If you ever felt excited about travelling someplace, you have a good comparison to what it should feel like to study at a university. You want to go somewhere, learn something that you look forward to. It might happen things underway or you might have to change plans, but nonetheless, studying is a path of exploration and discovery.
Unfortunately, it seems common in the United States that many begin college as decided upon by their parents and peers, and that many also drop-out and thus never reach their destination. In Sweden, it's simply a battle of having good grades enough to be accepted, since our education for the most part is tuition free. The more people that apply, the higher grades needed to compete about available seats.
I waited with my university studies until I felt motivated and inspired. And most of, until I felt a reason to learn more. By working first as a regular employee at a couple of different jobs, I got to see first hand what that was like, and what I needed to know to be able to do the same, or something different. Like becoming a good leader.
My first inclination was to pursue a career in journalism, so I started by taking a year course in the fundamentals of journalism, photography, art direction and copywriting. This led to pursuing another year at Berghs School of Communication to become a copywriter, where I learned both the practical trade, including scriptwriting, and the psychology that is used to affect people, as well as interned with advertising agencies.
After working as a copywriter in advertising for about five years, both as employed and as a freelancer, I felt curious about leadership, organizational culture and communication through hierarchies. Why did my bosses and colleagues behave the way they did? And why did I?
All this got its own explanation through my Bachelor-Master's degree in Workscience at Malmo University, with the add of Coaching, and in Organizational Change at Hawaii Pacific University, after a couple of months in Project management for cultural projects with budgeting and presentation technique.
So, what have I learned?
WORKSCIENCE
How we work in teams, the group psychology, the sociological context and its trends, and how we learn on the job. (4 full semesters in depth with methodology.)
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
What is knowledge worth? How we can measure and plan intellectual capital as a resource in our businesses.
BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE
Which factors to take in from current world affairs and competitors when making a strategy, and which to choose when, for our organizations.
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
How to analyze and present skills and traits in an organization, often to be measured.
CHANGE MANAGEMENT
How to work as an organizational consultant and how the change process works.
MEDIA PERCEPTION
How we look at media and can be affected by it. And analyzing a movie.
GENDER EQUALITY
What the difference is between sex and gender and how the discourse must focus on equal value and worth rather than trying to become the same.
CONVERSATION TECHNIQUE WITH COACHING AND MENTORING
Theories and practice of various types of dialogues, analyzing our own individual and group coaching sessions with clients.
ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
What it is and which codes we succumb to openly, as well as covertly, in our formations on the job.
LEADERSHIP AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
How to be a good leader depending on the situation and to lead change as well as reconciliate to solve conflicts. And how organizations have been formed throughout history.
NATIONAL COMMUNITY CHANGE
Examples of re-engineered societies and how, such as Singapore.
INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY
What a product cycle is and how we are driven by innovations.
ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Communication on the job with cases that we analyzed.
All this becomes a filter through which I can see and understand the world, paired with my own individual experiences. And use to improve the world.
What have you learned? Make an inventory yourself by your own recollection first, then perhaps look through notes, books and papers. Now, how and where can you apply all this? There is your job and how you can be of service. Still not sure? Or do you want to begin studying but not sure what? Book a coaching session with me and I will help you find out!