Badge Program larajla.

com
The Enrichment Project
My Education and Experience
Steps
Documentation
1. Thinking about your education and experience.
Before starting documentation, start listing things youve already done. It may be dif cult
at rst, but as you start looking through your formal education, continuing education,
craft classes, work-related seminars and workshops, you will be amazed at what you have
accomplished. It may be easier to review by organization or chronologically depending
on how you think.
2. No one way to track physical proof.
For physical proof, there is no one way to track what you have done. At every step,
proof will help you remember what you did, when you did it and, hopefully, some of the
specics. The following items can be collected for proof or to help you jog your memory
in the future.
Certicate of completion
Letter of completion or appreciation
Receipt
Notes from class
Handouts
Photos
Other proof of participation
3. Another way to track digital proof.
For digital proof, heres a few ways you can keep track of your education.
PDFs / JPGs of any of the items in Step 2
PDF of any or all of the course materials
Copies of videos / YouTube
Copies of podcasts / lectures

4. Keeping a list.
Keeping a list in a document, database or spreadsheet will help you quickly nd the
education, experience, service or skills you have acquired. In this list, some of the items
you may want to track include:
Class / workshop / skill title
Date(s) you participated
Length of time you participated
Where taken (online URL if no physical location)
Description
5. Journaling.
Journaling is an excellent way to track your experience. It can provide what you did as well
as the circumstances in your life when you did it. This provides more of a reason why you
chose to take the classes, workshops or training that you did. Even highlighting only one
activity for a class can be enough to trigger the memory.
My Education
and
Experience
As you move
through life, you
are always learning.
By documenting
your education and
experience, you can
use this information
to show that you are
willing to improve
yourself. You
accept change.
You embrace the
opportunity to learn
and grow.
Applying the
documentation to
work and service
environments allows
others to evaluate
your eforts, which in
turn leads to further
development and
the benets from
doing so.

Enrichment
Project
larajla.com
Various avenues of education and experience
6. Professional.
Professional experience, education and organizations may be specically work-related or
may be something you are interested in adding to your work life. Professional proof can be
used to show skills you have, be added to your resume, as documentation on le for your
current job to support a promotion or to show your willingness to learn and expand your
abilities. To your list, add any training youve taken, organizations youve joined, etc.
7. Volunteer.
Did you know your volunteering experience can be put on a resume? Many people
volunteer to use their skills for a non-prot, gaining experience that they can use to get
a job. Your proof can be used as back-up documentation for your organization, for your
resume and toward your current job, showing your willingness to learn and, sometimes,
to move beyond your comfort zone. To your list, add any required training, experience
running events, instructing others, leading, etc.
8. Recreational.
Have a hobby or craft youre very interested in? Any extra classes youve taken or
techniques youve learned can be added to your list. Also add organizations youve
chosen to join. You can take enrichment classes from craft stores online or locally. The
classes youve taken may have been free or paid, it doesnt matter.
9. Online education.
The world of education is in massive upheaval. Many universities ofer lectures from classes
for free MIT, Duke and Stanford are just a few. Add in podcasts from numerous schools
and organizations as well. Any classes or workshops that you have taken can be added to
your list.
10. Highlighting skills.
If you cant list specic classes, volunteer roles and recreational activities directly into
your list, try highlighting skills you learned while doing these activities. Instead of broadly
stating you ran a scout troop for three years, highlight your organizational skills. If you
worked sending information to the newspaper, highlight your communication skills. Its not
so much how you learned it, but the skills you gained that you can utilize in other areas of
your life.
11. Honors and scholarships.
Any time you have shown personal or professional achievement, you may receive an ofer
to join an organization, your name may appear in the newspaper, etc. Have you placed
your name in the Whos Who directory? Did you make honor roll in school? What other
honors have you received?
12. Organizations and clubs.
Not only can you include the organizations and clubs you have been in, any leadership
roles you assumed while you were part can be included. Also, if you were part of special
committees or any additional skills you used or cultivated while a member can be included
in your list.
Uses for your education and experience list
13. Resume.
Whether youre looking for a job or a volunteer position, the information youve collected
can be used on your resume. Make sure you tailor your resume for the position you are
trying to get. If youre looking for management, leave out craft classes. If you want to be
an event coordinator, leave in the experience from the scout troop you ran for three years.
Find out how to incorporate your activities into your resume.

Enrichment
Project
larajla.com
14. Social proof.
As the world moves away from items like resumes to prove what you know, your education
and experience can be shown via social proof . . . whether you use it on your blog, LinkedIn
status or a wide variety of social media outlets.
15. Work and volunteerism.
If your business supports volunteerism or rewards those who work to improve their
performance outside of the job, providing proof of classes, experiences or organizational
involvement may help you get your raise or promotion. What other reasons might a
business want to know about your self-improvement?
16. Volunteering.
When youre taking required training for a volunteer organization, do they keep accurate
records? Do they provide detailed job descriptions? If your organization awards
supplemental learning, your list can be turned in for this purpose. Look into your volunteer
organization. What do they ofer their volunteers beyond the opportunity to help their
organization?
17. Enrichment project.
You can use the list to help you earn badges which, in turn, provides more proof of your
activities. The Enrichment Project not only provides graphics for creating your own badg-
es, it also provides certicates and web buttons. Make sure you add the work you put into
the badges to your list.
Supplements
SUPP_AEP_BadgeList.pdf
List of all badges as of June 2013
SUPP_VolunteerSkills.pdf
Volunteer skills list
Sites to Explore
www.essortment.com/career/buildingresume_slhh.htm
www.energizeinc.com/art/resumes.html
www.ehow.com/how_2129499_list-volunteer-experience-resume.html
suite101.com/article/volunteering-can-lead-to-employment-a290743
suite101.com/article/learning-and-adding-valuable-skills-by-working-for-free-a311635
www.workink.com/articles.php?prID=11148&pgID=11166&art=578
www.faqs.org/docs/consumer/resumes.html
www.openculture.com/2006/10/university_podc.html
freevideolectures.com
forum-network.org
www.usnews.com/education/features/carry-your-skills-with-you-for-career-success
www.youreducationguides.com/online/online-education-journal
charityguide.org/volunteer/motivation/resume.htm
Check out larajlas Enrichment Project
to start your own adventure.