Like the title says “You’re never too old to learn”, while on the other hand some say “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. I am proof that 50% of those sayings are true as I’ve only gone and got myself a degree. I graduated in July with an Arts degree in Social Media from the University of South Wales.
I didn’t do University after school, I went straight to work like many of my generation did. In those days trolling off to Uni was the exception rather than the rule and although I never regretted not going I think I would have enjoyed the experience. Instead I went and got myself some of that good old work experience, rather a lot of it in fact, over 30 years’ worth until I dipped my toe back in the pond of education.
In the last few years I’d been looking for a suitable subject to study since I rather fancied giving myself the challenge of learning something new and hopefully coming out the other end with a qualification to show for it. I also fancied the opportunity to dress up in the sash and cloak and twirl around like Kate Bush in the “Wuthering Heights” video.
Having spent most of my working life in broadcasting as a radio presenter and manager I originally looked at Degrees in Business Studies and Management and others of a similar vein but none of them filled me with enthusiasm. I thought over 20 years of management in the communications area had given all the knowledge and tools I need. I’ve been on more training courses and done more brainstorming and strategic thinking than you can shake a stick at.
I had embraced the explosion in Social Media while working as Head of Presentation at Real Radio and had recognised the power and influence digital platforms possess for business users. So with this mind when I found the University of Glamorgan’s (this was BM – before merger) Social Media course it seemed absolutely perfect for me. I had used Social Media in radio to build a community with my listener which meant I could talk to them and share content with them outside of normal show times. It seemed the perfect complementary medium to radio as both are very personal with that one-to-one feel about them. My view is that if you understand the way to successfully communicate with a radio listener you can use those principles to get the most out of social communities.
However, I wanted to get a more in depth knowledge and understanding of how Social Media worked from a business and marketing viewpoint and that’s what the course gave me. I developed a variety of other skills to go with the experience I had already gained in used my own digital platforms in the commercial radio business.
Along with my fellow students we benefitted from two terrific lecturers who had designed a course which, while giving us the chance to analyse case studies, create social media strategies and the like, also enabled us to sample other disciplines such as website creation and app building. Most of it was enjoyable and enlightening, although there was a time when anyone walking passed The Atrium one Monday afternoon in July was in danger of being directly underneath the path of a falling Apple Mac after the inability of iMovie to do a simple task like save a video blog proved almost fatal to some poor soul.
Aside from that small piece of techno violence the rest of the course was first class. I found the tasks and modules enjoyable and useful, the research fascinating and the discipline of completing tasks to a deadline challenging. I now understand why some people find learning addictive. There were a few of my classmates who had completed course after course and it’s easy to see how that can happen because it happened to me.
I would love to go on and further my studies but as I am using the Social Media experience I gained in radio together with the knowledge gained from my degree course to run my own Social Media training and consulting service I think it may have to wait a while, although as I write I can see a pile of evening class brochures waiting to be browsed.
I realise that education can be an expensive business and I would suggest that in many cases it is the cost of learning that will be the deciding factor in whether to sign up or not, I was lucky that my degree course was fully funded. I thoroughly enjoyed the process from start to finish and loved graduation day with my parents and my own family able to share it with me.
So I suppose the moral of this story is that you are never too old to learn, there is no question that what I’ve learnt at USW in the last two years has enhanced my skillset and will enable me to pass on even more expertise to customers and clients.
The Endless Enigma 