ProGen Study Group - Month 2

Month two of ProGen 14 Study Group required some real introspection.  We had to write an education plan for 2012.  For me this allowed me to map out the year and see where everything could fit.  I retired last February and my biggest surprise has been how little I've managed to get done. Don't get me wrong, I've been as busy as I was before I retired but, in retirement, you don't have those built-in chunks of time like you do when you are working a day-to-day job. I kinda expected to have eight hours a day to work on my genealogy...not so much.  I fill my time with my children, grandkids, the church and everything seems to take longer.  The biggest change is I get more sleep.  I really do need just a little insomnia so I can get more done.

I continue to be impressed with the other members of our study group.  We have eight very interesting, committed and proficient genealogists in our group.  This next year I am going to work seriously on getting ready to apply as a Certified Genealogist.  To this goal I am finishing up my Professional Learning Certificate in Genealogical Studies through the National Institute of Genealogical Studies.  When I started four years ago it said that the average time commitment was two years.  Hey, I got an MA and an Educational Administrative Credential in 18 months, I could do this, plus I was going to retire in 2009.  Well, retirement didn't happen and those two years have stretched into four, but with only four classes left, I'll be finished by summer. 

For many reasons, the dive into genealogy conferences, institutes, and research trips didn't happen last year.  This year I am starting off right with the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and RootsTech.  I'll attend the Southern California Jamboree in June and really hope to attend FGS in late August in Birmingham.  I don't see how NGS will happen this year and it's not looking good for Samford.

I'm now actively involved with ProGen, something I've wanted to do since they started.  I'm starting with a NGSQ study group this month. I'm doing Family Search Indexing for California to increase my experience with California records. I'm working with the Orange County Genealogical Society on a project about the Civil War veterans who are buried in Orange County, California, also hoping to increase my California experience.

With the podcasts (Genealogy Gems, The Genealogy Guys, and Geneabloggers BlogTalk Radio), webinars (primarily Legacy and Family Search), blogs (too many to list) and publications I read, I hope to round out this year applying for that CG.