In my 20s, I was all about acquiring knowledge and I pursued it through graduate studies (because I was convinced that undergraduate degrees were not enough for a woman to compete in a male-saturated field of engineering), hours of countless training, and the acquisition of certifications that were often too many (or irrelevant).
Oh how I feel accomplished just by finishing one class after another, hoarding certifications like they were candy—deliciously sweet to satisfy a craving for knowledge but not necessarily beneficial (could be a time-waster in disguise).
A decade later, I am contemplating what to do with all the things I’ve learned from formal and continuous education. That’s when it became clear that hoarding knowledge doesn’t create value, but sharing it or applying it does.
I guess the mental shift happens with age, or does it?
Right now, I’m convinced that knowledge isn’t enough. Knowing what to do with it does.
jessa 