I am a former school teacher, and as a result, I firmly believe in the benefits of continuous learning.  So when I read a post by Rosebeth Moss Kantor where she described investing in your career, by investing in learning, I just had to share.   While her comments are directed at managers in large corporations, I believe the same advice is relevant to small business owners.  She says:

Investing in one’s own career through new learning not only pays the high lifetime dividends, it is about all one can do in turbulent times. Even before the current financial crisis and recession caused unemployment rates to soar, a large number of supposedly employed managers and professionals have fallen into a new category, that I call the “uneasily employed,” who feel that the ax can fall any time.

Security, I am sorry to say, has been out-sourced to individuals to handle by themselves. Maybe there will be more safety nets added back in major countries as a result of the global economic meltdown, but waiting for that while looking for work is hardly comforting.

Learning is still the best investment. The increase in lifetime earnings that come with each stage of education is a well-known finding. Not everyone can rush back to school nor afford the costs. The issue is developing new areas of competence and expertise, in essence broadening one’s scope.

And so whether you are in a job, or in business, the world is changing rapidly. What was state-of-the art, last week, is old news now.   To stay ahead, you must continue to learn new sills, gather new information, and apply it in new ways.

So what are you going to learn this year?  What books will you read?  What classes will you take.     If you are here in Indy check out RainUniversity . But whereever you are, invest in you, by investing in learning something new.