Lifelong learning is the Future of Work
Author: Deepali Wadatkar
The claim that Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning will be stealing our jobs has been there for a long time and the recent unprecedented times have made this fear come true to a large extent as everyone knows.
The question then becomes will we stay in that constant fear or we take the challenge of what it takes to stay relevant and employed, the choice is all ours. The key is to be a lifelong learner and learn new, in demand skills and empower yourself to face the future of work.
“The illiterate of the twenty-first century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” declared Alvin Toffler (1928-2016) in his landmark 1970 book Future Shock. He said that 30 years—nearly two workplace generations—before this century even started and he’s still right. Toffler’s great work, defines the term “future shock” as a psychological state of individuals and entire societies in reaction to “too much change in too short a period of time.”
So it’s high time we renounce the commonly held idea that learning is for young adults as the concept of being a learner has shifted.
No more is the concept- learn, do, retire. To be agile and adaptable, you need to- learn, do, unlearn — learn, do, rest — learn, do, unlearn — repeat. This is the cycle of a lifelong learner.
Lifelong learning is the “ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated” pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons.
- Get out of your comfort zone; whether you succeed or fail, you learn something new.
- Find a domain that excites you it could be gardening or financial services.
- Staying open-minded about making a shift is necessary.
- Facing challenges with specific goals; be it personal or professional.
- Take various courses, whether it’s online or offline; there are countless courses you can participate in without spending a dime.
- Seek opportunities to grow and try staying up-to-date with growth opportunities relevant to you.
- Know the body is your temple -work on it, you health has to be on your side.
In the words of Mark Twain, “Never let formal education get in the way of your learning”. When you’re in a constantly evolving world, it requires you to level up or you get left behind. As humans, we have a penchant to evolve – learn new skills, habits or hobbies. Our ability to learn is innate. It just depends on how we utilize this knowledge.
“The author is an International inside Sales specialist.”
