Kazira

Learning, which ultimately leads to professional and personal growth, works in one of two ways –

1. The push mechanism where individuals are taught in a classroom or training setting (examples: schools, academies, corporate classes, etc.)

2. The pull mechanism where individuals take charge and seek to satisfy their quest for knowledge by reading, talking to SMEs (subject matter experts), initiating focused discussions, etc.

Though relying on the push mechanism is a reasonably effective way of learning through your school years (up until undergrad), you should start to identify ways of pulling knowledge once you choose a path of higher studies (i.e. graduate school) or take a plunge into the real world (i.e. professional career). Both the grad school and the professional workplace are environments where people who are smart, experienced, and proven surround you, and these types of settings present you with some unique learning and growth opportunities. But there is only so much that is going to come your way if you decide to sit and wait for things to happen. Further, there is only so much learning that can happen by means of osmosis (if you forget what this process is, look up high school biology). On the other hand, you could express your desire for acquiring new knowledge by inculcating a behavior that genuinely seeks to explore and learn.

Lets dive a little deeper into the two environments mentioned above. Graduate school, no matter what your field of study/research, is a place where you seek to gain a deeper knowledge of a particular subject matter. You end signing up for some core courses and some electives specific to your area of research. In parallel, you work on your research matter and thesis dissertation. Your thesis “advisor” guides you through this process and you are one amongst the 5 or more graduate students working. If you are the typical grad student, you will follow the instructions provided by your advisor, complete the program requirements, and along the way, demonstrate some curiosity and creativity. Now, if you are the “I own my growth” types, you will make the time to take those extra grad courses, seek to get on your advisor’s calendar more often, co-author that paper on a new (maybe disruptive) concept or idea, and get your first job already lined up with the agency/company funding your grad school.

Lets now take a look at the professional work environment. The average Joe (or Jane) will be excited at the thought of getting that first break in the real world because now he will start getting that much sought out paycheck. At work, he will do his typical workplace things like work on assignments, attend the meetings, participate in routine professional development seminars, complete the CBT trainings, etc. On the other hand, if are the “I own my growth” types, you will take the extra step of understanding how the assignments align/integrate with the company’s business, evaluating different ways of executing the assignment, understanding what some of the other groups do and how that impacts your group’s objectives, understanding how the company operates, signing up for optional but strategic trainings, etc. For starters, knowing how your employer runs their business, the company strategy, strengths, values, etc. are valuable pieces of knowledge. I am amazed at the number of young professionals I run into who do even know their publicly traded company’s stock ticker symbol or market capitalization!

I hope you have been able to spot the pattern by now. The typical, average person only does the tasks that are required of him/her. The last thing they want to do is to stretch themselves or their brains by giving people around them the notion that they are passionate about their growth or serious about learning. Majority of such people do lead happy and content lives but that’s all they get out of their laid-back, one-day-at-a-time, easy-come-easy-go attitude. If you really care about what you want to be and where you want to be, professionally and personally, over the years and decades to come, you will need to take charge and ownership of your own growth and make your intentions clear to everybody around you. You really have to believe that you can positively influence change in your attitude and your environment, and this type of mindset will serve you many folds in your life.