What does "Assessment for Life" mean to you?
I was introduced to this deeply ambiguous phrase on my first week, on the Cambridge Assessment Network's course, "A101: Introducing the Principles of Assessment" I'd never heard the phrase before let alone considered what it might mean to me. Mulling over the phrase's ambiguous meanings gave rise to this post.
Three-Dimensional Learning
The complex and connected professional landscape that we occupy is never still. It, like us, is in a constant state of evolution: be it some new blog post to be read, some new technology to be grappled or some new take on an old idea there's always something going on somewhere. Out of this ferment of complexity, "Assessment for Life" emerges as a critical framework for sustained competence and growth. Rather than viewing Continuous Professional Development as a series of check-boxes to tick, Assessment for Life represents a fundamental shift in how we approach learning, competence, and personal evolution throughout our careers.
The Three Dimensions of Assessment for Life
1. Maintenance CPD: Staying Afloat in Changing Waters
The first dimension is the continuous professional development required to maintain baseline competence. This includes mandatory certifications, recurring training cycles, and staying current with evolving standards. Think of First Aid re-certification or Amendments to BS 7671. These aren't optional luxuries; these are the essential requirements for professional practice. This maintenance CPD operates on predictable cycles, whether annual, biennial, or triggered by regulatory change. It's the professional equivalent of treading water – essential for survival - but not necessarily propelling us forward. It's the professional equivalent of the Di Lampedusa strategy:
everything has to change in order to stay the same.
Yet, without this foundation, everything else becomes impossible.
2. Developmental CPD: Reaching Beyond Current Limits
The second dimension transcends maintenance and ventures into growth territory. This is CPD that doesn't aim to keep you in the same place – which is already challenging enough – but pushes toward something bigger, more difficult, something that expands your existing limits. Developmental CPD is uncomfortable by design. It requires stepping into domains where competence isn't guaranteed, where failure becomes a teacher rather than an enemy. This might involve pursuing advanced qualifications, taking on leadership roles outside your comfort zone, or engaging with entirely new methodologies that challenge your established ways of thinking. This dimension operates on longer cycles – often measured in months or years rather than weeks. It requires sustained commitment and tolerance for the discomfort that accompanies genuine growth.
3. The Attitudinal Foundation: Humility as the Cornerstone
The third dimension is perhaps the most crucial: the personal attitude that makes Assessment for Life possible. Without the right state of mind, both maintenance and developmental CPD become exercises in resentment rather than growth.
The Peterson Perspective: Competence, Humility, and Responsibility
Jordan Peterson is one of the foremost public intellectuals of our time, and his work provides valuable insights into this attitudinal dimension. In his exploration of personal responsibility and meaning, Peterson emphasizes that true competence requires an ongoing relationship with humility. Humility, he notes in 12 Rules for Life, is the ordered recognition of personal insufficiency and the willingness to learn. The chaotic contrast, assuming that you know everything, is static, unchanging, and an unlived life. Peterson's concept of "standing up straight with your shoulders back" isn't then about false confidence or rigid pride in existing competence. Instead, it's about maintaining dignity while remaining open to growth and correction. This paradox – confidence coupled with humility – forms the psychological foundation necessary for lifelong assessment and development. Secondly, Peterson's emphasis on "cleaning up your own room" before attempting to change the world applies directly to personal professional development. (It also applies to institutional development; but that's a different story!) Before we can meaningfully contribute to our fields, we must honestly assess our own competence, acknowledge our limitations, and commit to continuous improvement. Thirdly, and of particular relevance, is Peterson's discussion of the "competence hierarchies," which unlike power hierarchies, are both inevitable and beneficial, especially when they reward genuine skill and contribution. When there's an electrical problem, you want someone who can diagnose the problem and put it right. Good, if they can put it back the way it was. Even better if they solve the problem using better quality materials, leaving a job that is both safer and neater. However, maintaining position in such hierarchies requires continuous investment in growth and constant vigilance against complacency.
The Arrogance Trap
When professionals become overly proud of their current competence, the challenge in Assessment for Life transforms from opportunity into threat. This arrogance creates a defensive posture where new requirements are seen as impositions rather than invitations to grow. It is a road that leads ultimately to professional nihilism where everything is sh☆te. Peterson's work on the psychological importance of challenge and difficulty becomes crucial here. In 12 Rules for Life (Rule 1), Peterson emphasizes that voluntary exposure to controlled challenges builds resilience and competence. When we frame ongoing assessment as voluntary challenge rather than external imposition, we maintain agency and purpose in our development. The prideful, arrogant professional says, "I already know enough." The growth-oriented professional asks, "What don't I know that I need to learn?" This shift in questioning transforms the entire experience of professional development from burden to opportunity.
Practical Implementation
Assessment for Life requires intentional design across all three dimensions:
For Maintenance CPD: Create a routine that makes staying current as effortless as possible. Schedule recurring training well in advance. Establish routines for professional reading that integrate naturally with your existing schedules. (I would like to come back to this point at a later date to consider Paul J. Silvia's work.)
For Developmental CPD: Identify specific areas where you want to grow beyond your current competence. Set challenging but achievable goals with concrete timelines. Aim (an important term in the Petersonian lexicon) for opportunities that stretch your capabilities while providing adequate support for success. (I'm planning to write about aiming later this year.)
For Attitudinal Development: Regular self-reflection on your relationship with learning and growth. Practice intellectual humility by actively seeking feedback and correction. Cultivate curiosity about areas where your knowledge is incomplete. (I want to think further about this development using the Explore and Exploit framework).
The Compound Effect
Peterson frequently discusses the compound nature of small, consistent actions over time. If you're familiar with movement snacks from physical exercise, you'll recognize the same principle at play here). Assessment for Life exemplifies this principle perfectly. Daily reading, weekly reflection, monthly skill-building, and annual major development initiatives create a compound effect that dramatically exceeds the sum of individual efforts. Assessment for Life is then a way to do better than just doing your best. The professional who commits to Assessment for Life doesn't just maintain competence – they build an expanding foundation of knowledge, skill, and wisdom that creates increasing returns over time. (I plan on coming back to this point by considering the work of Pat Flynn.)
Conclusion
Assessment for Life represents more than professional development – it's a commitment to remaining worthy of the responsibilities we carry. It acknowledges that competence isn't a destination but a dynamic state requiring constant attention and investment. By embracing all three dimensions – maintenance, development, and attitude – we create a sustainable approach to professional growth that serves not just our own interests but also the broader communities that depend on our competence.
Perhaps most significantly, "Assessment for Life" carries within it a profound ambiguity that reveals its true power. The phrase means both assessment throughout your entire working life and assessment as the very means by which we achieve better living. Assessment for life; and assessment to live well. This linguistic duality depends entirely on where we place the stress – and it's rather fitting that "stress" is the very word we most associate with examinations and assessments. Yet this wordplay reveals something deeper: when we shift our stress from viewing assessment as burden to embracing it as opportunity, we transform not just our professional development but our entire relationship with growth and challenge. When we embrace assessment as a way of living rather than something we must do to make a living, we discover that Peterson's insight about voluntary challenge becomes lived reality. The goal isn't to reach a state where growth is no longer necessary. The goal is to become the kind of person who embraces the necessity of growth as an opportunity rather than a burden. In doing so, we transform our professional lives from mere careers into meaningful journeys of continuous becoming – assessment not just for life but for living fully.
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Sources, References, & Acknowledgements
Images
The two images are by Juliette Forga. Both feature in Peterson's book Beyond Order. I purchased these as a 'Beyond Order Digital Poster Bundle' from Teespring. Copyright remains with the owner.
Texts
Di Lampedusa, G. (....) The Leopard, Tr. ...., London, Vintage
Peterson, J.B.
—(2019) 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, London, Penguin
—(2021) Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life, London, Allen Lane
Videos
I thought that rather than cite page numbers in Peterson's books, it might be useful to share some YouTube videos instead.
Humility: This video is a clip from one of Dr. Peterson's public lectures. Jordan Peterson - Why Humility in Life Is So Important, Tate Unruly Unapologetic Perspectives, YouTube, https://youtu.be/ffEhXiDoSt0?si=4czLCXpO4M2XHwFc, accessed 8th June 2025.
Stand Up Straight with Your Shoulders Back: This video is a clip from Peterson's lecture series at the How to Academy. Jordan Peterson Rule 1 Stand up straight with your shoulders back, Professor Jordan Peterson Clips, YouTube, https://youtu.be/lJQ5T0qnL6w?si=KJPGMzStfhU6Gotq, accessed 8th June 2025
Facing the Poison: This video is a clip from the Daily Wire. The Power of Voluntarily (sic) Exposure, Daily Elevation, YouTube, https://youtu.be/fhLJyWVUpHM?si=7RSljDw2r63QZE2F, accessed 8th June 2025.
Competence hierarchies: This video is a clip from one of Peterson's early lectures. Jordan Peterson | Hierarchy of Competence, Self Motivation, YouTube, https://youtu.be/8twotdRzy3w?si=uYL6IA1fWC-cjGZQ, accessed 8th June 2025.
Clean your room: This video is a clip from one of Peterson's classroom lectures. Clean Your Room - Powerful Life Advice, WordToTheWise, YouTube, https://youtu.be/Vp9599kwnhM?si=7nHJJRWQckpsxr1P, accessed 8th June 2025.
Podcast
The relationship between lifting a weight at a gym for physical development and voluntarily bearing the burden of professional development is explored in the work of Pat Flynn.
Mackay, B. & K. (18 December 2024) The Art of Manliness, Podcast #1,048: 'The Swiss Army Knife of Fitness — How to Get Lean, Strong, and Flexible With Kettlebells Alone', , https://www.artofmanliness.com/health-fitness/fitness/podcast-1048-the-swiss-army-knife-of-fitness-how-to-get-lean-strong-and-flexible-with-kettlebells-alone/, accessed 6th June 2025.
I used Claude Sonnet 4.0 to structure the argument. Claude also supplied the headings and made suggestions for the type of images.
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