The Perpetual Learner: Another Tool in Your Toolbox

If we have ever had a conversation about my career and how I got to where I am today, you have probably heard me describe my path as 'non-linear'. If you have ever viewed my profile, you might be surprised to see that I am a degreed chemist who worked as an engineer and in outside sales before migrating into the consulting world.

I'm sure many of you could tell a similar story of how you got to where you are today from the point from which you started. Perhaps your path transcended segments and departments, zigging and zagging through tumultuous hairpin turns to find the place where you are today.

I would like to tell you that I was always so brazen to snub my nose at the unknown and bound headfirst into the unexpected, but that would be far from the truth. I didn't get this way on my own. Although there have been many who have mentored and supported me over the years, I learned some of my most valuable lessons from my dad.

One of the lessons he consistently emphasized was being a perpetual learner. He didn't just mean absorbing information through training classes or recreational reading. He meant that you should be a sponge for every experience you have at work. Every opportunity to be involved in a project or learn a new process was information that would serve you well in the future. From his perspective, you were building your competency in different areas and creating a mental archive of information that you could call upon when needed. In his words, it was 'another tool in your toolbox'.

So how did my dad's philosophy on being a perpetual learner influence my career path? When I started my career after graduating from college, I immediately encountered some challenges that made me question whether or not I had landed in the right place. I didn't feel like I had much direction and I was frustrated that there weren't the opportunities to get immersed in the process as I had hoped. My dad had spent his career in manufacturing, so I asked him for advice. What he told me that day became a guiding principle in my career. He advised that I do everything within my power to learn as much as I could while I was in that position.

He reasoned that whether or not the job worked out, the things I learned couldn't be taken away from me; I would have added valuable tools to my toolbox that would prove useful in the next job. Not surprisingly, he was right.

In stocking my proverbial toolbox with learning experiences, I became more confident in tackling roles that challenged me. With each job prospect, there is always a personal recognition that it might not go to plan. However, if you view the opportunity through the lens of a perpetual learner, you are energized by the idea of enhancing your expertise and gaining new skills. Just because you haven't mastered all of the skills for the job, it doesn't mean you can't learn them. Once you learn it, it's logged into your mental archives. You'll be surprised how many times you'll recall a detail from your previous experiences to meaningfully contribute to a conversation or project.

Being a perpetual learner means extracting every drop of information from a learning experience and even pursuing opportunities to learn new things beyond your comfort zone. It doesn't mean underperforming at the job you currently have -- it means immersing yourself in the experience to gain as much insight as possible. If you're working on a project on the shop floor, go and see the process. Spend time with the people who work on the process every day. The more you embrace those real-time learning opportunities, the richer your understanding and translatable expertise will become.

My career path has been very non-linear, but the tools in my toolbox are abundant. Every career choice I have made presented its own unique challenges, but each time I have emerged with a wealth of knowledge and experience which are invaluable. Every day is an opportunity to learn something new. Let's start stocking that toolbox, shall we?