I’m not afraid of losing my job. Now I don’t want to come off as cocky by saying this, because I know I’m replaceable (along with everyone else in the workforce.) I’m well aware that I may lose my job on any given day, for any given reason. I’ve accepted these facts early on in my career. The reason I’m not afraid of losing my job is because I’m always preparing for what tomorrow has to bring by educating myself today.
Learning new ideas, skills, and lessons is one of the most interesting human experiences you can be a part of. Its a trait all humans possess, and yet many of us rarely take advantage of our brain’s amazing ability to extract and retain boatloads of information. Think of how good you felt the first time you succeeded at a new task after failing multiple times; its exhilarating.
The internet has created an unprecedented opportunity to help you kick start your education. Blogs, YouTube videos, Wiki’s and other media outlets provide you with the opportunity to build a highly customizable education plan to drive your career forward. Engaging in at least one of these activities for 30 minutes a day can give you a solid grasp of nearly any topic in a relatively short time span.
But enough about the things you already know. Here are a few ways taking advantage of free education can help you in your job search:
1. Read every day. If you don’t have time to read a news article, blog post, magazine, etc., then you need to make time. Keeping informed on the trending topics of interest in your industry will keep you ahead of other potential candidates who have less ambition. It will also provide you with conversational topics that will help you network with others, impress interviewers, and transition into a new job more quickly.
2. Learn a new skill. In my opinion, the best way to learn something new is by trial and error. As children we speak jibberish before speaking real language, and we fall on our butts hundreds of times before taking those triumphant first steps. I’ve taught myself graphic design, web design, bass guitar, and various other skills by investing countless hours of effort into trying new things. Find out which skills will help supplement your core competencies, and try to master a new ability every 6-12 months.
3. Get Certified. There are many low cost certifications that you can use to boost your credentials in the job search. In my quest to become a digital marketing expert, I recently took part of Hubspot’s Certified Inbound Marketing Specialist program. The program was free, and all I needed to do was watch a series of online video lectures over the course of a few weeks. At the end of this training I took a one hour exam online, and now I can proudly flaunt my certificate to potential employers, clients, and colleagues.
4. Ask Questions. Turning to others for help is one of the most useful, yet least used forms of learning available. As I mentioned in an earlier post, most people are dying to be heard. Asking someone for help is the perfect way to feed their desire to be heard, while providing you with invaluable personalized lessons. If you’re desperately looking to get a job at Company A, try to connect with one of their employees to learn what they do. There’s a good chance that person will be thrilled to talk to you about their job, and this may even open up a warm introduction to a hiring manager.
At the end of the day, your career destiny is in your hands. Those who stay hungry to learn and achieve hold a superior advantage over others who are content with the status quo. If you challenge yourself to learn something new everyday, you’ll never fear unemployment again.
Do you agree that keeping educated will keep you employed, or do you think I’m batshit crazy? I’d love to hear from you either way!
“Stay hungry, stay foolish” – Steve Jobs, enough said