Learn Things That Matter

For the Summer 2022 semester, I decided to take half the semester off. That statement might come as a surprise to you. You might be thinking, “Won’t that impact your graduation date”, or “Won’t that throw off your routine”. Both of those are valid ask, but today I share why you should focus on learning things that matter.

1. What is your why?

The first question, you have to answer is why? Why did you choose to focus on your specific program, certification, or course work? For me, my why was to learn skills that would best prepare me for when I became a manager. This meant a focus on topics that would best prepare me for that. This would include coursework like: Economic Analysis, Developing as A Leader, Organizational Design, and Implementation, Data Visualization and Dashboards just to name a few courses. Using my why, as my guide, meaning if a course aligns with my future growth, I decide to take it. This semester only 2 courses aligned with my why, so instead of forcing a course to stay on track, I just took the 2. To me my why is more important than a graduation timeline. If you don’t have your why, I would take time to determine that before starting to learn something new. Time is not a renewable resource, and it is our responsibility to maximize it.

2. When can you use what you learned?

Have you ever tried to recall something from a class you took years ago? What was your recall like? Did you remember that information clear and concisely or did you find yourself struggling to remember the material? If like me, these questions made you realize that you didn’t retain as much as you thought, this is why when you use what you learned is important. To further expand upon this, I have an example. When I was in undergraduate, I took a Writing for Engineers course, which effectively took an idea and turned it into a spec document. Among my new team, I have written a spec document, but I am not able to recall all of the information from that course. It’s not that I didn’t find the material valuable, it was just 9 years since I learned it. For my master’s program, I am focusing in on learning things that I can use now. I want to be able to practice those skills at work so I can continue to grow those skills. Educational knowledge is always just part of growth, the real growth happens when you use this knowledge.

3. Be picky with what you learn

Someone might be reading this and saying, why did you choose to go to school to be a manager? Was that really required? It was not, but as a Black male at a company where in 2018, Black managers accounted for 2.5% of all managers I wanted something that would make me stand out. While I could have tried certifications, leadership programs, or online courses, having a degree was important for me to feel I stood out. My degree is a Masters in Information Technology (MSIT) with a focus in IT Management (ITM). As an employee at a tech company, who was trying to be a manager in a IT support organization for their first corporate manager position, getting this degree shows I have skill in this area and I am willing to learn as a leader. Now I do not know how much weight was put on this when I interviewed or even if it was taken under consideration, but I do believe that it helped build the story of why kind of leader/manager you get with me.

You need this level of pickiness, because you have to determine what is going to get you to where you want to be. Ask people who have the experience you want what they would recommend. Is it a certification, is it a boot camp, is it volunteer experience, whatever they provide use that information to determine the best steps for yourself. I did not want to get an MBA because a peer getting a Ph.D. explained the program matters, and the connections made in the classroom where the additional value is in the program. He also informed me that to make these connections you most likely would want to go back and be a full-time student. This advice helped steer me towards MSIT-ITM program which has been exceptionally valuable to me. I share my story to say I found something that benefited me, get out there and find something that benefits you.

Summary

When you are deciding to learn something that matters, remember these 3 things:

• Know your why
• Learn something you can use quickly
• Be picky with the program you choose (degrees, certifications, boot camps, etc)

While these may seem simple, these 3 things can help you ensure you are making the best decision for yourself, your future, and what you want to learn. Your learning becomes meaningful when you put intention behind your choices.