29 Aug Continuing Education: How learning gives you a step up over your competition
If you want to get ahead in your job, you have to stay ahead in every way, especially when it comes to learning and developing your skills.
With the fast-paced changes in industries thanks to the ability of businesses to connect on a global scale, you can’t afford to fall behind on the latest trends, information, and technology when it comes to your career.
Consider these advantages to staying up to date in your field and pursuing the proper further education:
You can become a leader
Furthering your education is just the first step. Once you have the knowledge, it’s time to show what you know so that you can reap the rewards.
One of the ways to do this is to become a leader in your workplace.
As the individual who is educated on a certain trend or part of the job, you can be a leader in teaching others about what you have learned and implementing it into the business.
This bodes well for your fellow employees, but also may be the ticket to helping you get a promotion or come out on top of your competition.
You can plan for trends
There is a reason why large corporations and businesses announce impending changes before they happen: they know the change will likely affect millions of people or businesses and they want to give those people a chance to prepare.
You can think of education as your preparation.
When you attend a conference or take a course that teaches you about a new technology in your field, you can take what you have learned to plan for future business success when that information becomes important.
For example, if you work in marketing, attending a seminar on the impending changes to Facebook and Instagram algorithms allows you to make changes in your marketing plans ahead of time so that your marketing is effective when the changes roll out.
You can develop confidence
Often a lack of confidence stems from the fear of failure, being wrong, or looking unprepared.
In fact, Science Daily attributes self-confidence as the “secret to workplace advancement.”
When you further your education and get the skills and knowledge that means you do know what you are talking about, this is a great boost to your confidence.
Enhanced confidence is what you need to:
- challenge your competitors
- to take bigger risks
- and to ask for what you want
When you put in the time to learn more, your knowledge increases your confidence and your abilities in your job will excel as a result. And increased confidence doesn’t go unnoticed.
Perhaps more importantly if you’re a job-seeker, education can help you get the new position you’ve been after. If you are in a job that you currently don’t like, or simply want to change, increased education and skills will help you win over the competition, securing you in a position that you enjoy and are ready to tackle head-on with your new knowledge.
