When I first saw the topic for the blog assignment, I was a tad puzzled what's the purpose of this. I did not realize that in fact I was already doing this, reflecting on my past work experiences and asking myself what I want to do for the next chapter of my career, and my life.
I love learning, exploring new ideas and experiencing new ventures. Having worked in the corporate world for three decades and thinking back what I have learned in the PIDP course, I realize there are lots of similarities between managing a team in an organization and teaching in a classroom. No matter how much time you spend planning every single step, whether you are a manager or a faculty member, you soon realize that "perfection is an illusion" (Brookfield, p. 267). There is no such thing as a perfect organization or institution, a perfect team or classroom, let alone a perfect employee or student. Expect ambiguity and try not to let my emotion get in the way of my primary objective.
Prior to the PIDP program, I thought I had enough of schooling, after pushing myself to the finishing lines in completing my MBA and CPA/CMA. No matter how much I love learning, I could not see myself going back to school having been out of it for over 15 years. In fact, it was the complete opposite. I am very glad that I have enrolled in the PIDP program. It has opened up my world, learning something new and challenging, such as blogging and reflective practice writing. I could not have imagined myself doing these activities six months ago, let alone thriving and enjoying them. As I am preparing for the next chapter of my career, my message is never stop learning despite risks and failures one may face along the journey. In the words of Forrest Gump, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get" (WikiQuote, 2017).
References
Brookfield, S. (2015). A Skilful Teacher. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
WikiQuote. (2017, March 28). Retrieved from https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Forrest_Gump