I turned 50 and thought the world had stopped. OK, not really stopped—but it hit me that I was in a different bracket and that life was changing. I had always been willing to take on new challenges and do things that were not age appropriate without thinking twice. Once I hit that magical number of 50, though, I found myself saying things like, “I’m too old” or “That’s not something someone my age would do.”

Please don’t misunderstand me. Logically, I knew I had lots of time and energy left to live a full life. I simply found myself in a rut and was willing to blame it on the turn of another decade.

In stepped in my manager. She always knows what I need next before I even realize I need it. Our human resources department was going through a reorganization, and she wanted me on her new leadership team. I had led our learning and development team for a long time, and this was an opportunity to evolve my skills to another level. Whether she knew it or not, it was the nudge I needed to stop worrying about what I couldn’t do due to my age.

Part of that transition was developing goals, and we discussed the concept of a certification. At first, I wasn’t sure I was interested. I had practiced my craft for a long time, and I didn’t think I needed a certificate to show it. She suggested I do some research on a certification before I closed the door. With curiosity, I did so and was surprised by what I found. I discovered the CPTD and dispelled some of my own myths. The certification was highly respected in the learning community, and the recent redesign of it using the Talent Development Capability Model interested me. All the things I had been doing throughout the 25 years of my career were broken out into the three capability sections (personal, professional, organizational). When I learned that, my decision was made. It was a chance for me to see the culmination of all the years of knowledge and capability I had nurtured as well as a way for me to dive into things that were evolving in the learning industry. I was excited, and I never once uttered the phrase, “I’m too old.”

Once I made that decision, the process was easy. I registered for the exam and the online learning self-study program at the same time. ATD provided excellent guidance for breaking out my preparation time, and the platform was easy to navigate. The work was on me to commit to studying, which I did every week. My philosophy was a little at a time because there was a lot of information to cover. The results were astounding. I found myself studying for the exam then finding additional information on the internet or buying books to further dive into something that was interesting to me. I would take concepts and apply them to whatever program I was working on to see what worked and didn’t work. I wasn’t studying to get a piece of paper anymore. I was curious and affirming what I knew, but I was also discovering areas in which I could stretch my capabilities.

After all my preparation, I ended up with the CPTD certification. In addition, I found a new network of people, a wealth of new knowledge, proof of how much I did know, and a reminder that there is always more to learn. We stop growing when we think we know what we need to know. If you are looking for that nudge to start growing again, please consider pursuing a certification through ATD. I trust you will be all the better for it.