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Chapter 5 POWER OF INTEGRATION > Why I care about this topic
Why I Care about This Topic
I always used to think being unqualified disqualified me. I was a self-trained radio copywriter who then became a semi-self-trained press release and direct mail writer (and occasional database administrator).
My lack of formal, structured training led me to two things:
1. I always assumed I knew next to nothing, and needed to improve.
2. I didn’t know where the boundaries of my specialty were, so I just kept on learning.
Notice how formal training does the opposite of those two things:
1. When our training period is finished, we naturally assume our learning has finished.
2. We know the boundaries of our specialist field, and anything outside that is someone else’s problem.
Now I’m not decrying formal, structured education, or saying we don’t need it. I’m just noticing the attitude we all tend to take towards it. And perhaps I’m doing the very thing I criticize, using my own point of reference as a general rule for anyone. That’s a disturbing thought, but let’s put it aside for the moment.