A while back I did a webinar on how to create the life and career success you want and deserve. You might have missed it. That’s the bad news. The good news is that I recorded it. You can hear the replay for free by logging on to http://budurl.com/MCCWebinar/
During that webinar, among other things, I discussed how lifelong learning is an important key to your career success and your ability to climb the corporate ladder. Then I saw an interesting post on Dice.com that reinforces my thoughts on the importance of lifelong learning. It began this way…
“A recent Global Knowledge/Tech Republic Salary Survey, which finds a direct correlation between continuing training and salary increases, brings up an old and vexing question, especially for people who are contemplating spending thousands of dollars on education or certifications: does more training really have a direct and measurable impact on salaries?
“Yes, says this particular survey, which pegs the value of training as an 8.6 percent salary booster, a higher salary bump than four earlier annual surveys had ever shown. Eighty percent of respondents said they believe training increases their base salary, up from 74 percent in 2011 and 64 percent in 2010.”
The article also pointed out that training will lead to increased salary only when it meets business needs…
“Training will only increase pay rates if it is directed at areas where an employer has already decided it is willing to pay for selected skills, knowledge and experience; defined to whom it is willing to pay that premium—which typically involves much more than simply acquiring skills and knowledge via training but actually proving that you are capable of doing something they value with that training.”
If you read this blog with any regularity you know that I am a big believer in lifelong learning. I devote three tweets in my career advice book Success Tweets: 140 Bits of Common Sense Career Success Advice, All in 140 Characters or Less to the idea of lifelong learning.
Tweet 81: Become a lifelong learner. The half-life of knowledge is rapidly diminishing. Staying in the same place is the same as going backwards.
Tweet 82: Learn faster than the world changes. In a world that never stops changing, you can never stop learning and growing.
Tweet 83: Master your technical discipline. Share what you know. Become the go to person in your discipline in your company.
As the Dice post points out, more education and training can result in higher pay. However, make sure that you are getting the kind of education and developing the skills that your employer wants and needs. While you might enjoy getting an Master of Fine Arts, it’s unlikely that such a degree will do you much good in anything but an arts organization.
So the common sense career success point here is simple. Keep learning and growing. Keep developing skills that your employer will find useful, and you’ll climb the corporate ladder quicker.
That’s the career advice I took from the Dice blog post. What do you think? Please take a minute to share your thoughts with us in a comment. As always, thanks for reading my thoughts on life and career success.
Bud
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