Investing in personal or professional growth is always an excellent idea - and not just because it can help you advance your career. Adopting a continuous learning mindset can help you achieve great things, and those great things are not limited to your professional life. In fact, it could be said that continuous education is the key to letting yourself thrive personally.
Have you been debating whether you should enroll in that coding course? (Spoiler alert: you absolutely should.) Or are you just wondering whether there are any tangible advantages to investing in education later in life?
Well, whichever of these questions has been on your mind, here are the top three ways continuous learning and improvement can benefit you.
Unlock New Career Opportunities
One of the greatest - and most easy-to-recognize - advantages of a continuous learning mindset is that investing in lifelong education can allow you to advance your career. After all, this isn't that big of a surprise.
As the job market changes, it's only natural that employers will seek professionals who can bring something fresh to the table. Moreover, 2023 work trends predict employers will want to collaborate with professionals who can meet evolving organizational needs and grow with the brands they represent.
Of course, the skills to explore if your goal is to unlock new career opportunities vary greatly. They are conditioned by whether you're looking at advancing in your current place of work, entering a brand new industry, or even starting your own business. However, if you're willing to invest in your skillset, the following tactics can help you reach your career goals.
- Understand what hard skills are in demand. You can't go wrong by learning some basic coding, data analytics, AI & ML, or VR.
- Don't underestimate the importance of soft skills. According to Investopedia, the most valuable soft skills to learn in 2023 include communication, flexibility, critical thinking, teamwork, and self-leadership.
- Find opportunities to stand out from other employees. Whether you have a background in a different industry or are comfortable speaking a second language in a business setting, these abilities could help you land a coveted job.
- Remember that skills not related to your job can also allow you to grow professionally. For instance, yoga can teach you to handle stress more efficiently, which is essential in some positions.
Achieve Greater Job Satisfaction
Did you know that continuous learning could be the key to achieving job satisfaction?
According to the latest survey data, job satisfaction is decreasing. Employees are disengaged from their jobs, and research shows that their overall well-being has suffered due to increased stress levels at work.
With this in mind, professionals need to consider strategies that could allow them to retain (or achieve) a high level of job satisfaction, which is essential for unlocking happiness at and outside work.
Now, if you check out a few recent workplace surveys, you'll discover that employees want a few simple things:
- Flexible hours
- Remote work opportunities
- More PTO
- Well-being benefits
- Discounts
- Office perks; and
- Social events.
But you'll find that advancement opportunities also contribute to job satisfaction.
In other words, if you're looking for new ways to enjoy your career path, adopting a lifelong learning mindset might not be a bad idea. After all, personal and professional advancement opportunities could help you move up in your career. But more importantly, they could be the key to feeling good in your position and knowing that you're doing something that brings you happiness.
Invest In Longevity
Finally, as you explore the advantages of continuous learning - and how it can help you advance your career - don't forget that one of the benefits of investing in education is that it improves longevity.
Scientific research has shown that a single year of formal education can prolong lifespan by six months. But living longer is not the only reason it's essential to adopt a lifelong learning mindset.
Being open to new experiences and continuously expanding your skillset can allow you to stay sharp well into your old age. This will positively impact your ability to work for a longer time. And that, in itself, will give you opportunities to find and enjoy purpose later in life, which is crucial for health and well-being.
After all, don't all of us want to be able to continue doing what we love for as long as possible? And maybe even make a few changes in the world, even after our "prime?" Think about it. You'll find this is something that people like Warren Buffet, Tony Bennet, and president Joe Biden all have in common.
Final Thoughts
Whether you're thinking about enrolling in a course or you're just toying around with the idea of learning a new skill, you can rest assured that continuous learning is an excellent investment. Especially if you're trying to advance your career.
As you explore new learning opportunities, don't limit yourself to skills related to your job. Feel free to get creative and explore possibilities that might sound surprising at first. Because, who knows? It might just be that the friendships you made at the tennis club could help you land that dream job you never thought would be yours.
This guest post was authored by Sarah Kaminski
*******
Ms. Career Girl strives to provide valuable insights you can use. To see more from our columnists and guest authors, check these out! Or subscribe to our weekly email featuring our latest articles. We're also present on Medium!
Ms. Career Girl was started in 2008 to help ambitious young professional women figure out who they are, what they want and how to get it.
