Problem Searcher = Problem Solver?

Nearly one month into SCA now and I already feel like I’ve learned so much. I still don’t feel like I’ve done enough to solidify all of this knowledge and implement it into my everyday life, but I’m working on it.

I clearly remember the first time, when my dad was showing me how you have to be careful about believing what you hear without questioning it. 

It was when we had a passionate (obviously important) discussion; I insisted that the new James Bond with Daniel Craig which just got into cinemas was shit because he just didn’t fit into that role. I was sure it was the worst James Bond ever screened, although I haven’t seen it then, but my friends told me so. My dad told me angrily that this is not true and I can’t insist on this statement when I haven’t even seen the movie. Even though – now that I’ve seen it – I still think it’s shit, but his point was very truthful and eyeopening for the 11 years old me: I have to question what I’m believing in, no matter who tells me so, I can’t just parrot it.

At SCA, I feel like it’s not only my skills developing, but I also feel like my questioning evolves. The last days I’ve been thinking a lot about something a girl from last years intake said at my interview day. When she said it, I was fascinated, wondering what it took to change her thinking the way she described it.

She answered a question about how SCA changed her – not only her work but personally – she described that because of SCA, she questions things in a different way. For example, if she sees someone who’s racist she not only thinks, ‘oh you’re a racist fuck u’ but more like ‘oh you’re a racist, why & how can I change this’. I was wondering since then what this change in how she questions things – further than most people do – comes from, but I see it now. Not even one month after beginning this journey I already started a book for problem finding. And if you are always on the search for problems, you do not only search problems, you also start thinking about the solutions.



When I first thought about searching problems everywhere, it kind of seemed negative to do so, but it doesn’t feel negative at all, more like trying to improve everyday life. 

It’s amazing, learning for a profession that’s all about problem-solving. That’s actually not learning for a profession, that’s learning for life. I start seeing how such little changes affect you and how I begin to think about something that wasn’t quite right throughout the day and how I start to feel the need to write down things like I wish my doughnuts (the ones without a hole in the middle) had an evenly spread filling.

Before I came to London, I bought 2 notebooks (because I just love buying them, always feels like something new is about to start). I didn’t really know what I will use the second one for, but I was sure I’ll soon find something worth dedicating a beautiful notebook for. Now it has its purpose and I can’t wait to see how long I’ll stick to this problem finding book habit and what solutions I’ll find for all of these messes.