The Importance of Continual Learning

The Importance of Continual Learning

Whether you are a toddler taking your first steps or a CEO of a major corporation, continual learning has to be apart of your life. Continual learning is the constant development of complex behaviors with no final end in mind and the process of learning ever more complicated skills by building on those skills already developed (Ring, 1994).

The importance of continual learning in a professional environment is crucial to the success of your career. Continual learning provides the human capital for your background and determines how much of an asset you are to the company.

Continual learning in your professional life makes you more valuable to your company, increases your skill levels, and enhances opportunities in your current job. Making yourself more valuable in your company makes it harder for the company to replace you. If the company has to hire someone else to do your job, they will have to spend time and money to retrain the individual, thus, causing your job to be more secure. By growing your skill levels through continual learning, you receive an improved understanding and ability of your job. Also, with technology changing ever so rapidly, continual learning is needed to keep your job skills current. By taking advantage of continual learning opportunities within your company, you allow yourself the opportunity to move within your company to different job positions as well as increasing the knowledge of your current position. When you engage in continual learning in your career, it means attending whatever training one's organization requires and taking additional continuing education courses to stay up-to-date on topics that ensure you stay current in your discipline (Miller, 2002).

With the additional skills you acquire through continual learning, more personal aspects such as increased confidence, increased self-esteem, and high productivity are the benefits as well. By learning more job skills in your position, you feel more confident and at ease about completing your work, thus, leading to an increase in your self-esteem. The more self-esteem and confidence you gain, the more productive in your position you will be. With these benefits to your personality, it could lead to a more positive, productive personal life.

Some companies offer on-site training or compensate educational expenses, but this is not always available and continual learning has to be a personal expense. Returning to school to get your degree in a career field can help you move ahead into management positions within your company. Without a college degree, you can reach a stopping point in your career that can easily lead to negative production. You start to question your worth to the company and contemplate leaving to fill the void of boredom.