Right place, right time – my journey in education as an adult

By Lisa Wightwick

Returning to a learning environment as an adult is an odd feeling. Personally, it’s provided me with a sense of liberty and satisfaction that I definitely lacked in my school years. Don’t get me wrong – I enjoyed my time at school but maybe with the exception of physical education! However, this time around, the choice to learn was mine, which has made all the difference. 

This journey has imbued me not only with technical knowledge but also boosted a plethora of other skills, such as autonomous learning, innovation, and lateral thinking. I don’t really think this journey will ever have an end – I love learning, and it benefits my work performance and engagement. Learning stimulates interest and passion, which encourages innovation and problem-solving, which in turn yields further learning and interest, and on goes the cycle.

Anyone who’s ever met me knows I’m unapologetically nerdy when it comes to my work in plant tissue culture.  It’s not hard for me to talk someone’s ear off about something new I’ve just read or discovered, or to listen avidly at a conference, ears pricking when the words ‘tissue’ and or ‘culture’ are mentioned. I love my work in the laboratory and my passion for the horticulture industry is practically tangible, but the journey to where I am now has been an interesting and challenging one.    

People often ask me what qualifications I acquired to work in plant tissue culture, and it always amuses me to see the reactions I get when I tell them – none. I come from a long line of Monash University graduates, with chemical engineers, industrial chemists, nurses, biologists, and IT scientists among the members of my highly qualified family. On the other hand, I never actually finished my geology degree, to my family’s chagrin. I completed a few years and enjoyed some of it, but ultimately, I lost interest and realised it was someone else’s dream for me. There was value in my time at university – things I learnt in the chemistry, biology and environmental science units have been instrumental in my current career, and the experience compelled me to reassess my goals and desires for the future. I used to be very hard on myself for not finishing my degree. The weight of the family legacy of qualification and success weighed heavily upon me, and I felt as though I had failed myself and them.

Years on, I found myself with no job and no direction. I thought about what I enjoyed that could be turned into a career, and my love of plants came first to mind. Despite my dad’s words echoing in my mind, “There’s no money in that”, I decided to give it a go and began working at a propagation nursery. It didn’t take long for the hooks of passion to take hold; just a few weeks of sticking cuttings and sowing seeds, I knew I was onto something. A few jobs later and ten years on, I found my happy place working in plant tissue culture, a beautiful blend of science and horticulture. As an entry-level production worker, I started my journey in plant tissue culture (PTC), contently propagating thousands of tiny plants. Over the years, I was granted opportunities to learn other aspects of the field, gained new skills and began attending the International Plant Propagators Societies’ (IPPS) annual conferences. The first conference I attended was like throwing fuel on the fire of my passion for the industry. Networking and learning from other passionate members, touring other nurseries and hearing presentations showed me there was so much more to a career than just ‘working’. 

I gained a lot of experience and knowledge from my years working at PTC, but I had an insatiable curiosity to learn more, so I decided to start a course in botany. As an online course, the flexibility and pacing were ideal for balancing work, life and study, and it was a course I had long desired to undertake. It felt empowering to choose to start the course with no external pressures or expectations influencing me. I chose an elective plant tissue culture unit that complements my current role in the laboratory, where I experience a practical environment that the course lacks. Seeing things I’ve learnt on paper reflected in the physical work environment has been so exciting. Aside from challenging me intellectually, the course has also helped keep my fascination with work ubiquitous and spurred new ideas and innovations. While undergoing research for one of my assignments, I was inspired to carry out trials at work. The trials were a success, and I ended up writing a paper and presenting it at this year’s IPPS conference. 

I’m a believer that self-initiated and self-guided education has more sticking power. Sure, it’s not for everyone; learning has no ‘one size fits all’ approach, but as an adult who has experienced the alternative, this definitely suits me better. I have invested a lot into my education – I frequently read papers, and add to my slightly excessive collection of PTC, botany and propagation textbooks but it never feels like a chore. The contrast between my education in earlier years and now is stark. I actually enjoy doing my homework now. Achieving good marks on an assignment isn’t because Dad’s breathing down my neck but because I’m driven instead by a sense of pride and accomplishment. I’m working towards finishing my course soon, but if, for whatever reason, I didn’t, I wouldn’t feel as awful about it as I would have in my university days. I’ve learnt and achieved so much, enjoyed myself and bettered my career. Qualifications aren’t the be-all and end-all. I have known many successful people with and without them. Successful careers can also be made through hard work, passion, self-motivated learning, networking and attending industry events.

I consider myself incredibly lucky to be where I am now. It might sound corny, but I really am following my dreams. I’ve learnt to shake off the expectations and pressures of my younger years. Past choices, mistakes, failures, successes, challenges and adventures shaped the kaleidoscope of guiding stars, bringing me to where I am now.

Lisa Wightwick

IPPS Member

Plant Tissue Culture and

Micropropagation Specialist