Learning: Why It’s More Important Now than Ever
Over the past nine months, I have worked at Skillsoft and been fully immersed in the learning culture that it radiates. Sure, I enjoyed learning and school prior to joining my team at Skillsoft, but now it is completely different. I have noticed a total mindset shift around what I want to learn and why I want to learn it. If I finish up a task early, I find myself going into my Percipio app on my phone to see if there are any quick courses I can take. I’m not bored, I just genuinely enjoy learning and upskilling myself.
Since joining the team, I have earned 50 digital badges on the platform, and counting. I’ve completed a few Aspire Journeys and Leadership Journeys, but I have also completed courses that I found interesting and courses that I wanted to take to prepare myself for new projects that I encountered. It has quickly become a resource I wouldn’t want to be without.
Now, I know what some people may say. They may say that they are in college and that is enough, or that they have an internship and that is enough. They may be right, but unfortunately the skills needed and desired in the job market are always changing. You graduate one year, and the next year there are three new social media apps and a new search engine being launched. For marketers and communications professionals, reskilling and upskilling is a lifelong project.
Say you just graduated and applied for a job. You completed two internships during college and your interview goes great. You find out you didn’t get the job. You inquire about why and find out the other candidate had a certification they earned online that put them ahead of you in value. You’d be kicking yourself.
Obviously no one can do it all, but pick one thing and do it. Then, pick another. These little things add up and become more useful than you may ever realize until you are sitting in that office with a job offer letter because you mentioned you earned all of those digital badges and have a couple of marketing certifications on your resume.
Need a gift for someone for the holidays? Give a book, a puzzle, a game. Something to keep the mind active and learning new things. In a world where we are glued to our screens (forcibly for most of us, as it is now where school and work takes place), give the gift of learning off screen…of experiences. Of course, learning online is a fantastic option, too.
Learning has never been more accessible and encouraged than it is right now. While we may be locked up in our homes, our computers and our books and Google are right at our fingertips begging to be opened and used for good. Take advantage of this time and enhance yourself in whatever way you feel you need. Whether it is learning more about mindfulness, leadership, data science, or anything else you could think of, there are resources for it and you can start learning this very second. What is holding you back?
