Ask Suzen: I Know It All! Attending Educational Seminars

This morning a client called me to ask why I “bothered” attending Wordcamp 2012, when I could have just as easily sent my more techy colleague. After all, it’s his job to know, implement and stay on top of all the latest technology.

Here’s the thing: attending educational workshops, keeping up on the latest industry news… and laws... is crucial. I said CRUCIAL to anyone in business and especially in a service oriented business. Don’t for a second believe that because you:

• Went to school for;
• Have a degree in;
• Have always done it this way;
• Learned from a master;
• Have a great instinct;
• Were born to do this;

Etc… that you don’t have to keep up with your craft. This is what they said at Blockbuster… er, Borders, er… you get the picture, before the ship went down and they had time to recreate their wheel.

In order stay alive, be of value and be able to predict trends and act on them it is all our responsibilities to be aware of those trends and to self-educate on a continuous basis! Hence Google Trends. Check them out — all the companies that are in this race to the top are, and you should be also.

Look at the continuous medical advances taking place in this short century alone. Would you trust your oncologist if he/she wasn’t up on the latest treatments for cancer? I was taught by a very wise mentor to always, always reinvest at least 5 percent of my yearly income in educating myself, and I have held to that. Whether that is formal training, ongoing certification programs, reading the latest books, magazine, e-zines, blogs and online reports, keeping your craft “cutting edge” will not only make a difference for you and your product or skill, but also adds a layer of credibility and trust to both your resume and to your clients/customers. Invest in yourself!

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