I don’t know about you, but I LOVE learning new things. I was one of those kids who  read voraciously and questioned everything (especially authority ;-)). Consequently, I grew up to be an adult that loves to read and questions everything; How does it work? What causes that to happen? Why is it done that way? Is there a better way to do it? How have other people done it?  What are some best practices for doing it well? Who said we have to do it at all? What does it all mean?

According to the Harvard Business Review’s article Lifelong Learning Is Good for Your Health, Your Wallet, and Your Social Life, being open and curious has profound personal and professional benefits.

And there are so many different ways one can learn these days! One of my favorite aspects of the internet is having so much information immediately available at my fingertips. This article provides a great list of the 10 Best Free Online Certifications, Courses & Training. And LifeHack.org has a list of 25 Killer Sites For Free Online Education. Really, all one needs to do is Google a topic of interest and POOF! instant info!

Being that I am the admin unicorn, I think a lot about creating office magic. Therefore, I’m sure it’s no surprise that workplace happiness and company culture are on my mind a lot. So you can imagine my delight when I learned that UC BerkeleyX offers a professional certificate in The Science of Happiness at Work via edX.

In the Science of Happiness at Work Professional Certificate program, you will learn the hallmarks and benefits of a happy workplace, and you’ll come away with concrete, research-based strategies you can implement—individually or in teams—to boost your own emotional well-being, support the well-being of colleagues and employees, and foster a workplace culture of happiness.

Of course I signed up! There are three classes in the series. The first class, The Foundations of Happiness at Work starts on September 3. The other two classes are Mindfulness and Resilience to Stress at Work and Empathy and Emotional Intelligence at Work.

I am super excited!! This certificate has “admin unicorn” written all over it!

I look forward to sharing what I learn with my colleagues and, of course, with all of you!