Do you have a hobby?  I have several hobbies and my favorite is scrapbooking.  I love the different colors and textures of paper used to highlight photographs.  I actually have an entire room in my house dedicated to my hobby.  It’s “my space” and I completely lose track of time when I am engrossed in making a new scrapbook page to capture happy memories.

When I’m not in my space creating a scrapbook page, I still enjoy my hobby.  I subscribe to several blogs and magazines on the topics of scrapbooking and cardmaking.  I receive emails about scrapbook events and new products from different vendors.  I spend a lot of my hobby time studying the magazines for ideas and to learn the latest techniques in scrapbooking.

I also spend time reading blogs and journals learning about my favorite management topics.  In fact, sometimes “Harvard Business Review” gets interspersed with “Cards & More” magazines!  I enjoy reading about the latest theories in project, product, and engineering management almost as much as I devour scrapbooking information.

Passion in Learning

I have a passion for my hobby – scrapbooking.  When I have free time (when is that again??), I go to my scrapbooking room to create memory pages or greeting cards.  My friends and family love to receive my handmade greeting cards and praise the craftsmanship.

It is sometimes harder to say we have a passion for our work, but if we don’t enjoy what we’re doing to make a living, it is just work.  I meet a lot of people who have a passion to plan and organize work activities and to create new products to make other peoples’ lives better.  These passions for project and product management are demonstrated in work we do, including a dedication to learning more about our chosen profession.

Continuous lifelong learning demonstrates commitment to our careers.  We want to know the latest and greatest tools in project management so that we can meet the budget, deliver on schedule, and please the client.  We want to satisfy customer needs with new product features and add value to their portfolios.

Continuous Learning

As we go through our lives, our passions become more focused and refined.  I used to scrapbook everything, then just vacations, and finally now I focus mostly on making greeting cards and small scrapbooks.  Smaller projects fit my personality and desire to finish quickly.  And, they fit my limited “free time” better as well.

In my professional life, I’ve learned that project and product management fit my strong desire to plan and organize work and to see a project idea through to completion.  I’ve also found that in management and coaching, I can make a difference in people’s lives.  Of course, I’ve had to learn new skills along the way.

One of the best ways to demonstrate new skills is through professional certification.  I have had at least two friends who had such a passion for gardening that they became Texas Master Gardeners to further their education and to support their continuous learning.  I want to take Copic marker certification to improve my art and learning for scrapbooking and cardmaking.  Professionally, you can validate your passing with certification as a Project Management Professional (PMP®), New Product Development Professional (NPDP), or Professional Engineering Manager (PEM).

We are now offering a variety of PMP and CAPM® (Certified Associate in Project Management) training options.  Project managers learn how to initiate, plan, execute, monitor and control, and close projects.  The certification is recognized around the world and is often required on job applications to demonstrate professional experience and training.  PMPs generally command higher salaries than their uncertified counterparts.

The best certifications (like PMP, NPDP, and PEM) require continued learning so that professionals stay abreast of new ideas and new concepts in the field.  Here at Simple-PDH, we offer affordable and convenient online courses to earn your professional development hours (PDH).  Check back often as we are adding both full certification and PDH courses monthly.

Your Passion

Follow your passions.  You should enjoy your hobbies and expand your skills by reading and learning.  Have passion in your career and expand your professional skills, too, with professional certification and continuous learning.  Study. Learn. Earn. Simple.

If you have questions about existing or upcoming PDH courses, please contact us at [email protected] or by phone at 281-280-8717.  We also offer PMP boot camps and a 2-day NPDP workshop as well as a variety of online prep courses so you can earn your certification quickly and easily.

 

Study. Learn. Earn. Simple.

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