Why ON-GOING Education and Training Matters – Knowledge, Skill and Social Affiliation Expansion

Welcome to week 3  continuing on our topic of “4 key distinctions that matter for finding career happiness” after you obtain the ‘3C’s’ – clarity, confidence and conviction.

Before all that – I just have to share my joy over Spring – it is coming – I can just feel it – can’t you?  What a difference a week makes in the weather!  I am done, done, DONE with winter and anxiously awaiting Spring.

I do promise however to continue working to help the workforce transition to the indigoforce and to keep sharing my thoughts and great information through our blog – but I just might be doing it from outside soon – at least I hope!  Lucky for you – fresh air just might be the ticket to even better blogging content for you – we shall see – hopefully SOON.

Onto our topic…

Recap – Our first distinction was get comfortable making choices and our second was get courageous.  Did you clarify what your relationship to the concept “choices” is for you?  Did you assess if you have the courage (defined as feeling afraid but moving forward anyway), to make changes from time to time in your career?

Getting clear about the skills you need to develop and the environments where you can easily get exposure to obtaining those skills makes it is easier to make a move.  And remember, every job/career, field/industry, work environment,  and boss has their drawbacks.  When you are clear about what you are there to achieve personally and professionally most job drawbacks can become very tolerable.

In addition to making choices and being courageous, we need to understand that on-going education and learning matters.  That’s right ON-GOING.  That means you are never really “out of school”.  We all wait for that glorious day where we can throw our graduation caps up in the air as a sweet declaration of NO MORE HOMEWORK!  The truth is formal education and training should never stop.

Over the course of my 20 years of experience as a Human Resources professional, employees wanting training and development is always something every company I ever worked in got “dinged” for.  What I learned is that it’s the opportunity to engage in learning and development that matters.  I have worked for companies where training was a top priority – yet employees still took points off their “employee satisfaction scores” because they didn’t feel the commitment in the culture.

Perhaps corporations need to do more marketing about their learning commitment and offerings and managers need to encourage it more, but what will really make a difference is when YOU make a shift in YOUR commitment to development – WITH or WITHOUT a company behind you.  The opportunity to learn and grow is essential to happiness – a company may be able to provide access to the opportunity but only YOU can engage it.  Clarity and Confidence can help you take advantage of the right learning opportunities for you with Conviction.

Today there are certifications out there for almost every job on the planet and although you don’t need every one, you do need some to demonstrate your commitment to your chosen profession and field so that you can demonstrate trust that you considers the latest information and knowledge available to your profession and field.  Plus, you need to demonstrate your affiliation to OTHERS in your profession.  Affiliation matters and one of the best way to show that your are socially connected to your professional network is through continuing education.

According to Blessing White, “successful development requires more than knowledge or skills training.”  It also requires personal commitment.  “…without personal accountability and ownership, employees’ development efforts may amount to ‘going through the motions.’  Employees who are clear on what matters most to them are better able to manage their personal and professional growth. They are also more likely to demonstrate individual accountability for development and maintain momentum when obstacles arise.”

Long gone are the days of education being something you achieve in your teens and early twenties. On-going education not only enables you to continually update and expand your knowledge and skill inventory – it also enables you to expand your social profession and field contacts.  Enrolling in and attending degree programs, certificate programs offered by industry societies or colleges/universities, behavioral or skill development training programs, or monthly meetings with your local professional affiliation chapter – are all good ways to invest in yourself.  The longer and more rigorously you invest in being a student of your profession/field, the more powerful and valuable you are as a master of your profession/field.

Luckily, most employers will pay at least some of the cost associated with continuing education – but if they don’t YOU must pay it.  It is not a cost to you, it is an INVESTMENT IN YOU – that is your best value proposition.  No amount of money is too much to increase your own value.

Next week – our final distinction that matters – you will just have to come back next week to find out what it is – I promise you can’t guess.  It is a distinction you haven’t heard before but one that I promise will make the biggest difference alleviating the pain of switching jobs in the future!

Get on a path that utilizes your natural talents and satisfies your preferences – transition from the workforce to the indigoforce.

Clarity – UNDERSTAND what your natural talents and abilities are, where they are needed, why they are needed, and why you encountered past successes and obstacles.

Confidence – OWN YOUR CHOICE to use your natural talents and abilities or to cultivate new talents and abilities with or without concerted effort.

Conviction – ACT CONTINUOUSLY to pursue roles that utilize your natural talents and abilities and communicate your aspirations in a manner that earns respect.