The world is on fire and it’s exhausting, but thankfully it’s not all bad for me.
I’m so excited to be starting this next phase in my career, I’ve had my eye on the University of Waterloo’s Master’s in Digital Experience Innovation program for a while and today marks the end of my first week.
It’s difficult to know what to expect with newer, more unique, programs. It’s especially difficult to have any expectations starting university during a pandemic. All I knew is I was entering a program that seemed to be made for me specifically. It’s multidisciplinary, with focuses on design, UX, business, marketing, and content creation. It’s me.
So I came in excited, with no expectations, and I was pleasantly surprised. We started off with a Bootcamp to get to know each other and take some intro classes into the different disciplines we’d be exploring throughout the upcoming months. Here are some of my favorite surprises.
Making an effort to socialize is something I can do, and do well
Almost all of my close relationships happened organically, I’ve never been one to try and create a connection. Online learning taught me how to initiate conversations with strangers in a way I’ve always avoided in the past.
If I watch an intro video (students and teachers all had to post one), and I don’t say anything, then for all they know, no one saw it. I miss an opportunity to connect with someone that seems really cool, and they are sitting alone at home wondering if anyone even saw the video they had to work up the courage to post. There is just no room to be a lurker online.
Here’s an easy way to show this in action. We used Miro to create virtual “show-and-tell” boards about our lives and it got out of control quickly. We all made an effort to engage and it was nice to see.
You don’t have to learn soft skills the hard way, and there’s always more to learn
One module we had to complete was a LinkedIn Learning class on critical thinking. While that’s something I understand and I like to believe I engage in, I feel like I grew exponentially as a person just by hearing someone breakdown specific mistakes we tend to make in thought patterns and realistic tools to take control of your mindset. It got me thinking about all the tools at my disposal and how much is possible to learn on the internet. I have a much deeper appreciation of the resources at my fingertips now and my LinkedIn certifications are about to pile up. You’ll see.
I also took intro modules into work I already do professionally, and some tools I use on a daily basis. I learned something new with every lesson, and I don’t see myself ever skipping things because “I already know that” again.
With just a few hours of my time, I've deepened my knowledge on these subjects and made my LinkedIn page even more well rounded. Why? I'm back at school 🙈 #DEIBootcamp pic.twitter.com/MGCwiXEeWs
— Debbie (@DeborahSedem) September 3, 2020
Online learning is a great alternative, but I’ll always prefer in-person classes
I have been working from home for about 3 years now, and while I miss office banter, the flexibility has been great for me. However, I was looking forward to being at school, on campus, and with this shift, I’m not sure the pros outweigh the cons.
I got to meet the only 3 other students who are actually in the town our campus is in. After coffee, we walked to our (locked) building and took a photo outside. This experience instantly brought the whole program to life for me. I know why social distancing now is essential, but I think people are exaggerating when they state that in-person work and school is “the past.” This moment showed me that, at some point, people will always want to meet offline.
Luckily, MDEI students are a group of people who love to innovate, and we have managed to work around current restrictions already. We have clusters of students in a couple of cities around the world that have already made plans to meet this weekend.
For me, it makes the experience more complete.
I’m looking forward to sharing more of what I learn, and I’m especially looking forward to implementing it in my freelance work, Out Loud Studio, and Our African History. So, stay tuned!