Reflecting on train drivers

I’ve just begun a 2 hour train journey to Dublin and I find myself thinking about the train driver. I have never met him, I’m not likely to see him, I don’t know how many times he has navigated this route (for all I know this may be his maiden voyage), I don’t even know if “he” is a he! What I do know about him is that I’ve placed my trust in his expertise and knowledge to get me safely to my destination. So would I be correct then in calling the train driver a “professional” and as I drive elearning, does that make me an “Elearning Professional”?

When I first started this course, the word “professional” conjured up thoughts of a person with experience, knowledge and expertise in an area or number of areas. People who I want to learn from, ask their opinions or seek advice. But as I reflect and read other views, I’m wondering if my idea of professionalism is more associated with expertise - is a professional an expert and an expert a professional, or can they be mutually exclusive?

In the first week, members of the course team shared their views on the very notion of what professionalism is, amongst other thoughts. One posed “part of being professional is that you’re always learning, updating and developing the field you belong to”. I see this as one of the key reasons as to why I’m doing this course and to me, the real impact it has on me will only be seen when I implement what I have learned and put it into practice, as with any learning. My views fall in line with another member of the course team who stated “the sense of being professional is really a combination of good old research and practice”. In my opinion, I could sit back and rhyme off all the theory, which I believe would make me an expert, but rolling up my sleeves and putting it into practice would then cross the line into becoming a professional.

I expect my thoughts on an “Elearning Professional” to change as I delve deeper into this course. I’m not someone who tends to get bogged down with what “box” I should fit into, however I understand why it is important to distinguish. By the end of this course, I want to have an elearning toolkit which equips me with both the technical and theoretical knowledge to drive a credible, enthusiastic and knowledgeable elearning journey within my field, which compliments and blends with the other types of learning offered. If some then decide to label me as a “professional”, “expert”, “expert professional” or all or none of the above, then who am I to argue! As long as in myself, I am confident in what I have achieved and how I can progress it.

And as for the train driver, as I have arrived safely at my destination, I would class him as an expert in his profession!