Skip to main content

Freelancer Course: Who are you? Questions 2-6


This is the second post in response to question prompts in Seth Godin's Freelancer Course, found on Udemy. Please feel free to comment or include your answers to these questions in the comment section.

 Who do you want to change? People who think they can't. Can't change. Can't understand. Can't find value. Right now, my scope is limited to education. Given the right lens, I think that could be expanded.

How do you want to change them? Prove that technology isn't scary. That it has value. That is can be and needs to be used in the classroom. If for no other reason than to get students to ask questions, and feel comfortable searching for the answer. I want to encourage different thinking. Show examples. Connect others.

All of this is difficult because I am not in the classroom now. I've debated on whether I should go back to school so I can have that classroom experience. If I could guarantee that I would be like the great educators I follow and read about, I think I would. I'm not sure I'm brave enough right now.

How much risk are you willing to put at stake to make the change you seek? At this moment, I would have to say not much. I have a job I enjoy that allows me to do most of these things, and I am still learning new things regularly. However, there is a bit of a shadow looming personally and professionally and I, in all my Type A splendor, need prepare myself for more risk. At the moment, I am willing to risk other commitments and free time in order to connect with those people and companies who are thinking about the industry in new ways. As the shadow gets closer, I need to be willing to risk more financially, and step a bit further out of my comfort zone.

How much work are you willing to do? When it's interesting, it's not work. In the short term, networking, listening and learning is the unstructured "work" that I need to do to really discover the needs and determine how I fit. I'm lucky that my company allows me to attend conferences and doesn't mind my affinity for education-related Twitter chats. The proliferation of education-related webinars, MOOCs and other learning opportunities allow me to learn on my time and at my own pace. In the future, it is likely that I will need an advanced degree to prop up my Journalism degree.

Does this project matter enough for the risk and effort you are putting in to it? It's my future. Understanding what will make me engaged and excited. What will make me one of those mythical creatures who wakes up eager to get to work. Does this matter? Yes.

Is it possible? Has anyone with your resources ever pulled off anything like this? Individuals and companies do it every day.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Unchosen: The Graduation Invite

Sometimes I'm really bad at predicting which design a customer is going to choose. And that leaves me with some of my favorite designs unclaimed. I'm going to start highlighting some unclaimed designs here in the blog, as well as some of my favorite designs that were chosen. I'm pretty proud of my concoctions, and I want to show them off! I've been doing a lot of invitations lately, and they are a lot of fun. I'm sticking to the small, intimate parties (no Bridezillas here, please) like bachelorette and graduation parties. My customers have great ideas for themed parties and you just can't find invitations at Target for the "She Got Knocked Up" baby shower. Okay, I haven't done that one yet, but I bet it would be a blast! This unchosen design came from a recent graduation party invitation. The soon-to-be alma mater's colors were green and gold, and the graduate is a big fan of pink. That's where the color scheme came from. Because it was a ...
Post a Comment
Read more

This week's thank you: The person who makes time

Time by Stefanos Papachristou on Flickr CC BY NC I used to work at a bank where birthday and work anniversary notes from executives were part of the company culture. Even with about 350 people on staff, the executives made a point to know everyone who worked there. During my seven years at the company, I did informational interviews like mad. At least once a month, I picked up the tab for lunch to learn from someone I admired. Pretty much every executive at that organization made time for me at least once. I'm sure they weren't in it for the free lunch. These informational interviews provided me insight into everything from identifying skill sets to working to get myself into the right place at the right time. I've done a few interviews periodically since leaving that company with other people but short of an occasional LinkedIn update, I had lost touch with those executives. During the holiday rush, I ran into one of them at Target. That casual "hello" i...
Post a Comment
Read more

For those who excel at being human

My son is 15 years old. It's a strange age. He is starting to look like an adult. The discussions we have are like talking with an adult, albeit with slightly less life experience. I trust him to cook for himself on occasion and not burn the house down. And yet, at 15, there are so many concerns that seem to hit teenagers harder than most adults. Am I smart enough? Do I look good enough? Am I funny enough? Do people like me? Most people need reminders of the things they do well. It's hard to see when it's something that is part of you and you do it every day. This is even more true for the students in your life. They are wrestling with worries about their future as well as their present. Finals. College entrance exams. Scholarship essays. Scholarship rejection letters. Instagram vacation pictures. Snapchat snide comments. Athletic personal records that surpass theirs. So many ways to feel like they are not enough. And yet, they are still studying. Still trying. Still ac...
Post a Comment
Read more