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Most people realize better and more skills lead to a higher
salary. But how do you improve your skillset when you're busy
with work, family, and other obligations? From my personal
experience and my experience with other professionals, I'd say the
best way is to combine learning with other things you're already
doing. The more habitual it is, the better the chance of
learning becoming a routine for you. Of course everyone's
different and everyone is in a different situation. So while
there are many creative ways to build learning into your career on
an ongoing basis, I'll just explore three popular methods in this
article. They include learning on the job; learning at home;
and learning while doing other things.
Learning on the job is probably the ideal situation. It
doesn't take up any extra time and it's something you're doing
anyway. It may require taking some initiative though to get it
started. Most bosses accept the fact that their employees want
to move ahead in their career. In fact, many see a benefit
from employees who want to move ahead. A motivated employee
works harder and is more valuable to the company in the long
run. Most companies would rather promote people from within
for more senior positions because it allows them to retain
"institutional knowledge." If you have the skills
for it, you're better equipped to take on a higher position than
someone from outside your firm because you already know how the
company works. So the next time there's a new project at work,
ask your boss if you can get involved with it. Consider doing
some research on the Internet or through friends to find out about
the latest methods and technologies that apply to your
position. You could present your manager with information
about those ideas and suggest that you set aside some time out of
your work day to begin implementing them. If you come up with
something that can make your job more efficient, it makes your boss
look good plus it allows you to learn a new skill that would be
helpful for getting a job elsewhere or at the same company.
As I mentioned earlier, another option is learning at home.
The trick here is to figure out a way to do it that won't interfere
with your other priorities so it can become routine. The Video
Professor series of training videos is a great way to learn at home
in a way that's fun and engaging. You could also consider
reading books about skills you want to pick up right before going to
bed. By reading right before you go to sleep, your brain may
be more inclined to dream about what you just read, which improves
memorization.
Learning while doing other things is also a great strategy.
Do you find yourself not doing anything or just listening to the
radio during your commute to work? This could be a great
opportunity to listen to books on tape. Just pop the tape in
your car stereo or walkman, and you could be on your way to learning
the latest technologies or methods applicable to your
profession. Check out the resources on the right side of this
page for some suggested books on tape you can get started with.
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Related
Resources....
Audio CD: The 7 Habits of Highly
Effective People
Audio CD - Areas covered include goal-setting,
motivating, training, praising and even reprimanding employees
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