Plans

Went back to "school" for a couple of days last week. I handle tariff applications for my company, and it seemed to me weird that I see financial reports all the time without knowing what the figures mean. Honestly, feigning understanding by nodding and saying "uh-huh" to our accountants can only go so much! So I forced my company to send me to a two-day seminar on accounting and finance. It wasn't grand. I didn't have to pack clothes or ride a plane to get there, but it served its enlightening purpose.

First off, I was reminded why I've always loved school. I like being asked questions, knowing the answer, not being called, and bearing that smug look on my face that says "Well, if you called me, I would have told you." Teehee

Secondly, it's apparently more fulfilling to go back to school when you're already working because learning suddenly assumes a purpose. Back in the day, we studied with the sole goal of graduating and earning that four-letter prefix that I can now attach to my name. It didn't matter what I learned, so long as I did. Now, I learn selectively. If the instructor's topic does not apply to what I do, I tune out. I just tune back in when I have use of it already. It's so convenient.  

And finally, I learned that most people quickly assume that I know more than them just because I'm an achurney. Of course I don't. Only, in my meager years of practice, I would think I've mastered the art of THE BLUFF. It's very useful, although its use is sadly limited to recitations and similar oral tests. Putting things in writing is a totally different matter.

All told, I think I'll go back to real school next year, when the baby's a little bigger. In U.P. I've always admired the "older" guys who went back to university to study...some more. I think I will be one of them someday. Yes I do.

(P.S. Why, oh why, is my head so small in the photo?! I demand a retake.)