By: Technological Progress
The evolution in technology is a wonderful thing. In today’s world, we can connect with friends and colleagues across the globe at the touch of a button. We can verbally converse with semi-sentient robots living in our phones (Siri) and homes (Alexa) and find out anything from travel directions to daily trivia questions. We can even order cupcakes-in-a-bottle with overnight delivery! Technological advances in the new millennium have made it possible for people to share information and ideas at an unprecedented rate, causing explosive growth in technical disciplines across the board. In fact, it is estimated that 90% of currently available information has been created in the past 2 years - an estimated 2.5 quintillion bytes of data per day.
Progress can also be a scary thing. Rapid evolution in technical fields is incredibly exciting, but also results in an equally swift growth and turnover of the skills desired in these fields. For example, according to one measure of popular programming languages, the TIOBE index, four of the top ten programming languages in 2018 did not even exist twenty years ago. Professional coders and developers must constantly adapt to a shifting climate of skills, learning new programming languages and techniques on a daily basis. This focus on continual growth and skill development may be most evident in technical fields, but professionals in many other areas face similar issues. Doctors, teachers, lawyers, and even parents will always be faced with the challenging (but exciting!) prospect of adapting to new advancements and incorporating the latest, greatest information into their way of life.
Progress is a wonderful, sometimes scary, often exciting thing - but most importantly, progress isn’t going away. So, the question becomes: “How can we best embrace a world where yesterday’s knowledge and skills may quickly be replaced by tomorrow’s innovations?” The answer: “Learn how to learn, and learn to *love* learning.”
Learning How To Learn
The act of ‘learning’ is one of the most invaluable skills one can develop at any age; Efficiently learning and applying new skills and information is a necessity in any profession - and can often set you apart from others in your field. ‘Learning’ is one ability that will never become obsolete.
‘Learning’ is also a skill like any other - it can be difficult at first, but the more you practice it, the easier it gets. By striving to incorporate new skills and knowledge into your life on a regular basis, you build a strong foundation on which to continue growing. If the act of picking up an entirely new skill-set seems overwhelming, simply break it down into pieces. If you like to cook, perhaps focus on learning a recipe or two in a new style of cooking - don’t stress out over how to become a master chef on day one. If you want to someday develop your own online business or website, you could take an introductory course to website development and go from there. Whatever you want to learn (especially something brand new), the most important thing is to take that first step.
Learning To Love Learning!
Learning a new skill can be a wonderfully exciting, challenging, and personally satisfying experience. Unfortunately, sometimes there can be moments of frustration as well. If you find that you are losing motivation to continue in a project, or can’t find the gumption to start a new learning endeavor... try changing things up!
At Digital Adventures, we find that focusing on a engaging, hands-on project can be an excellent means of developing skills while having fun. The learning happens incidentally as you determine what knowledge you’ll need to overcome any problems, and you’ll have a fantastic reminder of your progress when you’ve finished. Working on a project or studying with a friend or family member may also help you renew your focus - even if the two of you are not at the exact same skill level, teaching others can be one of the best ways to learn! Even simply switching up your style of learning might be helpful - there are innumerable resources available for almost any skill imaginable, from in-person courses to online tutorials to simply reading a book.
Ultimately, the best way to keep up with an ever-progressing world is to strive for an ever-progressing self. Fortunately, learning to keep on learning can be a incredibly rewarding experience. As Jeffrey Rosen, CEO of the National Constitution Center said to a recent graduating class: “The best thing about lifelong learning is that it’s the most satisfying thing you can do. Every day you learn something new is a day you rise higher toward enlightenment and fulfillment.”