I love learning new skills, regardless whether those skills are work-related or just for fun. On-the-job-training and formal classes toward my master's degree in electrical engineering are important to me, but I believe it is equally important to learn car and home maintenance, and to continually learn new hobbies and skills like blacksmithing, glass-blowing, welding, felting, and crocheting. Adding in different sports like curling helps to round things out.
The excitement of learning new things makes me feel alive and gives me the feeling that I am constantly moving forward, while the challenge of learning each new skill forces me to keep my mind open to different ways of thinking and problem solving. All of this combines to help me be a better engineer and a happier person.
When people ask me what I do, I know they're asking about my professions: System-on-chip Design Engineer and adjunct professor. But the real answer to their question is far more complicated than that, and my goal is to make sure it remains complicated for the rest of my life. I plan to continue to expand my world by trying new things.
"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young." - Henry Ford
Staying young sounds pretty good to me!