Anyone who knows me knows that I’m huge on continuously learning. Growing up, I got comments about being keen to learn, or being a nerd because I always had my head in a book or was winning spelling bees. Even though these sorts of comments would bother most kids, it helped me to thrive.
Now that I’m an adult, I’m grateful for my ability to zone in on a topic with the aim of having a working knowledge. Even still, you can’t keep me from reading anything, or doing my research on a topic of interest. If I don’t know in the moment, it’s certain that I am going to find out.
This past fall, I completed a professional development certificate from the University of Waterloo called “Sales and Marketing Fundamentals.” It was comprised of four online courses, and took me about a year and a half to complete (because of job changes and professional development provisions).
To some, it seemed strange that I would take a course like this, since I had practical experience in both fields. I understood where they were coming from but for me, I didn’t want to be average in my roles and just get by; I wanted to be better.
When it comes to talking about content marketing, in particular, I want to be the most knowledgeable person in the room. It’s not a question of ego, but rather of credibility. I want to go down a career path that fully immerses me in that field, and in order to set myself up for success, it’s best that I learn and understand everything that I possibly can about it.
Both during and after work hours, I’m doing my best to skill up. Everything from posting consistently on this blog to challenge myself and grow my audience, to taking courses and certifications on the HubSpot Academy are how I position myself as a better marketer than I was the day before.
I’ve been out of school for nearly three years now (holy f**k), but I’ve never stopped learning. It’s important for your personal and professional development to challenge yourself consistently, and keep working to be better.
When it comes to a new position or a promotion, those extra 2-3 hours that you spent taking a free course online could be the difference between you getting chosen or not. In the grand scheme of things, it’s a very small sacrifice to make for longer-term success.
Taking courses and reading books aren’t the only ways to stretch yourself outside of your comfort zone and give yourself the opportunity to be challenged. Maybe you try picking up a new hobby (like my co-worker that’s taking drawing classes once a week), or maybe you go to a networking event and meet people in different roles that may share a similar interest or commonality with you.
Since moving to Toronto, I’ve become a part of the Black Professionals in Tech Network. In my last two roles and where I lived previously, for that matter, I didn’t see anyone that looked like me operating in these spaces. I went to the Black History Month event, alone, and though I was nervous, I had a great time and met two incredible women that have similar educational backgrounds to me.
They are hosting another event for Black women around International Womens’ Day, and we’ll be talking about how to manage money and make it work for us. It’ll be great to be around so many women that look like me, and represent what I can be in the future.
Had I not been open to new experiences and people, I would not have this experience to look forward to. Take stock of what you enjoy, what you can do without, and then focus on growing the skills that speak to you the most.
Never stop learning.
Khadijah Plummer Consulting 