Future roofing your career for the immediate future

The pandemic has shown us, clearly the need to adapt. This is not different to our careers, which, for some have been severely affected. Businesses across a range of sectors are facing catastrophic losses, resulting in thousands of workers vulnerable to layoffs. And whilst for those with experience are looking for opportunities to get back into employment, it is critical that we prepare to adjust and take extra steps, just as the organizations are doing, to the changing workforce and unprecedented environments. 

One of the main ways of doing this is adopting an approach of life-long learning and self-development. Learning keeps us relevant and prepared for the unexpected. It is critical that we re-skill in both technical skills but more important, acquiring core competencies such as adaptability, communication, collaboration and creativity.  This article attempts to break this down to actionable steps on how you can do this.

Step one, determine what it is you want to learn and the specific goals you want to achieve. This is easy for some and not so straightforward for others. For those who have recently graduated, researching and taking time to speak to experienced mentors in your area will help you narrow down the focus area. The aim to develop marketable skills in an area that you are passionate about. While having an overall love for learning is wonderful, you want to channel that love into an expertise area you can be known for. Successful learners identify the objective at the start and create a strong, emotionally compelling vision of what will happen when they reach that objective.

Step two, after identifying the goals, the next step is holding yourself accountable. Establishing a series of goals that will constantly push you towards deeper knowledge of your particular subject. Sticking to your goals requires discipline which eventually separates those who do it and those that don’t.

Learning should never be an uphill task. Step three involves using interesting and varied mediums o help you learn. There is a massive number of mediums that allows you learn in a variety of ways, depending on your circumstances and learning style. For instance if you are visual, Youtube, Udemy, TEd is rich with varied videos. If you are more of an audio person, podcasts and audio books are in abundance. Moreover, feel free to mix and match these mediums to get the most out of every day. Listen on your way to work, read over lunch, and then watch a few videos to unwind at the end of every day. The point is, if you want to develop a habit of lifelong learning, learn to fill in the gaps of your day with useful content.

Lastly surround yourself, with passionate learners. Remember this is about developing a habit, and the environment is just as crucial as the passion you have.

Whether you are in business or employment, success and learning are indispensable to each other.