Skill Up: You Need to Keep Advancing

 

There's an Igbo adage that says, "Ahú ihe ka ubi, èréé óba" (If one sees something greater than the farm, one sells the barn). 

It means that if you see (foresight) what is bigger and better than what you have, you'll sell what you have to get that thing.

I like to use Igbo adages. They have deep and instructive🙇 meanings.

There's a level of growth and understanding you'll attain which will make you consider your present earning or level in your career as unfit to remain in. In that situation, you'll "sell that barn" in order to step into that desired place.

Foresight🧐 is the ability to judge correctly what the future will be and prepare for that future.

If you quit your job to further your studies or take a training, it may seem you just lost the money you will make while working that job. But the level that additional training, schooling or certification will place you afterwards, will exponentially increase your relevance, demand as well as earnings.

There was a time typewriters were the machines used for typing. If you were a secretary and could use a typewriter, you were skilled and well sought after. Nowadays, typewriting skills are no longer needed because computers have taken over. A secretary who had foresight then would have gone for training to learn how to use computers. Otherwise, he/she will become less relevant and out of work.

Constantly updating yourself with in-demand skills and knowledge, is an act of foresight. It sets you up for constant relevance in your career. You will not phase out or become less desired. Your value in an organization is not just dependant on how many years you've been doing a particular job, but how updated you are in doing that job. 

People who don't keep updating themselves with in-demand skills will become less employable and relevant. 

Whenever there's a knowledge, skill or technology shift, it is a SET UP to PUSH UP the few that have the requisite skills at that point. Those who have foresight prepare for those kairos moments.

Times are changing. Your success in your profession depends on your versatility. There's a popular saying in the legal profession that "No lawyer is a good lawyer that knows only the law". Of course, there's no law of law😄. It's usually law of something. For example, Business law, Commercial Law, Intellectual Property law, Artificial Intelligence law, Cyber Regulation law, and many more. Lawyers are called learned because they know something about everything.

This applies to every other profession. You should know a bit about other things. Be technology conscious. Don't be remote when it comes to technology.

And yes, if it requires quitting your job to acquire the necessary training in preparation for your next level, please do. You are responsible for how far you want to go in life and the height you want to attain.

Keep advancing 🏃