development. I began the process to obtain certification in my appraisal career. I have become an associate member at the Appraisal Institute, the leading membership association for real estate appraisers. AI offers classes nationwide and online for state license, certification, AI designation, and continuing education. These classes are taught by designated members who have years of experience in the appraisal profession. When I took my first AI class, I found it to be very thorough, informative, challenging, and well taught over 4 days in the classroom.
Sadly, Discover U went bankrupt and closed its doors in Belltown. Like the phoenix rising out of ashes, a new school was born offering free classes, on anything and everything, to the greater Seattle community. Seattle Free School is a school where everything is free. It’s free to take and teach classes. No money is exchanged nor are donations accepted. The school was founded by Jessica Dally. Jessica teaches classes herself, which reflects her diverse range of interests: from cheesemaking to soapmaking, to car maintenance and even beekeeping! In only six months, the school had over a thousand people signed up on its mailing list, and growing more by the minute. I taught a beginners’ volleyball class last summer. In the near future, I am teaching a class on investing in stocks for beginners. For classroom space, the school uses community centers and public libraries. Seattle Free School encourages anyone to teach even if one lacks any teaching experience. All that is needed is a volunteer heart to share knowledge and experiences with others! Elie Wiesel, the famous Noble Peace prize winner, said that, “What I receive I must pass on to others. The knowledge that I have acquired must not remain imprisoned in my brain. I owe it to many men and women to do something with it. I feel the need to pay back what was given to me. Call it gratitude.”
Here at Lamb Hanson Lamb Appraisal Associates, this giving spirit is embraced within the company where AI designated and senior appraisers are encouraged to take trainees under their wings to help them grow and advance in their appraisal careers.
