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Self improvement through education

HarrySenior Contributor17 June 2014, 9:43 am AEST

Self improvement through education

Good morning everyone

As most of us who are or who have been carers would understand we often neglect or put aside certain aspects of our own lives for the betterment of the lives of others.

I am now in the fortunate position of having time to spend on myself and have found that returning to education has greatly enriched my life and enabled me to be of a greater assistance to people I care for and the community in general

During the past 12 months I have completed Cert III Community Services and am currently studying Cert IV in Mental Health. Along with this I am undertaking an online assessment through the Black Dog Institute on Sub Typing of Depression, which I am finding quite enjoyable. In two weeks time I will be doing my Mental Health First Aid Course.

I was wondering if anyone else has found that through education (courses, seminars etc) they have developed a greater understanding of themselves and those who they care for?

It would be great to hear back from anyone who has completed or is undertaking any courses and what the courses are and how they found them beneficial.

Harry

5 replies

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In response to: Self improvement through education

BeHappySenior Contributor18 June 2014, 8:36 pm AEST

Re: Self improvement through education

Hey there Harry,

I was in a similar situation to you. I also studied a certificate 3 and then 4 in Community Services, and I then went on to do an undergraduate degree in Psychology. Along side this, I worked in community services too and slowly progressed into roles with more responsibility and have now worked in the sector for ten years.

Did this help develop a greater understanding of myself and the people that I cared for? Most definitely. It helped to put things into perspective and to understand why some thing were the way they were (not all things but some). In saying this, psychology was not what I expected, and I suspect that it is this way for many others who have decided to do the course. There's a lot of statistics and 'scientific approaches' that can make it seem cold but is still rewarding and very informative. Social work, I hear is much more hands on.

For me it was a combination of schooling and employment that's really helped increase my awarenss of myself and others. Ultimately, what I have learnt is that it is not 'us' that helps 'others' but 'others' that help 'us' too. Work has had its ups and downs, but that's the beauty of it, it's where we learn and grow. With good supervision, you can approach work reflectively to understand the meaning behind your actions and possibly others.

I hope this helps.

BeHappy

In response to: Re: Self improvement through education

HarrySenior Contributor18 June 2014, 8:56 pm AEST

Re: Self improvement through education

Hi BeHappy

Thanks for your input and well said.

For me the joy has come from my own lived experience with mental health and having worked as a volunteer in the community sector for over 10 years. Along with my formal education it has given me a greater depth of understanding of people I meet and most certainly a more balanced and accepting nature to how different we all are.

I would certainly encourage anyone who has some spare time to become involved in a course that might help them achieve a greater understanding of people they care for, even a short online course or a weekend can be of great benefit.

Thanks again for your story