Learn outside your work

I'm talking about a topic when Jay, a good friend of mine, stops me. "Morteza, you have no idea what you're talking about, buddy." Being shocked, I defensively try to justify my view on that topic. After the conversation, I approach my best friend, Google, to touch the topic's surface and very soon, I realise that Jay is right. Being hurt by the fact that I am wrong about something entirely within my circle of knowledge, Project Management, I start questioning myself. "Holding a PhD in project management, how the heck did you get it so wrong?" and I get the answer loud and clear.

I was working very hard and spending my spare time entirely on relaxation and family. Indeed, I overlooked a previously massive part of my life, self-learning. My knowledge was getting rusty and obsolete.

Learning in the 21st century

There are many ways we can learn in the 21st century. The time of going to a library and borrowing a book is over unless the book gives you the most detailed knowledge on a particular topic. These days you can quickly learn online using some amazingly interactive materials, either free or paid. On occasions, the learning results in obtaining a certification or credit you can use later in your career.

As the first critical step, check with your company and see if they have the subscription of some online learning materials, creditable journal papers and professional magazines. Also, check if they can turn these learning sessions into Professional Development (PD) points within your organisation. You may get surprised by the result of asking these questions. If their offers and courses don't align with your targeted learning strategy, then you suggest your desired course within your company's allowance.

As part of your professional development expense, I also encourage you to purchase the subscription of some of the great online resources.

Some of my favourite sources of learning are:

• LinkedIn Learning: I found LinkedIn Learning very helpful because of the variety of topics, great instructors and professional setups.
• HBR and Forbes: The two magazines I love to read with plenty of great authors. The articles give you great organisational and business insights.
• YouTube: Yes. Surprisingly, I realised that the quality of educational videos on YouTube has increased in the last three years.
• PMI: In my field, Project Management, they provide great webinars and articles to learn. I highly recommend joining PMI if you take your project management career seriously.
• Audible: Operating under Amazon, they make available fantastic books that I frequently listen. The most significant benefit of Audible is that you can listen to the books to give your hard-working eyes a bit of rest. We overuse our eyes these days!
• Voluntary works: Nothings beats interactions with other professionals from diverse backgrounds. If time allows such activities, it will enable you to learn from others and share your first-hand learnings with them.

And let me share with you my best place and time of learning:

Public Transportation: I prefer to use public transportation to close my eyes and listen to podcasts and books in peace. The commuting time is well-spent this way.

Start a working day: I wake up early in the morning, and nothing gives me more joy than reading an article while drinking my coffee. I realise that I start my day more efficiently thanks to both reading and of course the coffee. Alternatively, do this learning on public transportation while going to work.