For some people, learning stops when they no longer need to enter a classroom. Hopefully, for most, lifelong learning is essential to their lives. Due to the ever-changing nature of technology, it is imperative to keep learning.
Staying relevant
Being adaptable to new challenges is imperative in the fast-paced world of technology. What was new and innovative, can soon become last year’s old news. Every year, a new software tool or language is available. If you are using outdated software or features, then your skills and knowledge are becoming obsolete too.
Career
Staying relevant is essential for your career. Being able to adapt to new technologies and skills will make you more adaptable and attractive in the job market. It will also help your company pivot towards a new trajectory. The more skills you have, the more attractive you will become in the job market or in the office.
Expanding your skill set
Tech professionals must expand their skills. This is not relevant for just +developers, but also designers, QA testers, project managers, product managers, product owners and Dev Op engineers. For example, if you are a front-end developer, knowing HTML and CSS3 is great, but you should also be learning about JavaScript, SASS and componentisation (React, Vue). As a project manager understanding tech jargon is also important if you are working with developers.
I believe that project managers who can speak to developers and designers confidently and then relay that information to other stakeholders are a great asset.
Increased confidence
An understated importance of lifelong learning is that your confidence will increase. The imposter syndrome will slowly deplete the more you learn and do things that you haven’t done before. There will always be a new tool, or piece of software that you haven’t used, or that someone else is much more efficient at using something that you are. But, the more that you learn and develop your skills, the better that you will feel.
It is good to get out of your comfort zone, and by doing so, will slowly increase your confidence as you will realise that you are capable of more than you imagined.
Networking and professional relationships
If you live in a big town or a city, the chances are that are going to be networking and professional learning events. These are where you can learn from other professionals the things they have been discovering. Always go into these situations with an open mind, because there will always be nuggets of information that you can take from them. It is interesting to see how others learn and create.
Use sites/apps such as Meetup and Eventbrite to find local or online events. LinkedIn and X are other good spaces for virtual events. For example, in November 2024, I attended a film networking event and a talk on product management. Both events were advertised on Eventbrite.
The importance of lifelong learning is clear. Keep learning, and keep pushing yourself. If you aren’t moving forward, you’re moving backwards.
A saying that I like to use is, a day where nothing new is learnt is a day wasted.