Once you graduate and land a plum role in a Trinidad and Tobago organization, it is only natural to rest on your laurels for a bit. After all, you’ve achieved your mission and can now work on gaining the necessary skills and experience that helps you progress in your new career. While ‘on the job’ training adds to your knowledge, few things enhance employability more than self-learning.
Also known as Continuous Professional Development (CPD), professional self-learning is a crucial method of staying up to date with your industry. In many ways, it is a never-ending process because there is always something you can learn, no matter how experienced and competent you are. Here are 5 reasons why professionals should embrace self-learning.
1 – YOU STAY RELEVANT
No matter your field, it is almost certain that it is a fast-moving industry where standing still ensures you fall behind. With professional development, you ensure your capabilities match those at the top end of the spectrum because your knowledge will be up to date. The skills and knowledge you gain help you provide clients and your organization with a professional service.
Whether you like it or not, the change of pace in the workplace is faster than it’s ever been so if you don’t engage in self-learning, your existing knowledge will almost certainly become outdated.
2 – YOU PROVIDE VALUE
The more knowledge you gain, the better your performance. The result is improved service to clients, your company and the community in general. Obviously, the more you know about your role, the more valuable you are to your employer. The cost of training new employees is astronomical; especially the higher up the ladder you go. Did you know it can cost up to 9 months’ salary to replace an employee? For a $60,000 a year employee, that equates to $45,000 in hiring and training costs.
As a result, if you exhibit a determination to self-learn, you’ll quickly become a valuable asset to your company. Also, when you know what you’re doing in relation to your job, you’ll earn the respect of your colleagues. It is a sad fact that companies occasionally make employees redundant. If you engage in CPD, you are one of the least likely staff members to lose your job.
3 – ITS A LIFELONG PURSUIT, JUST LIKE YOUR CAREER
As the name suggests, CPD is ‘continuous’ which means it does not stop until the day you retire. Regardless of whether you’re just starting out or else, you are an experienced manager; the self-learning landscape is always changing. When you go down this path, you get to see your industry’s bigger picture. Your studious approach to career development will yield fruit when you find out important things about your industry long before your peers.
Self-learning takes you out of your comfort zone and helps you stand out from the rest of the pack. The initiative you show in CPD will probably spread to the workplace, so you’ll take on more responsibility. It is a lifelong pursuit and can imbue you with the good habits you’ll need to succeed.
4 – YOUR EMPLOYER MAY SUPPORT YOU
Although the self-learning process is ultimately your responsibility, an increasing number of employers are taking a proactive role by supporting their staff. The importance of continuous employee learning within enterprise is growing; hardly a surprise since the result is a highly skilled, committed and motivated workforce.
Some people are under the misapprehension that self-learning involves staff taking time off work. In reality, the self-learning phenomenon has gathered pace to the point where there are a huge number of flexible learning opportunities. Examples include online learning, workshops and weekend seminars. As a result, employees can learn new skills to help the organization without taking a single day off work. In certain industries, companies pay for these seminars and workshops which is a nice bonus.
5 – IT INCREASES YOUR SELF-CONFIDENCE
There is nothing like learning something new to give your confidence a shot in the arm. If your company supports your efforts, it will give you a sense of being valued. As a result, you’ll probably become inspired and work even harder to attain your goals. You may even push for targets you once thought were unattainable.
Always have a plan for self-learning. For example, you could have a goal to land a certain job within the next five years. Take a look at the self-learning options that can get you to the role and analyze the time and cost. If you need to take a full-time course to get ahead, find out if your employer is okay with you taking some time off.
Skills that last you a lifetime
The sheer number of benefits associated with self-learning means serious professionals should have no problem using their own time and money in its pursuit. It boosts your confidence, increases your value to your company, helps you stay on top in your field and develops skills that last you a lifetime.
Make sure the self-learning path you choose is fun and engaging. Also, analyze the course to see if it will provide you with relevant skills in your field. After completing a workshop, seminar or course, reflect on what you’ve learned. Once you’ve mastered the art of absorbing knowledge, the next step is to put it into practice.
