Keeping Up

Part of my job includes presenting educational workshops to customer groups all over the country. One of the things I often talk about is the need for people to invest in their own careers. I am referring to paying for your own training, if necessary. I also refer to taking vacation time to go to a conference, buying your own reference books, etc. This need is based on two factors.

The first is the reality that many companies can not or will not send employees for training. It is expensive. Budgets are tight. However, it is often needed. If you really feel like you need training, you should invest in your own career and just go get it. We all need to begin thinking of ourselves as consultants. You are working for yourself and you are in charge of your career. If you need education, get it.

The second reason you need to invest in yourself is the rapid pace of change and the reality that creates. Technological change happens very quickly and in order to keep yourself current, you must constantly be learning. If you want to stay employed, you need to keep pace with that rate of change.

The National Safety Council reports that 130 million cell phones are retired each year. While the statistics don't explicitly state it, you can bet all those phones were replaced by newer models. In the last 20 years we have witnessed a fundamental change in what we think things are; cameras and televisions are just two examples. We are raising a generation of people who have a different relationship with technology than we have.

I recently heard a key-note speech by author and futurist Jim Carroll. He mentioned that 65% of preschool kids will work at jobs that do not exist today. He also stated that half of what a freshman learns is obsolete or revised by the time they are a senior. Sydney J. Perelman is the author of a much used quote, "Learning is what most adults will do for a living in the 21st Century."

In these days of rapid knowledge obsolescence, we need curiosity, agility and diligence to keep up. Go after whatever information you need. There are opportunities everywhere; universities, community colleges, training centers, books, magazines, and each other. Keep in mind what Derek Bok, an educator and lawyer, said, "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance."