My DIY Master’s was supposed to be about building my career – and it did the job. But there were two other hidden motivations that I didn’t acknowledge, almost kept secret from myself.
1. Experience an online education
I wanted to look under the bonnet of disruptors like Coursera, EdX, or Udemy. Is the radical accessibility of online learning really the game-changer we’ve been waiting for, to address the devastating lack of access to higher education for refugees (5%!), people on the move, people living with poverty, people who are differently abled, and others who have taken non-traditional routes in life?
The only way to think or talk with credibility on this was to experience it myself.
And the answer is a ‘yes, and’. (Of course! I’m an optimist.) Yes, you can do a version of university courses online and yes, you can learn a lot from them for free or very affordably. The drawback, in my experiences with Coursera and Edx, is that they don’t really deliver on the promise of peer learning or connection building.
You submit an assignment for grading by other course participants and OK, some people open your attachments, give genuine feedback, make a difference. But most people on my courses offered minimal comments that added little value. The course forums are rarely active, and when they are, there are lots of statements but little dialogue. I’m sad to say I made no meaningful new connections with people on any of my courses.
I was, though, incredibly lucky to reconnect with lots of great people through an accountability community of newsletter readers! After each newsletter it was amazing to get pings back from friends or colleagues – notes of encouragement, sharing experiences, or catching up. That was a highlight and I hope that continues too.
2. A new S-curve for my brain
The second hidden motivation: I wanted to upgrade. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I felt that my professional growth had slowed.
And… it had. I was doing good work, feeling broadly happy with my impact, but I wasn’t on an exciting learning curve. Perhaps this is in part because consultants or freelancers often don’t get a lot of growth feedback. (In my experience, you have to identify and invest in personal growth areas yourself.)
I wanted the DIY Master’s to kickstart my brain again. And – it did!
This programme was a good brain workout, and most of the courses stayed with me long after I’d filed the certificate. I upgraded task management skills and created my own productivity method – I call it the “Bento Box” – out of the Bullet Journal system. I got better at digital knowledge management through Building A Second Brain. I’m working on better decision making. And I had the rewarding and practical experience of getting accredited as a life coach, including the chance to coach some fantastic people to reach their goals.
I learned a lot through teaching, too. I ran two Business English Writing workshops last autumn, with the team at Bloom. As I gathered pages of great resources for the participants, I realised I could improve my own writing using these resources. I’ve been paid to write since I was 15, so it was very humbling to suddenly discover that so many new techniques and information had been there all along. I definitely got more from that experience from some of the courses I followed.
And there’s the inspiring thing – no matter how good you think you are, there’s always another level. Sometimes it’s hard to see, but I think with an open mind, and growth mindset, we can all keep identifying ‘next level’ challenges for ourselves, and reach for them.
Thank you for reading, and for being part of this journey. Please reach out if any of this strikes a chord for you – I would love to hear your experiences or plans.
