You never know (Saturated Market)

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You never know

Strategy I'm a firm believer in continuous learning. When I was in high school, I stuck around in OAC (that's Grade 13 in Ontario...or, was. Only 12 now) so I could go to University instead of College. When I was in University, I stuck around for a 4th year so I could get my Honours. When I left University, I went to College. And now that I'm out of College, I'm still learning. I go through old notes, I read old texts, I keep EVERY project I've written or worked on since University to use as reference, and I read industry blogs with valuable information.

I think the greatest reason for absorbing as much information as possible is: You never know.

You never know everything
You never know enough
You never know when you'll need it

I read blogs about sales, I kept all my materials from my sales course, I'm a member of the Canadian Professional Sales Association. Am I going to go into sales? Doubtful. But you never know. Personally, I think sales techniques are applicable no matter the situation. They're all about being persuasive and personable. So I learn about sales.

When I was doing my postgrad, I (like many of my classmates) disliked learning about Direct Marketing and Supply Chain Management. But I still went to every class, and still kept all my notes. And paid attention as much as I could. I didn't really expect to ever do anything with them, but I learned anyway. And guess what my first internship was? Doing direct marketing for a company that specialized in supply chain management solutions. You never know.

I learned Photoshop, HTML and CSS so I could post my online comic. It was just a hobby. I've since used PS to work on the direct marketing campaign I mentioned above (and to do projects in class), and I'm currently responsible for writing the code to redesign the website for the company I'm currently on contract for. I turned a hobby into meaningful work.

Learning all about new things (even ones outside your expertise) is not only great because it keeps your mind sharp and can teach you something interesting, but you may find yourself in a situation not too far down the road where you end up using it.

Learn all you can, because it may lead to an opportunity. You never know.

Until next time,