How devoted are you to your education?
In today’s fast-paced business world, it seems as though employees are so focused on the demand to be “agile”, that they struggle to find the time required to expand their skills and learn new things.
While a fast-moving business might seem like a good thing at first, teams need to be more than just speedy to be effective.
According to a 2018 Workplace Learning Report by LinkedIn, 94% of employees would be happy to stay with a company for longer if that business invested in their education. Unfortunately, the number one reason that employees give up on learning is that they don’t have enough time.
Why You Need to Find the Time to Learn
If you’re one of the busy employees rushing from task to task with no opportunities to expand your skills, you may wonder why you need to commit to continuous learning in the first place. Staff members that are happy in their roles often see learning as unnecessary, but the truth is that growth and development is an ongoing process that never ends.
By finding the time to learn, you:
- Open the door to new opportunities: Even if you love your career in software testing now, a future role in software management may offer better opportunities, higher remuneration, and more exciting challenges.
- Stay flexible: As you continue to develop your technology career, you may find that your goals change. An ongoing education means that you’re ready to move in the direction that’s right for you.
- Become more valuable: The more you learn, the more valuable you become to your employer now, and any future managers too. You may even become a mentor to other employees along the way.
So, how do you find the time to become an excellent learner?
1. Make Sure it’s “Time”That’s Holding You Back
Before you assume that a lack of time is the reason why you’re not learning, make sure you assess your current situation. Ask yourself:
- Is your manager providing the tools and support you need to learn and grow? If not, ask for additional help expanding your skills, or take the initiative and sign up for classes outside of work.
- Do you feel too comfortable where you are now? If so, you may be avoiding learning to reduce the risk of change. Consider your career plan and ask yourself if you want to hold yourself back from new opportunities.
- Are you still excited by your current position? If not, your commitment to education may need to take you in a new direction. Perhaps you can consider a role in digital automation instead of marketing?
Remember, before you can find the time to commit to learning, you need to make sure that you have the right attitude. Find out what’s holding you back and work from there.
2. Consider How You’re Spending Your Time
If a lack of time is your biggest problem, then think about how you’re managing your current schedule.
Sit down with a list of the tasks that you do every day, or on a weekly basis, depending on how your calendar plays out. Highlight anything that might be eating up more of your time than necessary. For instance, do you spend hours checking your email and responding to messages each morning? Do meetings stop you from getting work done faster?
If you notice problems with your schedule that aren’t in your control, arrange a meeting with your manager where you can discuss your issues and explain how you want to develop your career. Your business leaders may be able to help you rediscover learning faster.
3. Establish Some Goals
Effective learning strategies often come from creating achievable goals that outline what you want to learn, and how you’re going to reach your targets. A focused approach makes it easier for you to see what you need to do to get from A to B. For instance, if you’re currently in a financial career but you want to specialise in Blockchain, you’ll need to look into digital finance tools, security, and cryptocurrency.
If you’re not entirely sure where you want to go next, focus on building your knowledge of emerging skills. You can do this by tracking what the leaders in your industry are looking for in candidates. Speak to your specialist recruitment team at ROD for some insights. Alternatively, you can read up on job descriptions, and speak to people with the role you want, to find out what kind of talents they have.
4. Develop a Strategy
Finally, once you have your goals in mind, you can begin building a strategy to get you where you need to go. Studies show that learning strategies are more important than basic intelligence when gaining expertise. Think about how you prefer to learn:
- Would you like to learn skills at work through new challenges and mentorship?
- Would you enjoy working at your own pace, with online courses that you can complete after work or on the weekends?
- Are you better at dealing with learning requirements as and when they arise, rather than continually searching for new skills?
Remember that learning doesn’t always have to mean sitting in a class. Something as simple as asking your manager for extra responsibilities can give you an opportunity to expand your teamwork, leadership and organisation skills.
By opening yourself up to different kinds of learning, you can ensure that both your technical and soft skills are always improving.
About Resource On Demand
Resource On Demand is Europe’s first specialist Salesforce Recruitment Company, now also focusing on growth Cloud markets.
We assist innovative and disruptive organisations to grow their technology teams. Supporting companies to fill Cloud roles that span across Digital Marketing, Marketing Automation, Human Capital Management and the growing Salesforce.com suite of skills.
The team at Resource On Demand have access to an extensive database of key talent, registering over 8000 Cloud professionals each year.
To find out how we can support you call us on 01322 272 532