Exams and certificates are a controversial topic among many adult learners I know. For some of them, lifelong learning is enriched by the fact that you can show off your new certification after a course. Others believe that most certificates are simply not worth the cost, the stress, and the effort of revision. Today’s checklist will help you make up your mind!
Why should I use this checklist?
I am a big fan of checklists in general. This lifelong learning checklist will help you have a quick brainstorm with yourself. If you are not sure whether or not you want your learning adventure to come with a certificate, this checklist can help in the following ways:
- It will help you see and consider any benefits of getting certified.
- It will allow you to compare the pros and cons.
- It will give you a space to see if, on the whole, deciding to get the certification is a good idea for your lifelong learning.
- It will be flexible enough to allow you to take some notes of your own.
How can I use this checklist?
There are two versions in the download file: a PDF for printing and an editable document to complete on your computer.
Look through each of the statements. Think about the lifelong learning project for which you are considering to get certified.
For every statement you agree with, place a tick in the box. On the whole, the “bigger” the certification, the more confident you want to be with your ticks.
There’s a field to the right of each statement where you can write any notes or ideas which come to your mind.
After you’ve gone through all the statements, count up the ticks. There are 11 statements to consider. If you have 6 or more ticks on your checklist, it means that on the whole, your certification can be a pretty good idea for your lifelong learning.
What can I do next?
If your checklist helped you decide to go for a certificate with your lifelong learning, then you can be more confident about planning for it! How will you learn? Where will that take you? What are the next steps?
If your checklist shows that the certification isn’t a good idea, take courage and consider another direction. What will you do instead? Where else can you find motivation? Does this change anything about your lifelong learning plans?
Whichever way you go, I hope you’ll find the checklist useful.
Download the “Lifelong Learning Certification Checklist” here.
(Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash)
Wiktor (Vic) Kostrzewski (MA, DELTA) is an author, translator, editor and project manage based in London. When he works, he thinks about languages, education, books, EdTech and teachers. When he doesn’t work, he probably trains for his next triathlon or drinks his next coffee.
BRAVE Learning (formerly known as 16 Kinds) is a lifelong learning and productivity blog. If you enjoy these posts, please check out one of my books and courses.
My recent publications, and my archive, is now all available on my new project: PUNK LEARNING. Hope to see you there!