1)
Some of my genealogy education was outlined in
my previously posted goals for the year.
IGHR
New York State Family History Conference
Professional Management Conference
These would be the big ones as far as formal education goes
for the coming year. There will be local society meetings that I attend and
perhaps some seminars on genealogy or history in the area as I find them. Podcasts
and webinars will definitely be included in there. I often listen to the free
Legacy webinars, the Genealogy Guys podcasts and others as they come out. I
have recordings form conferences in the past that I haven’t listened to yet,
and others that I’ll pull out and listen to again.
More informal learning includes reading the many genealogy
magazines that we are subscribed to, reading websites and articles that I come
across, some of my favorite blogs and books about genealogy. Talking with
friends who are interested in genealogy also bring about new ideas and areas to
pursue. A visit to a new repository also finds me discovering and learning new
things. There are many opportunities and I’m sure I’m missing some, but these
are the ones that stand out.
2) It’s hard to say how much time I invest in Genealogy
Education. On any given week it might be 10-20% of my time. During a conference
or an institute, it is probably near 80%. However, even when I’m not
consciously learning, I’m picking up tidbits here and there that might be
helpful in the future. The casual conversations, the tidbit in passing on
social media, the stray article in a magazine that is totally unrelated to
genealogy- but has something in it that triggers a thought. Are these things
time invested in education? It is hard to really define, but I imagine they
are.
Why do I do it? First off it is an investment in myself. I
believe that we all should be involved in lifetime learning. Whether it’s a
formal class or informal learning from reading or experiencing things around
us, we should all be learning from our experiences in life. After all, if
you’re not learning, you’re not really existing. It’s not necessarily the
formal lesson, it could be experimenting with a new recipe and finding out you
don’t really like it, or that you’ve been missing out on a great taste for
years. Any time we acquire new knowledge, we’re learning and investing in a
better self, perhaps happier, or healthier or whatever category may apply.
Secondly, the more I learn, especially in the realms of
genealogy, the better I am able to help potential customers, readers of my
blog, or others in the genealogy community. Knowledge learned can be knowledge
shared and knowledge applied.
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