E is for Eskwelabs Issue 019 - The 5 (Lifelong Learning) Love Languages 🧠💖

In our nineteenth issue, we explore creative ways to cultivate one's love for learning. Here are some actionable steps for you to take in the present to positively impact your future.

Jan 10, 2021

Hello, Francine here! 👋 Did you notice anything different? We're welcoming 2021 with a new look for our newsletter header! The illustration for this issue is in theme with our question for today: "What is your main learning goal for this year?" Aside from gaining new knowledge and developing technical skills, we believe that nurturing one's lifelong learning mindset is a goal that's worth pursuing as well. Now, we'll be sharing with you several ways on how you can cultivate this love for learning attitude in a very unique way—by applying the concept of the 5 Love Languages in your daily life. ❤️

What's in this newsletter:

The 5 (Lifelong Learning) Love Languages

💬 Words of Encouragement
📚 Service to the Field of Education
🤗 Touching the Lives of Fellow Learners
⏰ Quality Time with Community Members
🎁 Giving the Gift of Learning

💖 The 5 (Lifelong Learning) Love Languages

In 1992, The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman was published. Today it is a #1 New York Times bestseller that introduced this truth to millions of people worldwide: we all express and receive love in different ways. The 5 "love languages" in Chapman's book are words of affirmation, acts of service, quality time, physical touch, and gifts.

In this E is for Eskwelabs Issue, we're adapting the basic concepts of these love languages to show you how you can pursue the goal of cultivating a lifelong learning mindset. It may be a "mindset," but this doesn't mean that your heart is out of the equation. Let's go ahead and look at these tips we've compiled just for you.

💬 Words of Encouragement

We cannot deny the power of words. They have the ability to create (and unfortunately, to destroy). In an age where—at this very moment—millions of words are being exchanged on social media, emails, texts, and real-life conversations, it's easy to forget just how life-changing kind words can be.

❤️ Action item for yourself: Choose a word for the year you can hold on to. The purpose of this word in your learning journey is up to you, but the idea is to pick one that will uplift you and keep you steady in the next 12 months.
❤️ Action item for others: Send a quick message to a family member or friend, and ask them, "What are you trying to learn this year? How can I support you as you try to achieve this?" And if you're more comfortable shooting them an email, we recommend forwarding this newsletter to someone you care about and asking them these same two questions.

📚 Service to the Field of Education

It was only 8 years ago when "selfie" was named by Oxford Dictionaries as 2013's word of the year. Since the selfie's rise to fame, we have yet to see something like "we-fie" gain the same popularity. But we actually have the power right now to shift our focus from the "me" to the "we." We can start with education.

❤️ Action item for yourself (1): Take on a new career challenge for 2021 by applying as a member of the Eskwelabs team. Join us in redesigning data skills education for the future of work.
❤️ Action item for yourself (2): Complete at least 3 Aral-Aral practice sets to be invited to this new project-based learning experience we hope to launch really soon: The Data Club. If you meet this requirement, please message Gerard in our Aral-Aral Facebook group—so we can invite you to a free trial of the Data Club before launching it to the public!
❤️ Action item for others:Apply as a mentor or instructor for one of our programs, and impact the lives of the learners looking to you for mentorship and guidance. And if you're looking to be of service in a different way, we are also open to hearing your thoughts on the future of education and work—come book a 1-on-1 Learner Life Chat with us.

🤗 Touching the Lives of Fellow Learners

COVID-19 has disrupted all our lives, one of the most drastic changes was the need to remain indoors. We've seen footage in the news of empty streets and deserted tourist locations. With all that's happened, shaking hands with a colleague is a health risk. Giving a high five to a student could lead to both of you getting sick. And giving a friend a hug or a pat on the back in public...it seems unthinkable now. But we can choose to transcend the physical. We can make a difference and touch people's lives in other creative ways.

❤️ Action item for others (1): Share a link of job postings to people in your life who are currently looking for work or are thinking of shifting careers. This shows them that you care about their present and future.
❤️ Action item for others (2): Recommend a productivity tool or tip that's been working for you to fellow learners. Who knows? Your productivity advice might just help them achieve their learning goals for this year.

⏰ Quality Time with Community Members

We each get 24 hours in a day, no more and no less. Time is a precious resource. These past few months, people have been spending their time in unique ways. The pandemic may have halted physical gatherings, but online communities have been abuzz with activity. With the "New Normal," we've gotten more creative with our team bonding activities, as well as how we celebrate and send-off Eskwelabs program graduates. Community + time spent with your community = time well-spent.

❤️ Action item for yourself: Join our ever-growing Aral-Aral Facebook group. We recently hit a new community milestone together—if you aren't part of this yet, then take this as your personal invitation to learn with us!
❤️ Action item for others: Set virtual planning dates with people in your community. Remember your friends who are currently seeking jobs? You can take our suggestion of sharing a job postings link with them to the next level by going on a "career planning date." We recommend using Google Meets like a coffee shop; enjoy your time together as you hear your friends' career plans. Or, do you remember that friend whom you reached out to and shared productivity advice with? You can plan a video call on Zoom to check in on each other's progress. You can even utilize Zoom's share-screen and whiteboard features to dive into your digital calendars and the productivity tools you've both been using to reach your learning goals.

🎁 Giving the Gift of Learning

Making your career future-proof is one gift you can give to yourself in the here and now. Technology is rapidly changing and it's clear that to survive and thrive in the future of work, one needs to be equipped with in-demand 21st century skills. Don't allow yourself—and those whom you care about—to get left behind in this decade's upskilling revolution.

❤️ Action item for yourself (1): Sign up for the Data Analytics Bootcamp, which starts this January 25—Admissions is still open up to January 11. At the end of this 8-week live online program, you'll have a portfolio of data-related projects you've made yourself. Hooray for projects that produce results!
❤️ Action item for yourself (2): Learn the fundamentals of data science with Aral-Aral+, our on-demand prep-course with code-along Jupyter Notebooks and walkthrough videos. In Issue 16, we shared a promo code exclusive to newsletter subscribers. Good news: it's still here for you to use! Apply "aOA50l" at checkout to get 25% OFF Aral-Aral+. To all aspiring data scientists out there, let January 2021 be the month where you put your dreams first.
❤️ Action item for others: Reach out to someone you know who's thinking of pursuing a data-related career or give a quick call to someone whom you think would be a great fit for our Data Science Fellowship or Data Analytics Bootcamp. We are overjoyed whenever we get alumni-referred or community-recommended learners in our programs.

🌱 Nurturing one's love for learning is a worthy goal

Which of the action items will you be committing to completing this year? At the core of each of these suggestions is this: the joy of growing as a person—and developing a lifelong learning mindset—is multiplied when you grow side by side with other people. And what fuels and sustains this growth? Love.

E is for Eskwelabs