“The illiterates of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn” -Alvin Toffler
Introduction
Learning widens our horizons, enhances our knowledge, and keeps us up to date with the current world. But if we remain complacent and refuse to change with changing times we might be overtaken and end up being irrelevant. When we look around, we find that things around us are changing fast. For instance, in 1998, Kodak employed 1, 70,000 employees and sold 85% of the world’s photo papers. Within the last few years, digital photography made them out of the market. And Kodak went bankrupt and all his staff came on the road. Look at some products like HMT (clock), BAJAJ (scooter), DYANORA (TV), MURPHY (radio), NOKIA (Mobile), RAJDOOT (bike) &AMBASSADOR (car).
What Did You Notice?
There was no shortage of quality at all, yet they were out of the market! Why? Because they have not changed over time. In the coming 10 years, the world will change completely and 70 to 90% of the people running today will be closed. So learning new way of doing etc. is important & the secret to learning new things is to be willing to unlearn–even if what you know previously brought success.
Why Unlearning is necessary?
Unlearning can be a one-shot or a daily practice. And when you start this exercise, you become open to new skills, experiences, behaviors, and knowledge. But how to about in this regard?
A. Begin at the beginning. In order to pick up a new skill, even if it’s similar to something you already can do, learn what makes it different..
B. Stay open. Unlearning doesn’t require you to toss out all your accumulated experiences or previous know-how .Rather, it’s all about being open to different ways of getting things done.
C. Look for mirrors. Ask your boss, coworkers, employees, family, and friends for guidance by asking for it. The more people you have in your life who help you reflect on your behaviors, the greater your chance to gain an accurate sense of how other people perceive you and which actions to unlearn.
D. Examine your beliefs. Your beliefs determine your behavior & when you believe you already know the right way to do things, everything else can seem wrong.
So let’s list out the things to unlearn and start relearning in earnest.
Welcome to the 4th Industrial Revolution…
Uber is just software & does not have a single car of its own. And despite this it is the world’s largest taxi company.Airbnb is the world’s largest hotel company, while they do not have a single hotel of their own. There are many similar examples like paytm, Ola cabs, Oyo rooms.
For instance, there is no work left for young lawyers in the US now because the software named IBM Watson gives better legal advice throughout the moment. The software named Watson is diagnosed with 4x Accuracy of Cancer compared to humans. By 2030 the computer will be more intelligent than humans. And very soon, Driverless cars will land on the roads, which will change the whole world.10-12 years back, there was no such place where there is no PCO. But when the mobile phone arrived, the PCOs had to shut down & PCO people started selling the mobile phones. Now the recharge is also going online.
Need of the Hour?
So, with changing times, we too have to ‘upgrade’ ourselves to cope up with the change. Now, coming to the working professional one simply cannot continue a job without upgrading his skills or getting certified. But a question may arise as to why upgrading your skills time to time is important?
A. Better Opportunity: If you are unhappy with your current work or looking for a change of job / domain then getting certified is a great option. Not only it will help you get a better pay, it will help you climb the hierarchical ladder at work.
B. Domain Expertise: Professionals are of two types. One, those who master one skill & the other are those who are ‘good’ at multiple things and are able to take up multiple roles in the organization. Be the second to remain relevant & survive.
C. Improves Employability: When you are looking for a job change but find that your skills are outdated, learning something new and getting certified is a wonderful option. Not only it will help you learn & master the subject, but also improves your chances of being hired as now you have expertise in multiple skills!
D. Discover new Passion: Feeling of being stagnant in your career is frustrating and often makes your life stressful. This is the time when you should look for something different from your current domain. So go ahead, learn a new skill and get certified to discover your new passion.
Conclusion
Have you ever noticed ?Today, every third store in the market is a mobile phone store which does sale, service and maintenance of phones and it’s accessories. Almost all payments are done by Paytm today. People have started booking railway tickets with their phones. The transaction of money is also changing. Currency Note was replaced by Plastic Money and now it’s Digital…
Hence, every Person should continue to make changes in his business or his / her way of working and should also change his / her nature over time for Good. So, keep updating / upgrading your skills and knowledge with time. As the world is changing very fast, keep your eyes and ears open or else you will lose.
Be prepared to change with time. Fly like an eagle with time and Be Successful. As Charles Darwin rightly said “it’s not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but those most adaptive to change.”