Where learning is concerned, it is common for professionals to find themselves stagnating at work. This is often a result of when the demands of the job are eating up whatever time they have which is bad news for professional development. Over time, you might find yourself no longer growing into the person you imagined a few years ago, a sad realisation, but the good news is you can take back control of your learning at work.
This is important because what you can learn is more relevant than what you know now, and employers need this dynamism for their employees to flourish. After all, behind every successful business is a successful team and you’re a cog in that wheel.
Taking control of your learning at work if you’re exceptionally busy will be more difficult than if you have some spare time. But it can be done and here is how to do it.
Speak with your boss
The biggest barrier in your way to learning more is your employer’s attitude. You can’t expect an organisation focused on its clients to devote much time to your development if resources are stretched. But you can make your boss aware of your intention to learn, and in doing so you will lay the groundwork for further discussions.
You might even be pleasantly surprised by the response you get. If you pitch the idea as beneficial to the organisation, such conversations usually go very well. The key is to making the talk as much about your role at work as it is about you and your development.
Choose a relevant course
Learning is all about gaining new knowledge and skills. To take control of learning at work with the grace of your employer, the learning has got to be relevant to your role at work or the path you want your career to take.
Your learning should also result in a certification or qualification. This is a transferrable achievement you can use to get a better job or work your way up the career ladder with. It’s also proof you are qualified in your role.
For example, if you want to take the next step into management, a certification in project management or change management or another relevant area of management would be perfect. Alternatively, if you’re in IT and want to specialise yourself, a certification in IT service management, cyber resilience or software testing could be perfect for you.
Find time to learn at work
The second biggest barrier in your way to learning at work is time and this is directly linked to your boss’s attitude. You can’t expect your employer to grant you an hour out of each day to study. In fact, they probably couldn’t do that for themselves, but it needn’t stop you because there’s still time to learn.
For example, you could come into work an hour earlier to study. You could alternatively start work an hour earlier, finish work an hour earlier than normal and use the hour at the end of the day to study (with the grace of your boss, of course). You could use your lunchtime to study, or even skip your smaller breaks to create a longer lunchtime a few days a week.
If your boss is all for you learning at work, they might help support your studying times and allocate an hour out of each week for you to get on with it. However, remember it is up to you to be proactive, negotiate and find the time you need to ultimately make this happen.
When it comes to format, e-learning courses are most suitable for learning at work because all your spare time can be put to use in front of the computer. You can complete your e-learning course in your own time and save your work as you progress. This enables you to learn while still being completely committed to your job.
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