May 2020 was another milestone in my life. I finished my second Grad school. Going back to Graduate studies after 15 years taught me look at the learning journey in a different light. Here are my key takeaways. 1. Build relations with your professors and peers Tip 1: Time management and build relations Many of us were already working when we joined the graduate program. Days fade out quickly as one tries to juggle between study, family and work. Initially it was difficult for me to reach out and build relations, but slowly over time I was able to develop a strategy and build relationships. I personally like to use digital calender to set reminders for important tasks and meetings. I realized building relationship over common interests is relatively easy ( in my case it was Instructional Design/ Graphic Design/ Organizational Development). Over the course of many semesters, I reached out to professors and staff to learn something beyond the classroom. Another great way to build relations is by volunteering. Based upon my core skills and interests, I reached out to couple of departments and offered them my help. This created new learning opportunity for me. Through volunteering I was further able to pick up new skills and stretch myself beyond my comfort zone. Tip 2: Seek a mentor and be a mentor to someone who needs it Another way to deepen and solidify relationships is by having a mentor. The role of mentor is not to be confused with an advisor. I was fortunate to be guided by a mentor who took interest not only about my academic success, but also deeply cared about my other intellectual and emotional needs. Although I have graduated out, but I am very fortunate to have her in my life and she still continues to push me to grow to the next level. 2. Transfer classroom learning to real life Tip 3: Learn skills which you can execute in real life One of the best aspects of this MS HRD program is that the graduate curriculum is aligned with the business expectations so that students are ready to execute their knowledge in the real world. This program also encouraged experiential learning wherein students are encouraged to shadow/interview a mentor and the assignments are connected to the workplace. Soon after joining the program, I had rapid uptake of new skills - learning authoring software, developing multimedia, conducting action research. In today's ever changing world, learning should never stop. One has to be very mindful about what are the short and long term goals regarding acquiring new skills. Also before investing any time and money, make a call on what are the required skill sets for a target industry/position? What are the best ways to acquire those skills ( self-learning/volunteering/shadowing someone). 3. Explore all the available resources at the University Tip 4: University Career Services The career center at the University of Houston is one of the strongest community who strives to empower the student with professional development services. Career counselors helped me to refine my resume, critique my LinkedIn profile, practice mock interviews and many other processes related to job searching. Other than these, there were regular career fairs, Tip 5: Access to library and other resources University library is one of the most useful and enjoyable places! Though I mostly used the digital library, but the library was one of the best places to finish off an assignment or to do group study! I was also surprised to find out the services of Writing Center!!! The staff at Writing Center helped me to critique over my graduate assignments and refine my writing. Tip 6: Learn to manage stress and accept uncertainty Some days we might feel moody or sluggish and low in energy. The University Counselling and Psychological resources is another resource to talk to someone about our mental health concern. Another resource which I highly recommend is the Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI). University of Houston is the second most ethnically diverse campus in USA. The Center of Diversity and Inclusion does an impressive role to raise awareness about lot of different topics, like - being mindful about languages, learning about power and privileges, microaggression etc. I attended many workshops conducted by the CDI and it helped me to understand the different realms of diversity and more importantly, it offered me a glimpse of what I don;t know yet. Accepting setback and striking back again: As I was wrapping my grad school, COVID-19 started spreading out. Face to face classes were cancelled and economic depression set in within weeks. Till March, I was working as an Instructional Designer in an Oil & Gas organization, and within weeks the whole L&D team, along with thousands of others were scratched off. The pandemic is still wrecking havoc around our lives. The episode taught me to be flexible, and thankfully I have now started working as a freelancer. And once again I realized the importance of taking care of mental health. Tip 7 : Being intentional and mindful Grad schools are fast. Two years back I started this journey and before I knew, it was about time to wrap up. The curriculum demands time commitment, able to connect learning in classroom with the workplace happening. One has to be very intentional and thorough to make the best use of time. Finally one might ask, is the journey worth it? If there is anything the Grad school has taught me, is the power of being purposeful, the power of having a supportive community! I am fortunate to undertake this journey.
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