Side Quest Student: What Happens When the Teacher Takes the Class

Jan 7

For the first time since 2021, I'm not teaching this semester. This week I got a crash course in pivoting my education mindset from teacher to teacher’s pet (again) and golly am I rusty!

It's been a decade since I've been the one taking notes, carving out study hours, and occasionally battling the urge to push my "homework" to tomorrow because something more urgent popped up. My previous post-college student experience was UGA's marketing research certification course, which I juggled alongside my day job (my work paid for the course back then!). Currently, I'm enrolled in a speaking course for keynote presenters—and honestly? Being the student again is harder than I anticipated.

Last semester, I tried to do both. I was teaching two courses, managing guest speakers for our remote Zooms, grading assignments, working full-time at The Social Question, and mentoring an intern for the first time. Oh, and also trying to show up as an engaged student in this keynote course. My plate wasn't just full—it was overflowing, tipping, about to crash to the floor. Something had to give, and I realized that if I was serious about this new direction, I needed to truly slow down and give it the attention it deserved. Even though I felt like I had wasted an investment (the course isn't cheap!), I couldn't give it my all. But that became an excellent example of failing forward—I learned something new about myself in order to be successful in the future.

Why keynote speaking? Why now?

The past four years of running The Social Question have taught me something important: leaning into my personal growth and interests doesn't distract from my success as an entrepreneur—it actually amplifies it. I did a speaker bootcamp last summer, and I kept noticing the same thing from the other participants: so many adults were missing fun in their lives. They were all work, no play. Their whole lives revolved around serious, weighty subjects and seriously (lol) lacking joy and whimsy. I saw no examples of side quests. No creative outlets or curiosities outside their day jobs. Yet I’ve come to realize I need those things to stay sane. I used to see them as a distraction but in reality they are my salvation and have found ways to make my work more engaging, both for myself and my clients.

That's when the idea for my keynote started taking shape. I'm loosely calling it "The Hobby Rx"—a talk about how personal side quests can improve your success, whatever that looks like for you. Escapism is on the rise for a reason. My core hobbies are reading, crafting, and puzzles, but I'm planning to lean into some new experiences in 2026 too. And this speaking course? It's its own kind of side quest.

The humbling part: I get it now

Here's what being a student again has reminded me: so many of my students are working full or part-time while taking classes remotely/virtually. I am not a “podium” lecturer - just a video head on a Zoom screen. That's my situation right now too, and wow—it's hard.

Finding dedicated time blocks to literally learn (not just complete assignments or show up to class) requires real discipline. It's so easy to move those calendar blocks to something that feels more immediately productive. I have to fight procrastination tendencies very deliberately, which has given me a whole new appreciation for my students who juggle jobs, families, and coursework.

I aim to make my Marketing Principles, International Marketing, and Marketing Research courses as flexible as possible, but I'm learning some new things to carry into next Fall. Maybe more worksheets and video playbacks instead of just lecture recordings. I'm already quite lenient, and I have University policies to abide by, but I think I can still find a few ways to build in even more flexibility for the reality that life happens and learning takes time—real, focused, uninterrupted time.

I typically lean hard into real-world application in my teaching—less textbook, more case studies and guest speakers. But here's the difference: my student experience now isn't about earning a grade. It's about working toward career goals. While I'm not receiving a score for my participation, I still need to make the most of my investment by doing the work. That's a different kind of accountability, and it's surprisingly motivating. I think I can learn a thing or two over these next few weeks on how to get my students to see how their coursework connects to their future or current jobs. So while I may not be actively teaching right now, I’m still ideating ways to translate this experience back to my classroom.

The courage to be a beginner again

As a researcher, I'm naturally curious. I'm used to investing in conferences, events, and professional development to learn new things. (I’m more of a fiction reader than non-fiction, which is legitimately on my 2026 Bingo card!) This is the first time I'm taking a tangent course completely outside my core expertise. And you know what? It's uncomfortable. It's awkward. And it's exactly what I needed.

If I'm going to talk about the value of side quests and hobbies—about how stepping outside your comfort zone makes you better at everything else—then I need to walk that talk. Being a beginner again reminds you that growth isn't always linear, that you don't have all the answers, and that's okay. In reality, it's more than okay. It's essential.

So here's to trading the virtual podium for the desk, at least for one semester. Here's to doing the homework, showing up, and giving myself permission to be bad at something new before I get good at it. And here's to whatever side quest you've been putting off—the one that scares you a little, excites you a lot, and has nothing to do with your job title.

Maybe it's time to give yourself that prescription too.