Re: Educational areas to pursue

[Andrea Frazier <AFrazier -at- CreativeSolutions -dot- com>]

I've managed to stay out of these silly arguments for three years, but here
I go. 

What I heard was two people offering advice that says when a person decides
to study, they should bear in mind what will also benefit their careers, not
JUST their current job. Emphases on "ALSO" and "JUST." I don't know how much
clearer I can make it. I didn't hear anyone urging the writer to ignore
their employer, only not to focus solely on the employer's goals at the
exclusion of any of their own.

Related anecdote: about five years ago an employer I no longer work for
insisted I take about 80 hours of soft skills classes on administrative
stuff, running meetings that start on time and have a point, etc. etc. This
was in addition to my regular duties; I was not paid overtime. I complied
and took all the training. Meanwhile, I made sure to ALSO - not INSTEAD of -
ALSO take evening education that led me into a different career, just in the
nick of time. Right after I left, I heard that the "running meetings on
time" employees were later let go in a massive housecleaning. Had I focused
only on the boss's requested skills (he's gone, too), I'd have been jobless,
too. 

People are responsible for mapping out their own futures in addition to
satisfying their current employers. If the writer's employer had demanded
they get training in something like template design, you'd probably agree
that they should hedge their bets and also pursue some better skills in
spite of their boss's wishes, for their own sake.

 - Andrea


Subject: Re: Educational areas to pursue
From: Andrew Plato <gilliankitty -at- yahoo -dot- com>
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 01:10:01 -0800 (PST)
X-Message-Number: 2

Jan Henning wrote...

> Both Beth and me argued that, in deciding WHAT to learn (not IF to 
> learn), you should make sure that you benefit (in the long run), not 
> just your current employer. (That is: not JUST your current employer.)

If an employer asks for a certain skill (that would be "WHAT to learn",
Jan),
and you say no because it doesn't fit your career ambitions, then it would
make
sense for that employer to fire you. 

So essentially what Beth proposed was that people put their current jobs in
peril just because it might not conform to their career desires. That is not
a
wise decision.  

If a writer told me he/she would not learn a skill I had deemed important, I
would of course, ask why. If their reason was because that skill would not
benefit them in the long run, I would of course explain my reasons for why I
felt that skill was necessary. If that person still resisted, I would most
likely terminate them. 

And I think that being terminated has a profoundly more detrimental effect
on
career ambitions that possibly knowing a skill that isn't in high demand. 

Now, if I have missed some nuance in what you or Beth said, then by all
means
please re-explain it to me. However, don't waste time with pointless attacks
over how I misunderstood you or mangled your words. If you feel
misunderstood
then expand upon your ideas and enlighten me. Explain what I misunderstood
and
why. 

But remember, I am well within bounds to disagree with your idea(s). And
disagreement is not synonymous with misunderstanding. 

Andrew Plato 


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