Make Your Workplace Your Classroom-
And Advance Your Career
Contributed by Kristen A. Meinzer
When most people think of education, a classroom setting comes to mind. But, in fact, most learning does not take place in a school at all. Usually it happens without us even being aware of it. Rather than formally being taught a skill, we “soak it up.” By elevating your awareness of such learning, and being more proactive about it, you can use it as a tool to enhance your own professional growth–and enjoy your job more in the process.
How does this type of learning play out in the workplace? In its most basic form, through observation. Let’s say, for example, that you want to master the art of leading meetings. At your next formal staff meeting, carefully observe the meeting convener. How does he or she make presentations? How does the convener respond to questions? Carefully look over the meeting agenda and take note of how it is organized. With time and observation, you will be one step closer to leading your own meetings.
Learning, of course, requires more than observation. As you become more comfortable with the concept of informal learning on the job, look toward small children as a model and do what they do next: ask lots of questions. Do you want to learn how to organize your Excel® spreadsheets into workbooks? Then ask a colleague who uses Excel on a regular basis. Would you like to insert an image into your next PowerPoint® presentation? Then don’t be afraid to ask for help.
You’ll soon find that a minute here or two minutes there with your colleagues adds up. For some people, it leads to a new career. Take, for example, a friend of mine who had been working in a non-profit arts organization in an administrative capacity. She liked the organization, but longed for more creativity in her work. By asking lots of questions and creating learning opportunities within her assigned projects, she came to master Dreamweaver® and other web-based graphics programs. Today, she is a web designer. And she didn’t spend a single minute in the classroom.
In addition to asking questions on the job, build relationships with people who know more than you about an area that interests you and create opportunities to work with them. Volunteer to sit on committees and ask to be put on assignments that might teach you something new. And take time aside, with your colleagues, and over lunch to discuss current events or trade magazines that are relevant to your work.
There are many benefits to this style of learning, as opposed to formal learning in the classroom:
- Your learning is tailored to you. In a formal classroom setting, there are other students that must be considered and a syllabus that the instructor has laid out. More often than not, much of what is being covered is not what you want to know. When you are in charge of your own learning, everything you learn is relevant to you.
- Informal learning can take place at any time of day, anywhere, in small chunks–unlike classroom learning, which can take hours, or even days and only in a remote setting.
- By learning on the job, you learn by doing, and the information is more likely to be retained.
- Unlike classroom learning, on-the-job learning is free.
Soon after embarking on the journey to informal learning on the job, you will find that there are exciting opportunities to learn something new everyday. Each assignment or project will present the chance to develop or hone a skill. Unexpected curve balls will carry with them the opportunity to expand your body of knowledge.
As you become more adept at learning on the job, be more proactive as well. Demonstrate your new skills during your next assignment and report on what you’ve learned at your next review. No doubt, your supervisors will be impressed. Or, take the skills you’ve learned to a new position in the company, or a new company altogether. And once you’re on the new job, continue to polish the skills you’ve developed.
Once learning in the workplace becomes second nature, you’ll find numerous rewards await: much-deserved recognition, career advancement, and, perhaps best of all, a greater sense of accomplishment and enjoyment in your work.
Excel and PowerPoint are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Dreamweaver is a registered trademark of Macromedia, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries.
About the Author:
Kristen A. Meinzer is a freelance writer, educator, and media scholar. She holds a BA from the University of Minnesota and MA from New York University.
This article is intended for general informational purposes and does not provide legal or other professional advice. All trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners. Please read our disclaimer for additional terms and conditions governing access to and use of this article.
|
