(cross-post from my other blog, Attestation Update, with a few changes for broader application.)
That’s a key idea from Bill Sheridan’s blog post, Learn. Share. Repeat from the Maryland Association of CPAs. His comments apply directly to all knowledge workers.
Knowledge workers need to have a lot of knowledge. And a broad base of information. And the wisdom how to use that knowledge.
We get paid for what we know! Cool!
Take your choice – we have to be constantly learning. Or we get to be constantly learning.
I choose get.
If we want to keep getting paid for what we know, we need to be learning.
Some choose otherwise:
And yet I still hear instructors complain about folks who come to their CPE programs and hide behind newspapers or laptops for two or four or eight hours. “I don’t really want to learn anything,” these “students” are implying. “Just give me my hours.”
What a waste.
Mr. Sheridan advice applies to all knowledge workers – we should be constantly learning.
It doesn’t even have to be technical stuff for your field. Could be anything. He says:
Look, I don’t care what you do. Play guitar. Cook. Needlepoint. Map your family tree. Rewire your house. Create a blog and start writing for it every day. (Imagine that.)
Just learn something. Then learn something else. Then share it.
He suggests any class at random from their courses.
Me? I’m learning every day by reading a bunch of blogs to expose myself to what others know and think. By doing that I’m learning and stretching and growing.
I’m writing a blog. That forces me to learn how to write and put my ideas into more coherent form (okay, maybe coherent for the first time!).
You know what I’ve found? This constant learning stuff is a lot of fun.
Read his full post for to