When we are young, we are required to attend school for at least thirteen years. Throughout this time, we are encouraged to try our best, gain knowledge, and essentially develop ourselves on an educational level. Furthermore, today’s world strongly recommends we attend college to continue this type of development. It is believed that on a fundamental level, this consistent commitment to educational development will lead to a better career path and quality of life.
However, something interesting happens once we enter the workforce. The demand for development seemingly ceases to exist. Once we achieve that job we have been seeking, we stop actively trying to develop our skill set and enhance our knowledge base. Achieving your desired job is not the end of the road. It is merely the beginning of a brand new journey. If that journey is going to lead anywhere meaningful, you must make a serious commitment to your own professional development. Here are five reasons why this is so vital to your long term success.
#1 – Soft Skills Are Essential
College does a good job of teaching you the information and knowledge you will need for your desired field. This includes topics such as how businesses are run, marketing strategies, financial equations, and other hard skills that are essential for getting a degree and job. However, most graduates will tell you that they lacked specific “soft skills” when entering the workforce. The type of skills that help you work with co-workers manage projects, work in teams, and eventually move your way up in the company.
One of the most essential soft skills you should be working to develop is communication. This includes how to present in a meeting, communicate your ideas, and resolve conflicts with a co-worker. Another equally important skill to learn is organization. This will allow you always to be prepared when called on during a meeting or to lead up a new project. When you become known around the office as someone who is always ready and works well with anyone, you are more likely to progress quicker in your career.
#2 – Career Paths Are Uncertain
When your parents and grandparents were your age, you typically stayed with one company for decades. Those days are long gone, and career paths are often uncertain and filled with surprises. No matter how you feel about your current employer, you cannot know for sure that you will be working for them 5-10 years from now. While company loyalty is important, it is equally vital that you continue to develop your skills to prepare for whatever the future may bring.
To be clear, you can invest in personal development courses that both skill you for the future and benefit you for the job you already have. Talk to the people in your department who work different roles than you. Learn about what programs they know or skills they have learned. For example, if you are working in marketing, it may benefit you to learn photoshop. If you are working in HR, you may want to look into content on conflict resolution. The important thing is that you are focusing on making yourself better for whatever lies ahead.
#3 – Reignite Your Passions
Everyone, including those who love their jobs, experience burnout from time to time. Burnout can occur for several reasons. The most common occurrence is when an individual feels they are doing the same thing everyday day and are not growing in their career. What you were once passionate about may become dull and stale. The result is that you begin resenting work and stop trying to move forward in your career.
Before you get bored in your current job, examine what the next rung on the ladder looks like. What type of leadership based skills would benefit someone in that role? If you want to manage teams and develop younger employees, what do you need to learn to make that happen? By developing these skills and working towards a promotion, you are giving your days new life, and you work new purpose.
#4 – Increase Your Wealth
There is no denying that there is some correlation between skill and income levels. Those who actively seek to gain knowledge often find themselves being promoted into prominent roles with higher salaries. Those positions usually require a variety of both soft and hard skills to be successful. In addition, you may find that you are ready to take your knowledge and create your own business or side hustle for yourself.
If you are passionate about your field, begin to think about how you might be able to parlay that passion and knowledge into an additional income stream. This could include coaching, speaking, or an online course. Regardless, what do you need to learn to make these things a reality? Even if you are laser-focused at staying in your profession, you should be actively finding ways to increase your value and worth to your employer. When they see what you can contribute at a higher level, they will be more likely to invest more of their own money in keeping you on the team.
#5 – Improve Your Quality Of Life
Every reason listed above goes back to one thing. Your overall quality of life. You are in charge of your present and your future. You will only go as far as you push yourself. That includes taking professional development courses that challenge you to become better every day. Developing that type of mindset and attitude will result in a better version of yourself, leading to promotions and higher salaries.
More importantly, it will lead to a career that leaves you feeling satisfied and fulfilled. You will be able to come from work most days, feeling you accomplished something meaningful. Then, you will be able to enjoy your time with family and friends and feel financially secure in the process. All of that adds up to a pretty good quality of life.
Conclusion
Just because school is over does not mean you should stop learning. Now is the time to double down on your education and develop your skillset. Examine your career, where you are at and where you want to go. Who is already there, and what have they learned along the way? Once you figure that out, you can create a personal development strategy to help you become the best version of yourself possible.
-July 13, 2020
