Here I Go Again!

Today (Yesterday, really), I'm starting to prepare for the NCIDQ Practicum. Again. 

I decided to start a blog to share my journey with others who are struggling with preparing for the NCIDQ. Truth is, frustration and cost aside, I really do believe in the importance of being licensed.

I'm hopeful that preparing more diligently, making it fun, and documenting my experience might help me break free from fear. I would love for it to serve as an organizational aid, a release when I need it, and an "I'm going through this, too" sanctuary to share with fellow designers and students. They say the best way to learn is to teach. I like to think of it as "sharing" and you can "learn" what worked for me and what totally didn't. 

I'll start with my story: The Abridged Version (because I can be quite chatty!)

I took the first two multiple choice sections back in September 2011. I studied my little heart out and passed. Yay! Happy dance! I decided not to take the Practicum the next day, but six months later. It was just ... insanely intimidating. I was happy to learn that a lot of people decide to do just what I did because I was feeling a little wimpy. (More on this reasoning in a separate post!). 

I did not pass the practicum the first time I took it. That day scarred me. And I've never really let myself heal and grow from it. It was the worst day ever. Blah blah blah. Boo-hoo. Moving on. And the worst day ever turned into lemons. And this blog is a lemonade stand. 

That thing above - about healing and growing - that's why I'm here. 

Most importantly, even above passing, I want to look back on this experience without seeing "the worst day ever". I want to shed the dramatic and painful picture in my mind. I want the day to stop resonating in my head in the form of a cloudy, rainy, windy, cold, food-less, nauseating, cry-my-eyes-out-while-driving-home, shaking during the entire first half of the test mess. I want it to be one of those trials that makes me stronger. So here I am, gettin' real about the NCIDQ Practicum. (I may or may not have googled the experiences of others and jumped for joy when I realized I'm so not alone!)

Up next ... Where I Went Wrong (The First Time). 

Me: Hi, I'm Carolyn and I was completely unprepared. Responsibility FAIL. 

ALL: Hi, Carolyn. 
Me: I was also full of fear. But I'm not sure where that came from...

Love, Humility, & Encouragement,

Carolyn