It feels surreal to get an opportunity to celebrate something during this pandemic. Yesterday, I officially completed the Certificate in Adult and Continuing Education (CACE) from University of Victoria, BC, Canada. I completed the certificate with an A+ grade and in 4 years to the date! #MaytheFourthBeWithYou
We moved to Canada in 2011 and in many ways had to restart our lives here. When I became a Canadian citizen in 2015, I aspired to add a Canadian credential to my resume. At that time, having the name of a prestigious Canadian University on my resume meant that I belonged (it does take more than that). But more importantly, I wanted to walk-the-talk and demonstrate to my 16-year old daughter that no matter where you come from, your age or your experience, it is important to keep learning and keep striving to be better at what you do. I wanted to model the behaviour that I’d like her to demonstrate. And now, after completing CACE, I feel not only a sense of belonging but a sense of accomplishment and pride that only comes from working hard and chasing a dream.
When I had decided to pursue CACE, people asked me why I felt the need to do add a certification to my portfolio. Their concern came from a good place. I have over 20 years of experience in the field of learning and development so I had covered a lot of ground in my area of expertise. The certificate was intense with four required courses and a minimum of four elective courses. Each credit was roughly 40 hours amounting to 320 hours of learning officially (but I spent way more time than that). This included hundreds of pages of books, at least one assignment every week of each course, reflective course-end papers, participation in discussion forums every second day and peer reviewing other assignments. In normal circumstances, 40+ days spent on self development doesn’t seem like too much but when you combine that with a full-time job, a family to look after and several volunteering positions, good time management skills becomes the make or break issue.
Before enrolling for CACE, I had reviewed many other options including popular industry certifications, diplomas and even a second Masters degree. But CACE felt right because it is a nationally-recognized credential and an award-winning one. I took that at face value when I signed up but now I know each word to be true. Besides, it was offered in a blended format (both online and in-campus) and that meant I could rely on late night readings and weekends to complete the certificate. There was flexibility in the choice of electives and that meant I could learn more about areas of learning and performance that I am most passionate about.
The CACE certificate is geared towards working professionals who want to gain practical insights in the area of workplace learning and I can tell you that there was no shortage of real-life in each course. The program coordinator(s) acted like guiding posts along the journey, always encouraging and always available. The learning environment encouraged co-creation and strong peer connections and I made some fantastic friends along the way who collaborated openly and critiqued honestly. The facilitators were top notch and were co-partners in the learning journey and I’d like to thank them for pushing me to challenge my own beliefs and ideas about adult learning and workplace performance and for sharing theirs.
I was so looking forward to my graduation day in June in all my gear but due to the current COVID-19 situation, that has been postponed. But for now, I can rejoice in these little moments of happiness. I am proud to be a CACE graduate and I hope that my education, experience, and passion for learning will always position me to keep growing and help others in their learning journeys along the way.
We moved to Canada in 2011 and in many ways had to restart our lives here. When I became a Canadian citizen in 2015, I aspired to add a Canadian credential to my resume. At that time, having the name of a prestigious Canadian University on my resume meant that I belonged (it does take more than that). But more importantly, I wanted to walk-the-talk and demonstrate to my 16-year old daughter that no matter where you come from, your age or your experience, it is important to keep learning and keep striving to be better at what you do. I wanted to model the behaviour that I’d like her to demonstrate. And now, after completing CACE, I feel not only a sense of belonging but a sense of accomplishment and pride that only comes from working hard and chasing a dream.
When I had decided to pursue CACE, people asked me why I felt the need to do add a certification to my portfolio. Their concern came from a good place. I have over 20 years of experience in the field of learning and development so I had covered a lot of ground in my area of expertise. The certificate was intense with four required courses and a minimum of four elective courses. Each credit was roughly 40 hours amounting to 320 hours of learning officially (but I spent way more time than that). This included hundreds of pages of books, at least one assignment every week of each course, reflective course-end papers, participation in discussion forums every second day and peer reviewing other assignments. In normal circumstances, 40+ days spent on self development doesn’t seem like too much but when you combine that with a full-time job, a family to look after and several volunteering positions, good time management skills becomes the make or break issue.
Before enrolling for CACE, I had reviewed many other options including popular industry certifications, diplomas and even a second Masters degree. But CACE felt right because it is a nationally-recognized credential and an award-winning one. I took that at face value when I signed up but now I know each word to be true. Besides, it was offered in a blended format (both online and in-campus) and that meant I could rely on late night readings and weekends to complete the certificate. There was flexibility in the choice of electives and that meant I could learn more about areas of learning and performance that I am most passionate about.
The CACE certificate is geared towards working professionals who want to gain practical insights in the area of workplace learning and I can tell you that there was no shortage of real-life in each course. The program coordinator(s) acted like guiding posts along the journey, always encouraging and always available. The learning environment encouraged co-creation and strong peer connections and I made some fantastic friends along the way who collaborated openly and critiqued honestly. The facilitators were top notch and were co-partners in the learning journey and I’d like to thank them for pushing me to challenge my own beliefs and ideas about adult learning and workplace performance and for sharing theirs.
I was so looking forward to my graduation day in June in all my gear but due to the current COVID-19 situation, that has been postponed. But for now, I can rejoice in these little moments of happiness. I am proud to be a CACE graduate and I hope that my education, experience, and passion for learning will always position me to keep growing and help others in their learning journeys along the way.
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