How do you stay current and learn new skills in your field?

Being a chartered accountant and working in the advisory function is quite challenging. You have to upgrade your knowledge and skills continuously. I do this by doing a personal SWOT analysis on a regular basis. This helps me identify my strengths and weaknesses, and prioritize the learning goals, which emanate from my current engagements and the global trends in business and financial advisory. I prioritize and focus on 1-2 skills at a time. For example, a few years back I was working on my taxation knowledge and financial modeling skills. Udemy, CFI, and other online resources helped me a lot. These days, I am working on my project management (Google Pro Certificate) and data analytics skills (IBM Data Analytics Course) on Coursera.

One thing I found helpful, in addition to the traditional methods, is to allocate small time to help new colleagues and new businesses. They usually offer a fresh perspective on things. This helps keep me informed on the new trends and directs me to what area should I invest more time to develop myself. It is a win-win situation.

In the analytical science field, you simply have to read literature and be engaged in social media groups, such as those found on LinkedIn. Your peers on the social media groups will often post new literature and have discussions that are enlightening. So just like your parents said, read and make friends.

When using data to tell a story, start by figuring out the goal you want to achieve from the information. Then seek to understand every field in the data set. All the columns especially if this is third party data. Remove all the columns that do not add value to your search. And use only relevant information to extract value from the data set. Allow yourself to be surprised by the results. Sometimes you come across results that fail to make sense. Sit with the results and question what they may mean. Use graphs to show trends. And analytics is always a beautiful way to lead you to the outliers.

Reading is probably the most important thing you can do. It gives you new/more information, but also broadens your mind. You should read up on current events but you should also be reading history, especially if you are working across cultural boundaries. When you know the history of a group, you are rarely surprised by what they do and can often predict it.

Being in the data analytics industry, your network is your net worth. Getting involved in different data/tech communities via Discord, Entre, etc allows you to network with like minded data professionals virtually. Also, attending network events in-person allows you to make great connections with industry leaders they can give you great advice to excel in your career. Furthermore, investing into data analytics online courses on Coursera, Udemy, edX.org, etc aids entry-level to seasoned data professionals to learn hot industry trends and skills.

Interacting with people who hold radically different perspectives can be transformative. It broadens our horizons, challenges our beliefs, and cultivates empathy. When we listen with an open mind, we can uncover new insights, attain personal growth, and promote diversity and inclusivity. These conversations can be uncomfortable, but they are essential for building a society that values cooperation, tolerance, and progress.

I have always been an advocate for lifelong learning both in your personal and professional life. In today's fast paced world, I have found that online courses are a great way to gain exposure but it is just the beginning in the journey. Take time to absorb as much information as you can from the online course and follow-up on what you don't know. If you feel comfortable doing so, try connecting with those working in the field here on LinkedIn to ask questions. Folks are more than happy to talk about their work if you come prepared with questions and show enthusiasm for the field.

Online courses have become the most efficient way to learn new skills. They are less enjoyable than in-person learning but give better learning outcomes for practical content.

My journey in data analytics has been a fulfilling one, and these experiences have reinforced the importance of data-driven decision-making and digital transformation in today's business environment. As analytics professionals, we hold the key to unlocking valuable insights that can shape the future of our organizations, drive growth, and enhance competitiveness. I look forward to continuing this journey, applying my expertise to future endeavors, and contributing to the ever-evolving field of data analytics.

Collaboration within analytical communities often leads to the combination of diverse methodologies. Witnessing how professionals from various industries approach analytical problems can introduce you to unconventional techniques and solutions.

I get huge amounts of information from my professional network, particularly on LinkedIn. Every time I am at an event and I see someone who impresses, I ask to connect with them. Joining is necessary but not sufficient; you have to stay in touch with them, help them out when possible, and let them know if you are working something in common or will be in their area. Technology is great and globe-spanning, but it does not replace the impact of face-to-face encounters

Be proactive, make mistakes and learn. Don't be shy to argue when you do have arguments. Always learn and try to be a better yourself than yesterday. Read, talk, communicate. Try to find smarter and better people than yourself, it's really easy to understand it when you find such a person, doesn't really matter who is it, hairdresser, doctor, teacher, neighbour, bartender, whatever. Learn.

Connecting with peers is essential, especially when you are experiencing something new, like a software implementation or new guidelines. Bouncing ideas off each other and learning from each others' experiences can benefit all participants.

The more we learn about a subject, the more we realize how much we don't know. This humble realization shows our commitment and desire to understand the complexities of the subject. It inspires us to keep exploring and appreciating its intricacies. True mastery is a continuous journey worth pursuing.

Using open source datasets available on sites like Kaggle can help you practice and apply your skills. You can also volunteer your skills to an organization who doesn't have an analytics team to make a positive impact while working with real life data to solve a problem or improve a process.

In organizations, two critical factors that significantly contribute to innovation and process improvement are autonomy and mastery. Autonomy empowers individuals and teams to explore creative solutions, take ownership, and become responsible for their work. Pursuing mastery, on the other hand, motivates individuals to continuously learn and develop expertise. When combined, these elements create an environment that fosters innovation, enabling employees to propose fresh solutions and optimize processes, leading to organizational growth and competitiveness.

While learning a new skill is a great way to develop your arsenal, your brain starts to forget even the most well-practiced skills if they are not utilized for a long time. This being said I have personally benefitted by practicing a new skill repeatedly, be it learning to code or learning to swim.

One thing I have found effective to stay current and at the same time demonstrate your knowledge and skills, is to take up challenging assignments. Usually, challenging assignments will effectively shatter your comfort zone and expose you not only for enhancing your existing competencies to stay current but also create amazing opportunities for learning new skills. Get yourself exposed to stay current.

In order to practice and apply my skills I look for stretch projects, side projects, and knowledge-sharing opportunities. Building a training guide, creating how-to content, or facilitating a lunch and learn helps me to reinforce what I have learned and provide others with a step along their own growth journey. I also, love to take my current skills and find ways to innovate which usually requires me to stretch and grow within my current skills. As a Continuous Improvement Professional, I am always on the lookout for ways to do things more efficiently, gain more insight through data, and reduce manual processing. As part of my process, I document what I learned and how I use it to share out with peers and co-workers.

In my early career, as I was developing my #analyticskills, I was fortunate to have MULTIPLE good mentors. I’d put in the 14 hour days, 6 days a week crushing the data gathering and analysis. But the real value for skills development were in the 15-30 minute sessions maybe 2-3 times a week with mentors who would review and criticise from DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES. So, one mentor at a time isn’t enough. Hunt out people who see the world very differently, particularly those who you wouldn’t gravitate to in your normal day or in social settings. Seek out regular if infrequent opportunities to make a contribution to their efforts in exchange for exposure to their different worldviews and analytic approaches.

Engaging in conversations with those who hold different perspectives is enriching. It broadens horizons, fosters empathy, and encourages intellectual growth. By accepting diverse viewpoints, we promote inclusivity and holistic problem-solving.While such conversations may be challenging and uncomfortable at times, they are essential for fostering a society where cooperation, tolerance, and progress can flourish.

My mantra is "Feedback is a gift, and I LOVE receiving gifts!" I created a personal feedback form that has a link to it within my email signature, presentation decks, SharePoint sites, and documents. Good, bad, or indifferent feedback gives me insight into my growth opportunities and areas that I can focus on improving. It also helps me ensure that my personal SWOT aligns with how others perceive me.

At my previous job, we once worked on a fintech project that the team was quite confident about. However, I decided to take feedback from a small sample of our customers before finalizing it. Their feedback was revelatory and highlighted areas where we could make improvements, especially since they were using the product much differently than we anticipated. Once the feedback was clear, we made many changes and had a much better outcome than the original. Our team and customers directly benefited from the changes, but it was challenging. Seeking feedback was daunting at first, and I got a lot of pushback. It was worth it in the end, and the rest of the team was also convinced, making it a part of our product review process moving forward.

Many of us have transferrable skills but only in the supportive environment and within the right peer group we are allowed to grow. One doesn't fit all and kindness goes long way. I always share positive feedback to anybody whose service I receive and address issues in the sensitive manner, dismissing is not the right way of learning.

A static mindset can limit potential discoveries. Staying curious and open to different data interpretations enhances the depth and breadth of analysis, ensuring more comprehensive conclusions.

Being curious and open-minded is essential for growth and innovation! It allows you to explore new ideas, embrace change, and adapt to evolving market trends. By staying curious, you can continuously learn and discover new opportunities that can drive success in your career.

Oh this is the one! No doubt. If you wish to be someone who is the change bearer, you have to open up, literally. Throw your conventional wisdom out the window, be open to new ideas, new ways of doing things, It's not easy, I know, but I guess in life, you never really appreciate stuff you can get without effort.

When I started using Excel for analysis, I only knew few formulas. I learned a lot new possibilities in internet and started to use them. The more I discovered and used them in practice the more I was seeking for new and “easier” ways. Today I feel quite comfortable in data analysis and how to make them easier to read for people who don’t understand the magic behind raw data ?? So my advice is - be more curious and don’t be afraid to adopt new possibilities.

It's important to be curious and open-minded, but it's equally important to know your limits and stay within them. By understanding yourself and what motivates you, you can work towards your goals without pushing yourself too hard. Remember that it's okay to learn new things, but don't try to be someone you're not. It's worth remembering that the world was created by only a few powerful individuals, so it's important to stay true to yourself and your values.

My professional career has seen me dabble in different fields. I started out at Deloitte as an audit associate and by the time I was leaving, having served 10 years, I was a forensic investigator with skills in anti-bribery and corruption, anti-money laundering and risk advisory. I managed to do this by constantly reinventing myself and having the wherewithal to learn new skills that seemed far removed from an ordinary audit career. This constant change also made work exciting for me and I was always eager to wake up and report to work knowing that I was adding more feathers to my cap. As Managing Partner in my own firm, these skills that I picked along the way have become invaluable and my clients are benefitting from my versatility.

Analytics isn’t just about crunching numbers or mastering tools. Understanding the context, asking the right questions, and adapting to new methodologies are equally important. Tools and techniques can change, but the principles of critical thinking remain constant.

How to stay current and keep learning new skills in one's area of specialization is an enticing question. Over the past more than four decades of academic life, my experience has been that having a continual sense of inadequacy, enthusiasm to look for new developments, and marveling at how and how much things are changing is a sure catalyst to keep one on the track to keep learning. As is often said, seek and ye shall find. Seeking is the first step to finding and keep seeking is the way to keep finding.

Podcasts are an underutilized method of staying current and learning new skills in your field. Whether you're working out, commuting to work, or cleaning the house, double-up your productivity with an industry podcast!

??Follow Leaders Follow influential researchers, organizations, and blogs in whichever field you've chosen and subscribe to their newsletters. ??Continuous Practice If you snooze, you loose. Regularly work on projects, experiment with new techniques, and don't be afraid to make mistakes and learn from them. Nobody is perfect ?? ??Online Courses and Tutorials Enroll in online courses, tutorials, and MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) offered by platforms like Coursera, edX, Alison and Udacity. ??Books and Research Papers Read books and research papers authored by experts in the field. ??Conferences, Webinars, Summits, and Meetups. Attend conferences, workshops, and summits if you're opportune.