“Don’t limit yourself,” Dr. Porterfield said to me after asking what I want to do after graduation.
This is the best advice I have gotten in relation to my career. Dr. Kent Porterfield, VP of Student Development at Saint Louis University, told me this one morning over coffee. He’s been at SLU as long as I have, but me a green professional, and him a seasoned pro. He’d humbly shake off me calling him a pro. He’s a smart guy, and part of that is always being open to learning.
Finally, I appreciated this advice last night. The last 2 nights I spent at WordCamp socials (hosted by WordPress St. Louis enthusiasts). This is the first year Chris invited me to the socials. He just didn’t think about it before. I assumed, wrongly so, that WordCamp was going to be full of developers and people well-versed in WordPress. No, there are so many people from so many different walks of life. Their day jobs so diverse. Many were so interested in my research – some of them educators themselves or so glad to hear of me looking at education in that way.
So why am I limiting myself?
It took me 5 months to completely appreciate this advice. I shouldn’t limit my job search to my education, but rather assess my skills, my potential, and what I want to do. I’m smart. I learn on my feet.
Our potential is bigger than ourselves, that is, if we really unleash it and take the opportunities along the way. Don’t limit yourself.