Gone are the days when people expected to have a lifetime of professional success based on a high school degree or a university degree. The global job landscape is rapidly changing, with new technological inventions disrupting the skill market every day. Lifelong learning is more of a necessity than an option if you want to remain relevant in your career. Are you still having second thoughts? Here are six reasons why learning should be continuous.
1. The market is not static
The market evolves every single day, and so should your skills. 30 years ago, MS-DOS and the VHS tape were still relevant technologies, but today only a historian or an antique lover would be interested in them. Fast forward 10 years, Google, YouTube, smartphones, and websites made their debut in the 2000s, and workers had to adapt by learning how to use them.
The world’s industrial landscape changes with every new technological invention, and you have to learn how to use it to remain competitive. You can’t wholly serve a 2021 clientele with a 2011 approach. Always be updated with industry-related technology and pick some interest on what is relevant. As a business owner, it would be best to design an internal program to facilitate employees’ continuous learning.
2. Build your academic profile
While learning is not limited to universities and colleges, it is prudent to further your education if possible. Enrolling in a bachelor’s or postgraduate program in an institution like aiu.edu.kw allows you to learn from the best professionals in various fields.
Modern-day employers look for academic qualifications before moving on to other soft skills when browsing through resumes, and you want your academic portfolio to stand out from other candidates. Fields such as medical sciences require continuous learning to catch up with modern medical practices and innovations available for the patients.
3. Increases your productivity
Mastering the latest technology and marketing practices keeps you ahead of your competitors. Additionally, continuous learning increases your efficiency as you learn better and faster ways to tackle business-related challenges.
4. Get accredited certifications
In the world of online learning, there are millions of online courses on almost anything teachable. These courses, which might appear expensive, facilitate continuous learning in all sectors. Now, you don’t have to enroll in a university to get certifications, thanks to online courses that can be taken as you continue working. Professional certifications put you ahead of the pack when looking for a job or seeking a promotion.
5. Acquire relevant soft skills
Most employers are looking for candidates with soft skills on top of academic qualifications. Leadership and communication skills were the most sought-after soft skills in 2020 and might distinguish you from the next candidate. Additionally, having these skills improves your working relationships with your colleagues and boosts overall efficiency.
6. Spark new ideas
Continuous learning enriches your mind with different perspectives and approaches to various issues. The skill learned makes you more innovative by changing your attitude on what you already know. This is an essential quality if you are in a fast-changing competitive sector, such as the smartphone industry.
7. Prepare you for future uncertainties
Billions of people lost their jobs globally due to COVID-19. Those who had mastered different skills through continuous learning made a smooth change to freelance opportunities while their rigid office counterparts without relevant skills struggled to make ends meet. Continuous learning equips you with skills that you can use if you lose the job. Your industry could undergo major changes within a short period, and continuous learning provides more mental flexibility during such times.
8. Become multi-functional
The job sector has become a multi-faceted industry with high interdependency between various sectors. For instance, most enterprises today add IT knowledge as a requirement when hiring employees. Continuous learning equips you with knowledge in other unrelated fields, giving you proficiency in various areas. As jobs become scarce due to automation, it pays to have different professional options to secure a job.
9. Enrich your resume
The first thing a hiring manager looks at on your resume is academic qualifications. In medical and aviation sectors that require industry-specific skills, academic qualifications determine whether you will get the job. Nonetheless, taking short courses on top of your professional degree adds diversity to your resume and distinguishes you from other applicants. Additionally, taking a short course increases the number of referees who can draft letters of recommendation when applying for scholarships and jobs.
10. Boost your confidence
Nothing boosts confidence better than being conversant with the topic at hand. Picture those co-workers who make presentations seem flawless and effortless. They do so because they are adequately versed with whatever subject they are presenting.
Continuous learning equips you with the knowledge that would have otherwise been inaccessible to you, and this removes any underlying sense of inadequacy that might affect your self-expression.
It doesn’t end in the workplace; interviews for higher positions are bearable if you know you got the job’s best certifications. As mentioned earlier, high self-confidence translates to unmatched self-efficacy and productivity.
11. Foster social transitioning
Everyone loves a change of titles, and the easiest way to walk up the stair of social strata is through studies. New degree certifications come with titles such as Dr. and professor.
These titles not only put you on the society’s most respected and admired list but are also keys that open job opportunities you never dreamed of. People don’t just take master’s, Ph.D., or MBA programs for fun; these are ideal paths to the top of the food chain. Furthermore, with higher academic qualifications comes opportunities for promotions or high paying job positions.
Endnote
Continuous learning is essential in a fast-changing job market as it gives you a competitive edge over other professionals in your field. It gives you a better understanding of your industry, enhancing your productivity and efficiency as you get to collaborate better with your colleagues. You can always enroll in a less demanding online course as you continue working or take a full college degree course; either way, learning should be continuous.
