Part 1. The Unknown: The Good

Sometimes we just don’t know what we don’t know. This is simply true. It doesn’t have to be a bad thing, but it can be unnerving to venture into the expanse of the as yet unexperienced.

Before I started at university I had an idea of what to expect. Both my brother and sister had studied similar qualifications, and had passed on a bit of their knowledge to help my understanding. My experience would of course be different, so I would have to pay attention to my own journey and make choices that were right for me. But, it helped for even a small bit of the puzzle to put in perspective, say, a few helpful edge pieces.

Before I give you the meat and potatoes of this story (what a phrase to use as a vegetarian!) there is something you should know: I have been back to study at university more than once. First to get a Bachelor of Engineering, major: product development. Second to get a certificate in business studies. Third for a conjoint bachelor of teaching with a bachelor of arts, major: English literature.

Why such a wide array of things? Well, to be honest when I was eighteen I didn’t have an idea of what I was going to do with myself so I followed the footsteps of two people I viewed as wise: my brother and sister. The engineering qualification was not my favourite time, so I did a bit more thinking of my own, done thoughts and ideas about my future.

This first had me doing some study about business, but eventually led me to some interesting findings. I love encouraging people and I love helping people to find enjoyment in learning. With this in mind, training to become a teacher was an obvious choice. I found studying books, poetry, and other literature wondrous! Alongside learning how to help others in their own learning journeys this was an even more enjoyable experience!

Who is to say I would have figured this out without first having studied engineering? I learned all about effective work habits, how to make pragmatic choices about papers, and how to research effectively in group settings. The development process, a big part of many engineering processes, is also a really big help in educational settings: think of an idea, try it, check if it works, if not think about why, then move onto the next idea.

All this to say there is beauty in what we don’t know, if we allow ourselves the time and space to find it.

Look out next week for the second of this three part series: “The Unknown: The Bad.”

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Is there an area of your life you are currently apprehensive about? Is it because there are things you don’t know?

How might you be brave and venture into the unknown to embrace the adventure out there?

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Keep on keeping on being awesome, because you are.

Peace.

Cover photo by Hristo Fidanov from Pexels.

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