Back on the Bike: Navigating the Academic Learning Curve

In Term 2 of 2025, I started a Bachelor of Property with a major in Financial Planning, right around the time my son turned one. Before this, I’d spent 17 years as a carpenter and hadn’t touched a computer since before the GFC.

The shift to academia was a shock. I went from being at the top of my game to feeling like an absolute amateur. From discovering that the university term doesn’t actually start with the first lecture, cue weeks of panic trying to catch up, to realising the content in Moodle is repeated in a bunch of different formats and I'm not expected to read slides watch a video and listen to a podcast on the same topic.

It hit me one day while explaining to my son, why he fell off his tricycle: “Of course you did, buddy. You’ve never done this before. That’s how learning something new, works.” We must start as amateurs, before we can reach mastery. Falling off and grazing your ego is part of the process.

That thought came back to me as I yelled at my computer: “Why is it so hard to make a simple website for a blog?” This is my 5th attempt. The answer was obvious, it’s my first time. So, I reminded myself: get back on the bike and have another go.

Mastery starts with falling off the bike—so here I am, pedalling

forward one wobbly turn at a time.

Call to Action:

What’s the hardest “first time” you’ve faced recently? Drop a comment below, I’d love to hear your story.