Learning

I am always learning. I love to learn, whether it's reading books, listening to TED Talks, or attending webinars. A love of learning is one of many reasons I went to grad school, to learn more about a new topic that I was passionate about. An inability to limit my interests is also a reason that I have the degrees I have, and why they are so different. Not many people attend an arts high school, then study and interdisciplinary form of engineering, then finish their education with a social science masters, all while working in jobs that are only semi-related. A desire to learn and experience new things has driven many things in my life.

I still take classes. I'm taking one now, about race and the history of it in the US. I'm even writing a paper, like a real paper with citations and research. The courses are college level, so they have high standards. Some higher than others, and this one has very high expectations. The first assignment even took me by surprise when I looked at the grading rubric.

But all this learning, is it really making a difference? While I might not retain everything that I read or hear, I am keeping my mind engaged. I grew up desperately craving knowledge and mental activities (car math quizzes anyone?). So now I have the freedom to explore what I want to, to work on skills and knowledge that I wasn't able to do as a child or teen. 

So I learn and explore as an adult.