Awesome! What's next?

If you follow me on LinkedIn, you may have seen my responses to learners who have completed one of my LinkedIn Learning courses or have achieved a Microsoft certification. I always try to post an awesome, fantastic, yippee, or something similar followed by a what’s next or are you going to sit the exam?

I have been asked why I do this, and the answer is simple; sometimes in our lives we need someone to cheer us on.

Learning and taking exams is HARD! Let’s not underestimate what it takes to commit to learning.

First, you must figure out why you are studying for an exam or taking another course. Why are you giving up your free time to learn? There are so many reasons why we continue to learn. Do any of these reasons resonate with you?

1.      You may be trying to learn a new skill to move your career forward.

2.      You may find yourself as a single parent and need to jump into the workforce or move into a career path with more options.

3.      You may be challenging yourself to learn more to combat imposter syndrome.

Second, learning takes time, and you need to find that time.

You could be carving out time after the kids have gone to bed, struggling to finish a module when all you want to do it sleep. You are taking your lunch hour to cram in another module instead of going out with the team or listening to a recorded learning session on the morning commute when you would rather be listening to an uplifting podcast.

No matter what your reason, your why, and where you squeeze in time to study, all of this can be a very lonely and unappreciated experience. Having someone cheer you on, congratulate you and motivate you to keep going forward may be the push you need to keep taking the next step. To make a better life for themselves and those who depend on them.

Let’s cheer each other on, congratulate one another and in doing so we can all succeed.