Learning: The Never Ending Journey

by Jean Fudge

When the editor told me that one of the topics for this month's issue is ongoing learning, I had no doubt I could write on that topic. You see, OTJT (On The Job Training) are my initials, and Flexibility is my middle name.

Gone are the days when learning in your teen years would serve you all your life. Heck, when I was in college, the pc hadn't been invented yet. My computer programming class involved punch cards! (Yes, we had wheels and fire …)

I'd hate to see where I'd be if I had not been curious, enthusiastic, and a little paranoid about what would happen if I didn't learn new skills. My career has evolved through …seven (??!!) career changes or major platform shifts:

1. My formal training is in journalism and interdisciplinary studies.
2. Training for my tech writing career came on the job. I had been hired as a secretary, but I told them I'd be very bored if I just typed and filed!
3. The next career was as a multimedia writer and integration editor. A former Apple employee was joining another entrepreneur in setting up online tours of colleges - back in the mid Nineties. It was to be CD based, but the internet changed those plans …
4. After that, I went back to tech writing, but this time I had to learn how to use a PC instead of a Mac. Thank goodness, my cubicle mate was very kind and helpful! During that stint, I also learned how to do Online Help and web authoring.
5. Next, I got a job as a trainer. This fit very well with my personality and background. I was always the "go to" person whenever anyone had a problem or didn't understand how to do something. I figured this was a formalization of what I was already doing.
6. After that, I became a member of the pc tech support team. Again, this was something I was already doing for my fellow workers. Granted, I had a lot of details and procedures to learn, but it fit well with my personality and experience.
7. Currently, I am helping to implementing electronic medical records at a hospital system in Dayton. I help build code and help support staff while they use it for the first time. I also help in lots of behind-the-scenes tasks, like making sure they have enough computers … making sure they are installed and working properly …

The list above doesn't begin to address all the software I learned, and all the custom systems I learned to use at each job. The special, proprietary systems they sell or use behind the scenes …So … I'm a walking, talking, typing advertisement for ongoing learning. I truly, truly enjoy learning the new stuff, and HELPING OTHERS to learn it, too. Who knows what the future holds, but I'm game to give whatever it is a try!

A final thought: at bottom of her emails, a friend of mine includes a quote from Alvin Toffler, author of the book "Future Shock." I remember my mom read that book in the Seventies. It was on the best seller list, and everybody was abuzz with his predictions. Today, his quote does not sound futuristic or far out. It just sounds accurate. The quote is:

"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn."– Alvin Toffler

'Nuff said!