The Importance of Ongoing Education and Training

For a number of years, I neither went to a work-related training class nor a seminar.  I am one of those people who has no problem asking a few questions, rolling up my sleeves, and going off to figure out what needs to be done, how to accomplish what I set out to do and hacking my way through.  Did I get the results I expected?  Most of the time that would be a yes.  Unfortunately, we have a tendency to think that once we are able to proceed in this manner, this is the best way to go – NOT!

Over the last couple of years, I finally broke down and went to a few conferences, went to a seminar and attended some classes.  There is the old adage – “You know what you know; You know what you do not know; But, you do not know what you do not know.”  After attending a few of these courses, I found out that there was more in the third category than I expected.  By attending a conference, I learned how much technology had advanced with that specific software and what had become available over the past few years.  By attending a training course, regardless of the fact that I already used the software, I learned what the software actually does and why.  We all like to throw around the term “best practices.”  In reality, there is always more than one way to accomplish a goal.  However, there is the most direct, accurate, best way rather than a longer, more eloquent approach to meet the same ends.  In the former case, the resources and results are optimized, while in the latter, resources might be put under more pressure and the results less accurate.  We sometimes forget that continued learning is important.

As my younger daughter heads towards graduating in May, I see her excitement at having “no more school.”  Yes, the formal portion of her education might be over, but I have not quite broken it to her yet that there will always be more to learn, more to be educated on and ALWAYS room for improvement.  As I head to becoming certified as a trainer, I realize that training is an opportunity to introduce others to concepts, provide a starting point for moving forward and a chance to share ideas.  It is providing the tools and insights so that the people in attendance can take those thoughts, have a beginner’s ability to start using what they learned, and almost as important, have the ability to ask better questions.  Sometimes, a little bit of knowledge can lead to a desire to improve what is front of us and only through our questions can we fully learn more (or get to good answers).  I look forward to help those starting their journeys and take this opportunity to learn from their experiences as well.