Stay Educated to Stay Employed

The problem is you're working 60 hours a week. Or you're traveling for work, or have some other issue that makes it hard to schedule classes. The good news is you do have many other options.

Let's see what those are....

Read the trade publications. This doesn't mean skim through the articles. Pick out a subject area or two that you want to gain expertise in. Then, focus your attention on the articles that pertain to those areas and skip the others. This kind of focus will help you avoid the "master of none" syndrome that is increasingly undermining competency.

• Analyze the articles. What is the author really saying? how can you use this information in your work? Is the author correct?
• Digest them. Mull and ponder the article, taking time to "chew" on key concepts as though they are a rare delicacy being served to you at the dinner table. Savor the flavor, rather than scarf things down to get through the meal quickly. Highlight or underline key statements.
• Review them later. Today, people rarely re-read things and that's a mistake. If you've underlined or highlighted key statements, tear out the article and place it in a re-read pile. Come back to it later and re-read the article.

Talk shop. This doesn't mean trading war stories about difficult customers or screwed up projects. It means talking with your peers about problems and how they were solved, talking with suppliers about problems and how they might be solved, and talking with customers about their problems.

It also means listening to peers, suppliers, and customers about the latest techniques, specialized equipment, and materials. People talk only so much on the job. Try to steer that conversation to things that matter and can help you do your job better by understanding what's going on in your industry, rather than who is a screwup.

Attend seminars. Yes, many of these include sales pitches. But they are also excellent sources of information. Further, you get to know people and they get to know you. That can open new opportunities in sales for your company or job opportunities for you. Don't just show up and sleep your way through PowerPoint slideshows. Review the program ahead of time and come prepared with a list of "takeaways" you expect from the program. Then, listen and learn so you come back with those.

Read books. Did you know that 59% of Americans don't read even one book in a year? Book reading causes physical changes in the brain, making you smarter. Reading books relevant to your line of work will make you not only smarter but more knowledgeable.

Work tradeshows. Notice, we said "work" and not "attend." Many people view tradeshows as an excuse to take time off work to get a tax-deductible or employer-paid trip to a nice locale. They drop in for an hour or two, pick up the free hats and other trinkets, and then spend the rest of their time having fun away from the show. Instead of cheating yourself this way, work the show. Walk the entire floor, talking to each exhibitor to see what you can learn. Find out what's new in your industry. Find out what products can save you time and money or make you safer. Look at the seminar schedule before you go to the tradeshow and sign up for the ones that look promising.

Take notes. Keep a pocket notebook with you. When an interesting question arises, jot it down so you can find the answer later. Interesting questions arise often during the course of work, and yet are quickly forgotten as the next pressing thing comes along. If you don't make a point of learning new things from your daily work, it isn't going to happen.

Focus. There's only so much time in a given work week. Taking classes, reading books, talking shop, attending seminars--how can you fit it all in? One key is to focus on what's really important. There's a difference between staying busy and staying productive.

• Look for "activity" that you can eliminate--what are some things you do that just take up time? For example, do you really need to print out and file electronic documents? Why not file them electronically, only?
• What are some things you can do more efficiently? For example, dashing off an e-mail to answer a simple question takes a couple of minutes while answering the same question on the phone will probably take 15 minutes or more.
• Reduce trips. We all know that planning a job properly prevents unnecessary trips for parts, tools, and materials. Yet, we get stuck with those trips anyhow. To reduce such trips, keep track of why each one was made, then develop a pre-job checklist to prevent trips for the same reason in the future.