Summer has been an exciting time, the kids have enjoyed the lake, family visits have been successful and weddings went off without a hitch. But as you drive down any city street, listen to the radio or watch TV, there are already many signs that the fall season is on its way. Believe it or not, the tree leaves are indeed beginning to turn bright colours while a heavy dew coats the deck each morning. There’s even a new, very noticeable scent in the air, a fall scent that has a strong sense of beauty and excitement all of its own.

But another part of this fall season excitement, is the BACK TO SCHOOL frenzy. As a former teacher, I remember the voices of student excitement as they compare the latest clothing style, show off the most modern of student tools and share wildly exaggerated holiday stories.

But the excitement of the back to school thrust should not just be limited to kids. As adults and employees in the workplace, we need to continue being excited about education. You may well recall your parents espousing that education is the key to success. Well, they were not only right at that particular time, their sage advice is even far more important today.

It doesn’t matter where you live or what kind of work you do, our businesses are significantly impacted by the global economy. In order to survive, these businesses need a pool of highly trained workers, individuals who strive to keep current in all their technical expertise and who take the initiative to expand and build on their personal and professional lives.

I know, you thought that once you graduated, your education was complete. But that is simply no longer the case. And, as far as I am concerned, there is just no excuse….in other words, in order to succeed in the new economy, you must become a continuous learner.If I have to convince you, here are the top ten reasons why continuous learning creates a career advantage.

1. It is fascinating to solidify your practical experience with a theoretical base; you’ll gain confidence by confirming how much you really know;
2. It is gratifying and fun to learn new operational or management techniques and then return to work and apply that leading edge theory to the real world;
3. t is an exciting experience to attend classes with other professionals from all different businesses and to share learnings and applications in a variety of fields;
4. Career success is also about networking and by attending classes, you will also be building new linkages in the broader business world;
   
5. Being a continuous learner will make you more competitive in the job market;
6. Advanced education will lead to more challenging assignments and opportunities for promotion and advancement;
7. It is well known that education increases your income potential;
8. Learning and education can be used as a tool to transition you to a completely new occupation or to a new job in a new company;
9. The new skills that you will learn through continuous education will help to increase your credibility with your boss, colleagues and with external clients;
10. Being a continuous learner will increase your self confidence, self esteem, and personal motivation and perhaps take you out of that low energy period you have been experiencing.

While there are lots of reasons for employees to go “back to school”, individuals must also be somewhat strategic in their choices. There are two quick tricks for focusing on opportunities. First, do a personal selfassessment. Ask, what skills you are really good at, what do you like to do and then determine if you currently using these talents 80% of the time. Then assess if increased expertise in your key skills would boost your career potential or if building upon other skills will assist you to transition to another job. If so, find an educational program to match your need.

A second way to identify opportunities is to assess the vision of your company and determine what skills will be needed in the future. Then seek out educational opportunities that will put you in the forefront of the new skill requirements.

Once you have made your educational choices, the next step is to determine where to find the most suitable program, whether it be day, evening, weekend or distance education, as well as how to become registered and accepted in the program of choice. Today, two new educational initiatives, distance education and prior learning assessments are providing excellent opportunity for adult learners.
I really get a chuckle when I hear about the advances in distance education/correspondence because when I completed my first degree it was so frowned upon. Then when I investigated a new US advanced degree, the old traditional institutions publicly thrashed my efforts. I still treasure the old Free Press clipping. My how times change.

Today, distance education is the leading edge learning opportunity for adults. Undergraduate and advanced degrees, diplomas, certificates and professional designations are available entirely by distance education. Many institutions offer weekend or monthly workshops to provide a collegial mutual benefit network. To research the topic further, simply use the internet, type in distance education degrees and you’ll find plenty of accredited and reputable programs just right for you.

I’m also very excited about the prior learning assessment initiative. Individuals with partial university credit or a community college diploma or those individuals who have valuable “school of hard knocks” can finally be recognized for what they already know and what they can do. While there is a rigorous process to go through, it is satisfying to know that you can also be recognized for volunteer or community service, on-the-job training programs and self-directed studies.

So, you see, there is no excuse for not being a continuous learner. Consider it an investment in your career and call your local educational institution now!

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