The Next Verse: Goals for the Future
Establishing Professional Presence
My Master’s degree is only the beginning of the journey I undertook to make my way back to the path I have always wanted to make in life. Considering that I have been working in the criminal justice system for 13 years, this new journey is at once daunting and yet seemingly achievable. The skills I have learned and gained, the perspectives and navigational aptitudes that I have developed while working as a professional are big assets to my foray into the realm of higher education. I still have more learning to do, more certifications to commence and complete and those will be the next focus for the future. The prospect of more schooling is a challenge financially and a test to my time managing skills, but it is one I welcome. One of the most valuable things I learned during my Master’s program was that I can juggle demanding responsibilities simultaneously quite well, and another was that I enjoy the learning process immensely, more so than I ever did when I was a younger student. It is that joy that I hope to help discover or cultivate in my future interactions with students and faculty and student family members.
It was only recently that I learned of the term PLN (Professional/Personal Learning Network), and it was a revelation. Because of the nature of my current work, I limit my online presence and footprint for safety reasons, but if I want to continue this path I should break out of age old habits and explore new technologies like Twitter. This also means that I must sharpen up my currently non-existent IT skills, but fortunately most platforms these days are user friendly and I anticipate a steep learning curve at first but not too much trouble as I go on. For the next year or so I will allocate efforts to networking both on and offline, and establishing a more visible professional presence. Fortunately, there are opportunities within my current Department already occurring. As our Department continues its new directions, more collaborative endeavors with educational institutions are happening, and I hope to be able to attend several of the conferences regarding inmate re-entry and education taking place this summer. Getting my teaching certification will also allow me to connect with professionals locally, and I am looking at attending one of the University of Washington's information sessions as well as looking into alternate routes to certification.
Continuing Personal Growth
Personal growth has always been an important aim in my life, and this invariably occurs through learning. I am an ardent believer in life-long learning and in all the benefits that I reaped as part of that endeavor, and I understand that I can contribute positively to the world around me if I keep up my own knowledge base and sharing it with others. For me, personal growth is tied in with professional growth, and that balance keeps me healthy and invigorated. Aside from continuing to write on my own, I would like to join the writing workshops offered through the local college. I have always been fascinated with the Asian languages, from my native tongue to the multiple dialects of Chinese, but most of all with Japanese. I enjoyed taking Japanese courses as continuing education, but Rosetta Stone had been invaluable in furthering my Japanese language skills.
It is a personal interest, but I realize that mastery of multiple languages is also a marketable skill. I discontinued my Japanese studies because I could not fit them into my schedule, but I hope to continue it after graduation. Mandarin Chinese is next on my list, as I hope to visit both countries one day. Travel broadens the mind, and though it is not a specific learning aim, it is a learning opportunity. My goal is to be able to cultivate a mindset of growth and acceptance, which has already served me well in both my personal and professional experiences, and will continue to serve me in the future.