What is the True Value of Learning?

There are types of people. Someone who continues to learn, and someone who decides learning is not a thing after they get a diploma. For me, learning is life. What am I doing if I’m not learning from it? If you don’t like learning, you’ll have a hard time keeping up with technology and norms that get affected by innovation. If you print out directions, I’m talking to you.

With all that we have to learn, people still find resistance to learning; at least in a formal sense. You may work at a company that doesn’t prioritize learning. No one really goes to conventions, or training opportunities. If they do, it’s to prioritize networking over gaining new insight. It’s almost as if reading a book, or watching a documentary is a chore.

Intrinsic Motivation

If you didn’t know before reading this post, there are plenty of benefits to learning. You can’t just simply read the benefits and say, “You know what. I think I’m going to learn more.” In order to get the most out of learning, you have to appreciate its value. It’s not something super general in which I (or anyone else) can give you advice. You have to find your personal value. This is not something you can do as if you were to read a book to check it off a list.

There might be concerns over time and money that you would have to invest in learning. Your love for it has to be greater than these risks. Some maybe insecure about being too vulnerable with what they don’t know by admitting to it with a class. Trying to learn, while ultimately struggling to grasp the material to be very frustrating. If you really want to learn, and receive the benefits, you’re love for learning must cover this as well. It’s tough, but it’ll be worth it in the end.

The Benefits of Learning

So now that we have that covered, let’s get into these benefits. You’ve heard that phrase, “Learners are earners.” It’s true. It’s the reason why the person with the Ph.D gets paid the big bucks. People who advance in their degree typically make more money. It’s really that simple. It’s not because you have to pay for it… Education helps with the social aspect as well. Those who actively learn also seek out opportunities to learn about new people. They gain confidence to try new things and get a bit out of their comfort zone. Again, that may be part of the issue. If we want to get out of our comfort zone we have to learn to love learning.