Information overload is how I would describe week 1 of MKE for me.

This opportunity came at the right time. My wife and I agreed that we would both retire at the end of 2025. However, it came earlier for me on July 25, 2024 in the form of “Reduction in Force” (aka laid off). I look at it as a blessing in disguise. But my wife remains gainfully employed.

This course is 26 weeks and my unemployment also runs for 26 weeks. And both has its own unique qualifications to continue: MKE with the DMP, weekly blogging and the repetition readings, etc. and unemployment ruling to apply to at least two jobs every week. Both are not hard to do, discipline is all that’s needed.

Reading can be difficult at times for me. As a child, my mother would read a bedtime story to me or I would read it myself. That was conditioning me to fall asleep. That is why in my 52 year career in IT, I never enjoyed reading technical documents – it was a struggle to stay awake. But I managed to get through it.

I totally agree with Mark J. regarding repetition. That is how we learn to do things that eventually become second nature. We don’t have to think first and then do – we just do it. In my career and sometimes when I’m teaching something to someone, I say you don’t always need to understand the why, just do it and the why (understanding) will come later.

In conclusion, yes week 1 had a lot to take in – not only with the numerous webcasts, but also getting all the needed supplies and getting organized. It won’t be like this all of the time as I hear Mark J in the back of my mind saying, don’t sweat it – have fun with it!