It’s just amazing the number of people who don’t read a non-fiction book after they get out of school. Our society promotes the belief that one obtains an education to learn the basic skills necessary to be qualified for employment in a particular field. However, most take this to mean that once schooling is complete, so is learning. The student goes through the graduation ceremony to represent the end of the school phase. Most, to their own detriment, take it seriously.
Our society rewards the most educated people. Professions like lawyers, doctors, engineers, and accountants tend to be some of the highest earners. This is because each field requires a lot of education. Also, this profession requires a fair amount of annual training to stay abreast of the latest developments in your field. Certainly, most people would not feel comfortable with a surgeon who has not read anything about new surgical techniques in the last two decades. This individual needs to continually study the latest medical advances.
What this means is that the majority of the population goes through life with the level of education with which they left school. Unless we increase our skills and knowledge, we will simply fall behind. The world continues to evolve regardless of the industry or profession one is in. New technologies render entire industries obsolete while giving birth to new ones. Today, the computer industry, including all the related fields that are associated with it, employs millions of people. This is certainly a substantial increase from 40 years ago. At the beginning of the last century, elevator operators were quite common. Today, whoever uses it this way does so out of nostalgia. Changes in external conditions required changes on the part of individuals to survive.
People’s learning needs change as they go through different stages of their lives. At the elementary school level, the basics of math, reading, and writing are necessary to build a foundation for future learning. Then, more advanced concepts are taught as you progress through the secondary years. The university teaches a different set of skills based on a chosen curriculum. Finally, postgraduate education promotes the specialization that the individual seeks to enter a specific field. All this schooling qualifies one to be able to get a job.
However, what is missing from this equation are some of the basic skills needed to create a fantastic life. Topics like personal money management, passive income, stock/real estate investing, or basic interpersonal skills are not taught in our formal education system. Fortunately, information on any topic one desires is readily available if one is willing to search for it. Technology has brought all the information contained in the Library of Congress into our homes. The Internet allows access to any point of knowledge that one wishes. However, as mentioned, most fail to capitalize on the valuable resources available to them. They believe their education ended upon graduation.
The highly successful are constant learners. They use each experience as an opportunity to expand their knowledge in a way that will benefit them in the future. If you want to make a change in your life. start today to learn all you can. Enjoy the “formal” and “informal” approaches to learning that life has to offer. Obviously, books and audio tapes are excellent mechanisms to increase the knowledge base. Seminars also provide wonderful forums for learning. These are the more formal modes that people put to use. However, informal means, such as people-watching, provide equally valuable information. For example, ask yourself what three things your boss is teaching you. In other words, what would you do differently if you were in charge? Answering these questions will provide you with a learning experience that may be useful in the future.
Remember that we can learn from everything we meet throughout the day. Be open to what shows up to change the direction of your life. For the most part, everything has been done before. So instead of reinventing the wheel, just follow the instructions to make the wheel. It’s much simpler that way.