Why Should You Upgrade Your Skills While on Job?

I could give you one reason for upgrading your tech skills and close this article upfront: You need to stay relevant in the crazily dynamic tech industry. But then, given the condition of today's economy at large, "staying relevant" isn't as simple as it was ever before. We're looking at corporate layoffs making their rounds and, on the other side, competition in the job market increasingly stiffening. To top it all off, new technologies are emerging at a rapid rate and what you knew a couple years ago is no longer good enough.

But, make no mistake, there are techies who know the hardships the economy throws at them and how to tackle them and stay relevant by upgrading themselves. For example click here to read the story of John Solan, who has consistently stayed relevant in the tech industry for the past 40 years.

The one prominent lesson his career advancement offers us is this: Staying relevant in today's tech industry is not just about mastering a specific set of skills. It is more and more about "taking personal responsibility for learning and adapting" - which means actively and continuously upgrading your tech skills.

Not Upgrading Skills - What Does It Imply?

Okay, let's talk plainly here. Job security has become almost a delusion today. Every time your employer is faced with the consequences of economic downturn, he is pushed to reassess the cost side of the business. Tell you what; one promising area of cost cutting is the workforce. Due to many reasons, there can always exist a part of the workforce that is costing more to the business than it contributes to the revenue.

And, ground zero is the last place you would like to stay at when the next layoff bomb is about to explode. An employee with outdated skills, when the company needs to stay far ahead, looks like a perfect choice, doesn't he?

Besides, staying employable is just part of the challenge, because the economy has a sizeable effect directly on you too. Fuel prices are up, groceries are no longer at a comfortable price and the inflation is doing to you everything it can. You very much need something tangible to bring to the table for that next meeting with your boss when you plan to talk about your rise. If you're observant enough, your boss is meeting with every one of your peers.

Build a Sustainable Trust

As John Sloan says, "People who grasp specific technologies but can't quickly learn new ones on their own are the ones who are going to be laid off or whose jobs are going to be outsourced." Well, he said that out of his 40 years of tech experience, and yet, it is most true in the current industry scenario. Let's look at the flip side of the same statement. Your perceived ability to quickly learn new technologies is something that's going to keep you away from the ground zero, right?

Consistently upgrading your tech skills is not just a sign that you've gotten more tricks up your sleeve, but also a sign that your learning curve hasn't yet burned out. It is a sign that your passion and ability to learn new technologies is still up and running, and that builds a sustainable trust about you with your employer.

What more is needed to stay relevant when your boss trusts you?

Remember, technological advancement is something that is inevitable in this information age. And the slope doesn't seem to be declinable anywhere in the foreseeable future. However, your career advancement is probably more and more connected with the technological advancements. The decision that lies on your hands would be - to be, or not to be... relevant.