You know that feeling an Olympic athlete has after she’s trained for years for one event, successfully competes on the mat/in the ring/on the field, takes her place on the podium to celebrate her victory, then goes home, looks at herself in the mirror and asks “so, now what do I do?”
Yeah, neither do I.
But I DO know that feeling when after nearly 3 years of studying, completing 5 exams and 1 exhaustive research paper, countless ounces of wine spit, swallowed or spilled, you receive the words “you’ve passed!” on your last WSET Diploma exam. 🙂
Since early 2018, pursuing the WSET Diploma has easily taken up 20 hours of almost every week. Even if I wasn’t actually sitting and studying – I was listening to podcasts, writing tasting notes, meeting with my study group, attending online workshops on how to actually write the fucking exam or wondering whether the whole thing was worth all this time and effort.
But now that it’s over, I’m looking ahead and wondering “so . . . what the hell do I do now?”
This is probably not a surprise to those of you who know me – but I love making lists (second only to making outlines, of course!) So, I’ve brainstormed some options for my next step:
Do I keep up the study momentum and apply for the Masters of Wine (MW) program?
Would it be smarter to set a more attainable goal like pursuing the Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) certification? This is a requirement for entry to the Certified Wine Educator (CWE) program – a course I am very much interested in.
Sidenote: is there any other profession that loves their post-nominals as much as wine?!
Do I revamp my website to make it more wine student friendly with specific information on various certifications, tips for studies and access to online quizzes?
And speaking of quizzes, should I continue with my thrice weekly wine quizzes on Instagram which have connected me with wine students and enthusiasts from all over the world?
Or is the answer “All of the Above?!”
I tend to thrive when I have a clear, set goal to achieve. And a large part of me wants to see how far I can go. However, another part of me wants to just enjoy this moment with Diploma and be content at this level. There are just over 10,000 individuals in the world who have earned their WSET Diploma – so this is a huge achievement in and of itself! But I know myself, and if I don’t at least apply for the MW program – I’ll always wonder . . . “what if?”
Regardless of what I do, I’ve fully embraced the fact that I’m a lifelong learner. No matter whether it’s pursuing a formal certification, researching topics for wine quizzes, or participating in mind numbing (and sometimes mindless) debates on Wine Twitter- I don’t ever want to have a day where I don’t learn something. So, at least I know that’s the direction I’m heading . . . but there are many paths to choose from.
Outwines 
IF you are a life long learner then I say go for MW. After that you will be set. Jobs will come to you. Build your house in Walla Walla and represent that town!
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I love the sound of this plan! And thank you for the vote of confidence! 🙂
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Sounds like you already know you want to pursue the MW. Cheering you on from Vancouver, Canada. Happily following on your wine journey 🙂
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I’m definitely leaning that way . . . need to do a little more info gathering before I make a decision. And thank you for being part of my cheering section! 🙂 I hope you and your beautiful family are doing well!
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