You’ve heard motivational speakers, coaches and mentors tell you repeatedly on the need for you to learn new skills but what you may not know are why learning new skills is important. Learning new skills might be hard taking into consideration how concentration and a prepared mind is required. Coming into an entirely unfamiliar terrain that is also equally mentally challenging provides broad mental and social stimulation that will only be of great benefit.
Increases your marketability level: Learning new skills can only help increase the chances of landing the perfect job – a job that is highly fulfilling and well paying. It helps keep you in demand especially in an increasingly competitive working environment, with employers and with other freelance jobs. Only make sure that you sharpen and learn those that are easily transferable from a career to another such as communication skills, computer tech skills and you are well on your way.
Improves your knowledge: Think of how more confident you felt when you graduated from university. That feeling of confidence in what you can do and offer your world only keeps increasing when you improve on the basic knowledge you got from university and this isn’t just about getting a Masters or a PhD but even after that, learning should be a life-long thing which will always make you relevant no matter your years on earth or how many generations you may have seen.
Keeps you up-to-date and renewed: Having new information and research on any skill keeps you up to date on what is happening in time. Outdated techniques are pointed out and new techniques are made available and relevant for use as companies are always forever exploring new ways to better meet their goals. It is also refreshing when we allow new ideas and skills in our work. Learning something new can teach us anew on how we see ourselves and how people can see us.
The ultimate leveler: I believe learning always is key to ultimately leveling the classes. Education is the basic and one of the important process everyone needs to undergo to eradicating poverty and ensuring equality, but it does not end there. When people staying on the low level of the ladder keep learning relevant skills to increase their marketability, it will eventually pay off and bring them at par with those on the high level.
Vital for success: Have you wondered why multinational companies in Nigeria go send their employees for further study to acquire new skills? It is because they understand the importance of learning new skills and how learning new skills relates to being successful. Companies usually look out for employees who are motivated enough to pursue opportunities for self improvement because they understand that they will require less motivation to drive success in their companies when they are hired.
Substantial benefit to the brain: Scientists have found out that when we learn new skills, our brain changes in ways that are beneficial. Learning helps stretch the capacity of the brain making other parts of our life easier. Learning new skills in any area helps improve working memory, gives better verbal intelligence and shows an increase in language skills.
Do-it yourself: Rather than watch others do what you have an interest in, you can learn to do it yourself when others who are skilled in it are not around to humor you. If you learn a couple of relevant skills such as sales and marketing, communication, public speaking and computer tech skills, if you are entrepreneurial-inclined, you can end up establishing your own thing and doing it yourself.
