Side Learning: A New Approach To Skills Acquisition

“How many millionaires do you know who have become wealthy by investing in savings accounts? I rest my case” – Robert G. Allen

Earning extra income on the side is no longer optional, it’s necessary. Side hustling has become a generally acceptable way of raking in more money.

But the question is this: is your current knowledge enough to help you earn on the side?

If you haven’t started thinking about more ways you can acquire skills and bring in extra money, then side learning should prepare you for this reality.

What is Side Learning?

Side learning is a supplemental learning process whereby professionals or individuals can strategically acquire knowledge into a wide array of subjects – sometimes totally different from their current job roles – at the same time leading to the growth of a wholesome personality.

It is a self-directed learning approach and the perfect synthesis between working and learning with the aim of improving your knowledge without negatively impacting workplace productivity.

Side learning can also be a non-obstructive way of gaining a new set of skills that may be needed to transition into other jobs or careers by devoting a portion of your time to learning rather than immersing yourself full-time.

For instance, a content marketer who’s fascinated by the world of web development might choose to commit a portion of their time to learning about web design.

Does learning web design directly improve their workplace performance? Not really. Will they have acquired a new set of skill? Absolutely. Can they earn more income with the new skill? Yes; it can also double as a side hustle.

Is it also possible that in the near future they’d be able to switch careers to web development? Very possible.

Side learning is a way of acquiring knowledge that is of interest to you but may not be directly related to your current job role or career path.

Read also: 6 practical development tips to improve yourself in 2021

Why Should You Commit to Side Learning?

If there’s anything we’ve come to understand today, it’s this:

• People can change jobs as many times as possible
• We have unrestricted access to learning materials at our fingertips
• Credentialism and educational inflation are real
• We can double our knowledge within a short space of time
• Employers look out for multi-talented candidates
• One way to avoid being made redundant is to keep improving your performance

According to a 2019 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) survey of baby boomers, the average number of jobs in a lifetime is 12. The BLS also reported that the median employee tenure was 4.3years for men and 4.0years for women.

These statistics are pointers to the fact that people are changing jobs now more than ever. The era of working with one company for 40years before retiring is slowly fading into the past.

However, in order to make a career or job switch seamless, you need to have acquired relevant skills needed for success in that position.

Boredom, availability of attractive job offers, discovery of gifts or talents, and the need to earn more money are some of the many reasons people seek career changes.

The presence of AI and machines are also contributing factors. In order to remain relevant and earn better income, you need to keep improving yourself or at least work in an environment where machines won’t be able to replace you easily.

While side learning can be applied to the learning of things outside your current job role, it can also be applied to other areas relating to your job.

For instance, as a content marketer, it’s advisable that you have a solid knowledge of social media management and graphics design skills.

These may not be your core job responsibilities, but acquiring these skills can greatly improve your chances of commanding better wages and also make you invaluable in your workplace.

Read also: 5 strategies on how to make a successful career change

Benefits of Side Learning

Some of the benefits of side learning includes but aren’t limited to:

• Ability to earn more with increased knowledge:

Take a critical look at those who command the highest pay in your workplace. They earn much more than others because of their impact, value and contribution to the growth of the company.

The more knowledge you acquire, the more the chance you’ll get to earn better income.

We’re now in the knowledge age. The ability to learn and apply that knowledge is the major difference between those who earn more and those who earn significantly less.

Similarly, workplace promotions are granted based on your contributions to the growth of the firm. You can only add value when you keep learning.

Side learning can also improve your chances of earning a reasonable amount of money from your side hustle.

• Chances of learning more about other things outside your field of study:

The secret to learning a new thing is interest. Curiosity begets knowledge, and new information can promote the understanding of previous experiences.

Knowing a little bit of everything is often better than having one expert skill.

Additionally, those who attempt to learn about other things most times become better conversationalists. They can draw analogies from various bodies of knowledge and concepts.

Knowledge diversification is vital in today’s world. The narrower your scope of knowledge, the more replaceable you’ll become – either by machines or by your employers.

Knowing a little bit of everything can also make you self-sustained and independent. It improves your chances of becoming your own boss.

With side learning, you have an opportunity of learning other things of interest to you outside your field of study or job roles.

Know everything about one thing, and a little bit about everything else.

• Career switch possibilities:

Switching careers without experience can be very challenging but it becomes more difficult to do so without having acquired the needed skills.

Side learning slowly prepares you for the skills you need to make that job or career change. Learning can become your passport to a career switch if and when you need to make that change. It can also improve your career growth possibilities this year.

Career change requires proper planning and the willingness to learn from scratch. These you can achieve if you commit diligently to side learning.

Conclusion

Your learning potential is directly proportional to how much you’re likely to earn.

Side learning encourages a culture of constantly learning a new thing as long as it interests and increases your chances of earning more income.

Learn as much as you possibly can. Make it a part of your routine. Explore other areas of interest.