Certificate IV

My life's been pretty insane lately, and for some inexplicable reason, I thought adding study to it would be a smart thing. Really, I was looking forward to it. But I had no idea what the workload would be like. Nor did anyone else in my class, for that matter (and that's a comforting thought).

I function pretty well normally on 3 of my happy pills per day. I don't like the idea of taking more, simply because I don't like to think that I need a bunch of pills to help me function. It's my own internal demon in a way. This week, I've been taking all 6 and I have to say the difference is remarkable. C pointed out to me that you'd expect that, since I was taking twice the dose I normally do. Obvious, but it strangely hadn't occured to me.

So Monday through Wednesday, I sat in class trying to absorb exactly what's ahead of me. I wrote down a bunch of notes and partook in a lot of discussion. The thing about adult learning though, as opposed to school learning, is that nobody's making you go, nobody's telling you to do the work, and nobody really cares if you do it or not. Except you. It's all up to you.

There are 8 modules that form the Cert IV. If you choose to not complete them all, you can receive a certificate of attainment for the ones you complete. Complete them all successfully and you have a nice little nationally certified accreditation. You get six months to complete the coursework.

Part of the work is being assessed on site (at your workplace) training a small group. Then you're assessed in your ability to assess a person's training needs, set up an assessment task for them to complete, rate them and debrief. In addition, you have to show proof of organising and performing a series of training sessions. Of course, this is all in addition to your normal job workload.

Now, I'm always saying I don't have much to do at work. Usually, I don't. However, I'll be away for two weeks interstate in September, I lose two weeks for reporting in October and I lose two weeks in November and in December for reporting. Write off December and January entirely because of school holidays (nobody there to train or assess) and it doesn't leave me much time at all to get everything done.

What the hell was I thinking?!

I know I can do this, but I am such a procrastinator and I need to not be that way to get everything done that I need to have done. C has just left to take A to Bendigo to see his family for the weekend. I was supposed to go, but if I don't start this stuff this weekend, I'll kick myself. I realise it's that I've only just started and I'm panicking because the task ahead of me seems huge, but if I don't do this now I worry that I'll lose my drive and produce crappy work at the last minute. I don't want to do that to myself.