The error of the continuous training business
I saw a video discussing a common mistake that many people make, related to the business of continuous education. The mistake is based on the idea that one must necessarily acquire qualifications upon qualifications for a job that compensates for all the years spent bent over books. You finish high school, and they tell you that without a degree, finding a job will be difficult because it’s now considered a minimum requirement. You finally graduate after years of written, practical, and oral exams, and Polyjuice Potion brewing, only to be told that everyone has a degree now, so it’s not enough. You decide to pursue a master’s degree to stand out from the crowd, then follow certifications, various master’s degrees, and reach the age of 30, now out of the apprentice age limit. It’s a limbo that is easy to fall victim to, especially when considering all the times we make important choices at too young an age.
At 14, we have to decide which high school to attend, a decision far from easy. What do I know at 14 about what I want to do when I grow up? Until two years ago, I wanted to be an archaeologist because I liked Indiana Jones. But I also like playing video games, so maybe I could do computer science, which is what happened to me. Then, I didn’t enjoy computer science itself until the last year of high school, and from there, I decided to continue until becoming a Software Engineer at Spotify today. And to think that now I don’t even play video games anymore.
At the age of 18, we then have to decide which university to attend, with a plethora of possible faculties and entrance exams that often force us to make one decision over another. So, the trap of continuous education is more significant and complex than described at the beginning of this article, driven and powered by the constant uncertainty that we bring with us from a young age.
But there’s something I want to say against the current, namely that continuous education that occurs after finishing studies can turn your career around. I’m talking about the things you decide to study and delve into by dedicating some of your free time when the temptation to relax on the couch and scroll through your phone after a day of work is strong. This is another significant mistake that many make: stopping their formation once they finish their studies. I understand it to some extent; after more than twenty years of taking exams, quizzes, various assessments, and often studying boring things, it’s easy to come out with a repulsion for studying. We get used to memorizing vast amounts of information in a short span of a few months and then evaluating our work with a number that someone else decides to give us.
The kind of study I’m talking about has a direct impact on your job, with the potential to change your life. You decide what to study based on your goals and passions, and then you see the result applied directly in the world out there. You don’t have to study for hours on end in a short time; you can easily dedicate a few tens of minutes a day because it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
In my case, I studied things related to software development and applied them by creating personal projects which turned out to be very useful during interviews and also for facing day-to-day challenges at work. This helped me to level up step by step, but more importantly, it helped me to build up a mindset that embraces growth through formation.
Continuous education has turned my career around, and I recommend everyone to become 1% better than themselves last year. Read books, take online courses, attend workshops, cultivate a new passion — in short, keep moving forward. Little by little, like a sculptor shaping a statue from a raw marble block, you will be able to give the desired form to your life.
