Amanda Rose: What you should do every year to boost your career

It doesn’t matter if you’re 16 or 60 — doing this one simple thing each year can help you stand out and boost your job prospects.

Lifelong learning is not just degree-related, it is an attitude, it comes down to personality.

What employers want is someone who wants to learn about an industry and upskill in a particular area and improve who they are and how they are delivering.

When an employer reads a CV and sees someone is constantly educating themselves, it’s a good sign they know they are not perfect and there is more potential to be realised.

Employers want people who can look at things differently and give different options and a fresh angle.

It says they want to do more or be more.

You don’t have to do a degree – you could do a TAFE course or certificate or something completely different.
You could do a one-day course on social media, or a three-day workshop on project management, or be learning pottery.

Whatever the skill, if you are learning regularly, employers want to know that.

They want to know that you are not stagnant.

Amanda Rose says people should aim to learn something new every year. Picture: Monique Harmer

Once a year, set a goal to learn something new.

It’s important for everyone.

It’s not just the people at the top that need to learn – or don’t need to learn.

There are a lot of free programs out there in Australia and people should be taking that up.

It’s levelling the playing field for everyone to educate themselves.

If you are a 60-year-old retiree, do it.

If you are 16 and want to learn something outside of school, do it.

If there is something you have always wanted to learn, don’t let society or pressures scare you off, do it!

Whether you are 16 or 60, it’s a good time to upskill. Picture: iStock

I am studying a Master of Business Law at Sydney University, doing it one subject at a time.

Because I work with small businesses, I want to understand how the law impacts them.

This will be my fourth degree and I’m loving it.

I also have a Bachelor of Business, majoring in marketing and organisational psychology, a Master of Communications Management, and a Graduate Certificate in Educational Leadership.

I want to encourage mature-age people to be lifelong learners.

I always wanted to do law when I was younger and I’m glad I waited until now but if there is something you have always wanted to do, do it.

Amanda Rose is a business consultant, workplace trainer, LinkedIn influencer and founder of six organisations – and now she is tackling your career questions for SMART Daily every week.

Got a question? Send it to [e-mail]

Originally published as Amanda Rose: What you should do every year to boost your career