Continuous learning is more important than ever. Why?

If continuous learning (not to be confused with ‘continual learning’, the branch of machine learning that uses algorithms. Although we’ll get to robots shortly!) never quite makes it to the top of your to-do list, you might want to rethink your priorities.

A quick glance over the current or imminent issues surrounding job security, and suddenly, the importance of learning new things comes into sharp focus.

'Robots are stealing our jobs'

We’re not necessarily talking about the anthropomorphic ones. We’re (crudely) referring to the powerful technologies that can perform certain tasks more quickly than we can. Daniel Susskind, Oxford economist and author of ‘A World Without Work’, has suggested two career strategies for the future: learning to be good at what systems and machines cannot do, or knowing how to build these machines.

Review your current skillset and the tasks you perform in your job and consider how at risk they are to automation. What you can do to mitigate the risk or adapt in advance?

COVID-19 is the remote-working revolution

An unprecedented number of people have been forced to work from home since the early days of the pandemic. And we shouldn’t count on this shift in the environment going anywhere anytime soon.

This means that both employers and employees need to be proficient in technology that facilitates remote working. If you haven’t already, you must also take the time to set up a professional and healthy workspace.

The following list of skills might look relatively typical, but when seen through a remote-working lens, we all have room for improvement.

1. Strong communication skills

This now includes a broader range of platforms, such as instant messaging.

2. Collaboration

The absence of a physical space to gather can make collaboration more challenging. To be successful at this, you need to strike the right balance of communication tools (phone, online meetings, project management software etc).

3. Focus

Review your strategies for managing distractions around the home.

4. Time management

Consider how you or your employees may need to manage competing work and home life duties (for example, home-schooling).

5. Adaptability

Working from home can be unpredictable. Wifi drops out, logins might not work etc. How will you and your team adapt to better manage these issues?

We’re an ageing population

Australia, the US and the UK are just some of the countries with ageing populations. Retirement savings are not keeping up and the pension age is rising. As a result, many people are needing to work longer and this can prompt the question: how do I remain employable?

Employers should certainly consider the experience, reliability and loyalty that older employees bring. How can your business adapt to benefit from an older workforce? As an employee, think about how your current skillset may need to change and align with your future lifestyle. This is particularly important if you often perform manual labour as part of your job.

...but above all, keep learning because it makes us happy!

If this article is starting to read like a ‘why and how to stay relevant and employable’ survival guide, take a breath. Above all, we should also keep learning for the pure joy of it and because it often leads to a happy and fulfilling life.