5 tips to become a lifelong learner

I had not planned to be a chief technology officer when I grew up. In fact, my PhD is not even related to technology – it is in forestry.

So how did I end up as the Executive Vice President and CTO of SAS, one of the largest private software companies in the world? Through lifelong learning.

I spent 25 years studying and earning degrees. But the real learning started afterward. Higher education is not an end game; it is a form of education and learning that culminates in a degree. Learning cannot end there.

There is not one degree that could have taught me everything I needed to know for my job. It takes more than knowledge.

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Here are five things I did that helped me on my journey as a lifelong learner. These tips helped me as an individual and brought me to where I am today. Whether you are a seasoned professional or just beginning your career, I hope they are useful to you as well.

1.     Fall in love

I went to Virginia Tech to get a PhD in forestry and an MS in statistics. While I was there, I fell in love – not only with my future wife, but also with statistics.

I had previously worked in the field of forest biometry, the application of statistical principles to biological data in a forestry context. I was drawn to biometry out of curiosity while studying forest science in Germany – it was a novel way for me to think about the biological world.

It was not until I studied statistics systematically at Virginia Tech that I recognized I was satisfying an impulse for applied mathematics through statistical reasoning. Doing statistics was my math-brain on dopamine, my math-brain in love.

If I have a “crush” on what I work on, learning is automatic. It takes very little effort; my mind is occupied by it. I think about it all the time, I do not grow tired of it – I love it.

I spent 25 years studying and earning degrees. But the real learning started afterward.

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2.     Recognize and develop secondary skills

We not only change jobs, but also careers multiple times in a professional life. And in my experience, spending energy to grow beyond your current job can further your career more than the energy you spend to retain your job.

Doors opened for me partly because of skills and knowledge I had acquired in one career that were ancillary to the primary work. Dabbling in biometry during the forest science studies helped open the door to a PhD program at Virginia Tech. Later, my programming skills helped land me a job as software developer at SAS. My leadership skills helped me become an R&D division head at SAS. And then a CTO.

As these transitions took place, it turned out that my skills were probably ahead of the peers in my previous role, but not ahead of my peers in the new role. But I learned. You have these aha! moments when you realize that you are not so bad at doing something, but your current view of the subject is woefully incomplete – there is so much more to know and learn about it. And that you can become infinitely better at it.

Turning a secondary skill into a primary skill means that you have to shift your focus on developing that subject matter. So each time I changed careers I had two goals: catch up with my new peers and then get better.

3.     Devote time

Our lives are busy, and our workdays are crammed with keeping “the machine” running. While we actively learn and improve just by doing our everyday tasks, to achieve our focused goals we need to devote time and energy to continue to learn.

I try to have dedicated times to learn and study. I block time on my calendar and guard those blocks intensely. I get to work relatively early, already caught up on email, so I can use the first hour of the day to catch up on online reading. I set aside time each week to watch TED Talks, a great source of ideas and inspiration. My journey into a new topic often begins with TED Talks on the topic.

Taking the time to learn something new is what keeps me energized, innovative and inspired.

4.     Find mentors

I would not be where I am today if it were not for the mentors and stewards who helped along the way. They cleared paths and opened doors. They recognized talent I did not know I had. They nudged me in the right direction.

I have had many mentors, but the most significant and impactful steward is Jim Goodnight, CEO of SAS. Recently I had the honor to sit down with him at the Technology Connection at SAS? Global Forum and talk about some of the technology shifts he has seen at SAS over 41 years. You can check out the video of that conversation here.

Mentors do not fall out of the sky. In the best case, the relationship develops naturally. But sometimes you need to go out and find your mentors. They can make all the difference for you personally and professionally.

5.     Stay curious and never stop

Throughout my career, I have always been restless to do things better and improve on what we do. I have a persistent, nervous curiosity and work to find ways to figure out how to make SAS do new things, make a procedure work differently or improve performance. You can hear the stories of our four lifelong learners who have developed some of our newest technologies in my SAS Voices blog post.

Even as CTO, I remain curious and continue to explore new horizons in AI, in blockchain, in neuromorphic computing. There is much to learn, and it is curiosity that most often propels me forward – that, and my Segway.

I have a persistent, nervous curiosity and work to find ways to figure out how to make SAS do new things, make a procedure work differently or improve performance.

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There is not one degree that could have taught me everything I needed to know for my job. It takes more than knowledge. You need passion, curiosity and a hunger for lifelong learning.

Whether or not you want to become a CTO when you grow up, I hope that these tips have helped you.

Now, please, go learn something.