Set Yourself Up to Succeed

First, if must be said that we are all lifelong learners. Short of physical inability, we are constantly learning new things, regardless of formal education, continuing education, on-the-job training, et cetera. However, that does not mean that everything learned is fulfilling.

Most people have goals or interests outside of formal schooling and work. It’s called being human. We are curious by nature, which lends itself to naturally occurring learning. This also feeds into our natural, organic ability to develop and grow as individuals.

Despite spending 25 years teaching in the college setting, I was never so deluded that I thought all learning would take place there. I did not think that the best learning took place there, either. The classroom might be the best place to learn conceptual knowledge in some cases, but may not be the best place for application of that knowledge.

Even when a job required a bachelors degree as a qualification, it may not require a specific degree. The reason for this is not because if the amount of education acquired, but because it illustrates a certain level of dedication and achieving goals that was necessary to earn that degree. Another reason was that, in earning that degree, there is a certain level of knowledge that can be assumed the applicant has from taking general education or liberal arts course work. It’s no secret that the majority of people change careers multiple times during their lifetimes, which is often due to lifelong learning.

Here’s an example. This took place while I was in college, but it still applies. When I started college, I wanted to be a writer. When meeting with my counselor, I was told, “If you want to teach, go into English. If you want to write, go into Communication.” I didn’t want to teach. So I went into Communication. While in the Honors Program, I found that I really enjoyed my Philosophy classes, so I minored in Philosophy, and was going to graduate in 3.5 years. Then I became editor of the newspaper, which required that I stay the full four years. In order to maintain my scholarships, I had to take a number of hours that was exactly what it would require to go from a Philosophy minor to a Philosophy major. The professor who taught several of those additional classes had us teach, rather than write papers. That’s where I first learned that I kind of liked to teach. After graduating, I started the Master of Professional Communication Program. Getting my masters, we taught a lot. That’s where I learned that I really did enjoy teaching and, based on feedback from my peers, I had a talent for it. One of my classmates was a college administrator and, when I was graduating, she told me, “If you apply at my college, I guarantee that you will be hired.” I said, “Really? I’m like that?” She said, “Why do you think I gave you so much lip during class? I was seeing if I could fluster you like a regular undergrad might try. You didn’t even blink. If anything, it made you dig in and give it back. Students love that kind of engagement.” Thus began my 25 years of teaching college.

The same sort of thing happens during the course of your career, requiring that you pivot, change directions, retreat, forge ahead. No matter what happens, you’re learning, whether it’s from your mistakes or from your successes. No matter what happens, you need to stop and look at what happened and decide why it worked or did not. This is called processing. It was actually one of my favorite things when working a corporate job, looking back at a completed project and processing it, documenting the hiccups and booming successes, so they could be avoided or repeated in the future. Processing is essential to success, let alone lifelong learning.

Here’s another example of formal education and lifelong learning and how the two can diverge. I know someone who was pursuing a bachelors degree in archeology. To afford school and have a life, she got a job as a teller at the local bank. By the time she finished her bachelors, that bank was bought out by a much larger regional bank. To get work in archeology, she needed an advanced degree, so she continued working at the bank, now part of the bigger, regional bank, receiving promotions, eventually moving into the fraud department. In time, that regional bank was bought out by a national bank. She was still rising in the ranks and decided that she would not finish her schooling in archeology, because she was living very comfortably working in banking and also enjoyed the excitement of her job when she was moved into security, which included investigating bank robberies. When she retired, she was Vice President of Security for that bank, one of the top 25 banks in the country, which had absolutely nothing to do with her bachelors degree. When she reached a point that a bachelors degree was required, what was important was that she had one, not what her degree was in.

Everyday lifelong learning that we engage in on a daily basis, either through socialization, trial and error, or self-initiated study centers around personal fulfillment and development. It stems from natural interests, curiosity, and motivations that lead us to learn new things. We learn for ourselves, voluntarily, without cost, is often informal or self-taught, and motivation is out of personal interest or personal development.

Benefits of Lifelong Learning for Writers

So what kinds of lifelong learning could have practical applications for writers?

• Developing new skills, like cooking, CPR, First Aid, programming, public speaking
• Self-taught study like learning a new language, researching a topic of interest, subscribing to a podcast
• Learning a new sport like martial arts, skiing, wrestling
• Learning to use new technology like smart devices, new software applications
• Acquiring new knowledge like taking a self-interest course via online education or classroom-based course

All of these things could help in terms of background knowledge, character development, writing action scenes, and more.

Benefits of Lifelong Learning in General

Incorporating lifelong learning in your life can offer many long-term benefits, including renewing motivation, recognizing personal interests, improving skills, and improving self-confidence.

Renewing Self-Motivation

Sometimes we do things simply because we have to do them, like going to work or cleaning the house. Figuring out what inspires you puts you squarely in the driver’s seat. In other words, you can really do things that you want to do.

Recognizing Personal Interests

Recognizing your personal interests can reignite your passions. This can reduce the frequency and incidence of boredom, makes life more interesting, and can even open future opportunities. You never know where your interests will lead you if you focus on them.

Improving Skills

When learning new skills or learning new things, we’re also building other valuable skills that can benefit our personal and professional lives. For one thing, others skills are required to learn something new. For example, learning to sew requires problem-solving. Learning to draw involves developing creativity.

Improving Self-Confidence

Becoming more knowledgeable or skilled in something increases our self-confidence in general. This confidence can stem from the satisfaction of devoting time and effort to learning and improving, providing a sense of accomplishment. This self-confidence can engender in others a sense of trust that we knew what we’re doing and can help them succeed, as well.

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