Learning shouldn't stop after you leave school. It shouldn't cease when you turn a certain age. And school isn't out once you land the job of your dreams.
Why? Learning opens doors and broadens horizons. Mastering new material keeps you relevant at work. In fact, diving headfirst into things you're not fluent at is a career growth strategy. Learning is the antithesis of plateauing.
Improve Your Life By Learning
Fred Coon, a 77-year-"young" career transition expert, knows firsthand how continuous learning can propel careers — and enrich lives.
When he was around 50, Coon taught himself how to write a book. His first book, "Ready, Aim, Hired," was published 20 years ago. And the book's fourth edition, published last year, was revamped with help from co-author Conne Reece, a professor at Lock Haven University.
It was "quite a process to almost start from scratch at age 76," Coon said. The upside for putting in the extra effort, trying something new, and accepting the challenge of being an author? "It's given me national recognition," said Coon, founder and CEO of Stewart, Cooper & Coon, an employment services firm that provides clients executive job search and employment coaching strategies.
Know Learning Is More Than Paying Dues
One workplace myth Coon dispels is that you can go on cruise control once you've reached a certain level in your career and think you've paid your dues.
"I will take umbrage with 'paid my dues,' " Coon said. "That's an acronym for lazy."
What you don't want to do in a career, Coon says, is get too comfortable. Constantly learning is a prerequisite for career success. It worked for him. Staying curious and teaching himself helped him grow his business and grow as a person.
"I like the challenge of learning something new because it gives me an expanded horizon," Coon said. "Sometimes, there are things that I have to be dragged kicking and screaming to learn. They're not of interest to me, but they are things I must learn in order to help my company."
Leave Your Comfort Zone
Leaving your comfort zone is scary. But it's a must if you want a big promotion or to land a job with better pay and more responsibility, Coon says. Learning how to feel uncomfortable and still forge ahead is a big key to success.
And that's especially true, Coon says, if you're eyeing a new job. Or looking for a fresh challenge. Or mustering up the courage to make a jump to a new industry.
"If you're interested in leaving your comfort zone, there are many opportunities out there where your skills are transferrable," Coon said. "When you get a new job, you feel good. It's an emotional event. But it's also an intellectual event because you're going to use a different part of your brain, (undergo) different thought processes, and face some different challenges."
Sometimes, Coon says, you need to simply figure things out on the go to keep pace at an existing job. Coon, for example, says he's now doing a deep dive into the nitty-gritty of a new software that his firm is installing. And it's been difficult, he says, because he's not a coder. "That excites me," he said.
Learn To Be Happy
Learning about yourself by asking yourself some probing questions can also boost career success and overall happiness, says Coon. It's important to make sure your job is the right fit for you.
"You've got to have some self-introspection," Coon said. "Are you happy? Yes, or no? If it's no, you've got to ask yourself more questions. You need more introspection. You have to read. You have to study. You have to learn to be curious. You have to really unlock your curiosity, because you may want to explore different fields or different ideas."
Simply asking yourself "why" you're happy or unhappy can teach you a lot about yourself.
And, whatever you do, don't let fear of learning new things keep you from achieving career goals. "You have to learn how to control your fear," Coon said. "You have to learn how to drive yourself to break through that wall and then move on. That's tough for some people because they're very comfortable, they're very happy where they are."
