| Completely aware of the cherry picking process | | | | before. Your brain can absorb an immense |
| that employers use to screen out unfit | | | | amount of knowledge and as you feed it with |
| candidates, you went through the trouble of | | | | something different and something |
| creating a resume that outsmarted all other | | | | not-so-important-or-necessary, someday it will |
| cherries. Yes, you included your 3.8 GPA, all your | | | | throw back this newly acquired skill of yours in |
| research papers and social work awards. You | | | | ways you never imagined. Something different |
| burned the midnight oil and applied for all possible | | | | awakens different parts of your brain. |
| jobs. Click. Click. Click. You gave outstanding | | | | Chances are you want to quit your job and |
| interviews and whole process finally landed you in | | | | switch to a completely new career. You'll then be |
| a job. Your very first job. | | | | asking yourself: why did I invest my time and |
| Days pass by quickly and all that seemed so | | | | energy in something I'd never make a future in. |
| complex initially is now gradually unfolding and | | | | The answer to your question is simple: you did |
| beginning to seem attainable. Months pass by and | | | | not waste your time and certainly not your |
| you feel like an expert. What used to be a | | | | energy, instead you were invigorating and |
| when-am-I-ever-going-to-learn-this is replaced with | | | | awakening all those areas in your brain by thinking |
| a confident | | | | differently and learning different things everyday. |
| o-it attitude. | | | | So, if you are a Data Analyst and want to be a |
| Now you're thinking: I've finally settled down. Your | | | | writer in future, fear not and keep those creative |
| last year's resume feels like lean meat now, which | | | | thoughts going, some day you'll write about how |
| you're going to be able to slap some good fat on, | | | | you changed your mundane experiences to |
| thanks to your newly acquired skills. Yet, the | | | | creative ones. Or someday you'll write better |
| process has only begun. The market keeps | | | | because certain areas in your brain woke up or |
| changing and job requirements are never still. | | | | because you never allowed them to get rusty. |
| You slowly begin to realize that your 9-5 job is | | | | Your job may turn out to be fascinating; a job |
| nothing but submission to brainless monotony. You | | | | that requires creative thinking for revolutionizing |
| cannot change your job for some reason | | | | projects. You can only say with one hundred |
| important to you. You still have to keep learning | | | | certainty that yes indeed your job is not |
| and thinking creatively, no matter what. I'll tell you | | | | repetitive if you're doing something that is one |
| why, if you read on. | | | | hundred percent different from what you did |
| Apart from the projects that you work on | | | | from the first day you joined. Although it may be |
| regularly and the tools that you use on an | | | | true in certain cases, it seems highly improbable |
| everyday basis, it is also essential to build on | | | | that there's a job that doesn't require repetition |
| other skills. For instance: you work as a Database | | | | of some sort. This definitely brings us to the |
| Administrator. You obviously will learn to | | | | conclusion that we are all required to learn |
| administrate the database that your company | | | | something different with each passing day. |
| uses and the odds are slim that you want to learn | | | | It does not matter if we plan to change our |
| another database unless of course, there's a | | | | career. It's not the actual tool or business process |
| more powerful or interesting database that you | | | | that's going to add up to our resume , it's the |
| can't wait to administer. Essentially, you've | | | | learning process, the awakening of those special |
| mastered the database that you're probably going | | | | areas in your brain and not allowing them to turn |
| to deal with for the next ten years of your life. | | | | rusty and the experience that matters. So, even |
| But there are some other tools that you've never | | | | if you're stuck in a job that you don't particularly |
| played around with. Tools that you feel are silly | | | | like or want to pursue for the rest of your life: |
| and require an hour to understand. Make that hour | | | | never stop learning. If your job requires you to |
| now. | | | | do something repetitive and you're beginning to |
| Days pass by and before you know it, although | | | | get irritated by the 9-5 drudgery and you can't |
| you're an expert at something, you're still a | | | | quit your job for some reason, even then: don't |
| novice at some other tool. Some tool you feel | | | | quit learning. Even in this mundane job seek |
| isn't important. And before you know it, you're | | | | creativity. If you have to plug in formulas and |
| falling prey to brainless monotony. It's important | | | | format the same Excel spreadsheets all day long, |
| to learn that tool or thinking creatively at that | | | | try learning to write macros to speed up the |
| mundane job, too. Yes, even if you're not going | | | | process. If your job requires you to maintain the |
| to stick to it. | | | | cabinet keys and make the early morning coffee, |
| To cite another example: you're a Data Analyst | | | | try making creative name chains for each one |
| and you know how to statistically detect patterns | | | | (using the office supplies, of course). Think of new |
| in data. You use SAS and consider SQL to be not | | | | and creative ideas to implement every day. You |
| important because SAS does it all. You're probably | | | | get the point. Research online, ask around or sit |
| right and again in most probabilities tools and | | | | just by yourself thinking how you can learn |
| methodologies get replaced. But it is always good | | | | something different. |
| to try your hand at something different, | | | | Think different and learn something different and |
| something that you haven't tried your hand at | | | | as years slip by, you'll know why! |