Invest in Yourself, the Smartest Investment with the Greatest Return

I believe this challenge is faced by everyone be it in civvy street or in uniform. For those transitioning the consequences of not investing in oneself get aggravated due to the drastic switch in environment.

In corporate sector large number of technology professionals find themselves waylaid when new technologies or smarter working options come by and make their function obsolete. For techies an example could be how Cloud and DevOps would render old time IT Infrastructure and Sys Admins obsolete or how Automation and RPAs will replace low end outsourcing jobs.  

Indians by nature being savers than investors would rather save a penny than invest it to grow it to a pound. In Defence forces most education is free and is by way of nomination where no one is bounded to upskill himself in his own time or money. There is no incentive or benefit for defence personnel to upskill themselves as the personnel /MR branch considers only defence courses for positions and  postings .

This attitude continues when we switch careers and expect the PRC course alone to fetch us a job. 

The benchmark should be to spend at least 5% of your salary on learning and development. Initially this spend could be 1%. Additionally the expenditure has to be spread over a period and not only when you are looking for a job change or career switch.  

Owing to Internet, the best courses from top notch professionals are available online at minimal cost through online courses/ MOOCs. Sites such as Udemy , Pluralsight , Udacity , EdX , Coursera , LinkedIn learning have put large number of subjects at fingertips of learners. The gap between knowledge and application can be bridged through Capstone projects , mini internships and short term contract assignments. This can be accomplished through evening or weekends in major cities as also by utilising the two month annual leave available. As the Forces Network goes stronger or through feedback of PRC courses defence forces can be requested/ lobbied to allow sabbaticals and short breaks to defence officers to gain industry experience. After learning and application , networking with related industry professionals can be undertaken through conferences and meet-ups . 

The hesitation of most to invest in oneself is due to lack of awareness, the inertia of forces mindset and expectation of immediate return . If long term gains are understood and seen most will be able to break the mindset and be willing to invest . The decision to to invest in self is imperative to survive and thrive else one will find oneself perishing in this age of technology and rapid change . 

Comment by a reader 

Dear Vikas Sir,

1. An excellent & most pertinent thread started by you I think?

2. I believe many of us are hungry for learning and definitely try & upgrade ourselves as & when we can, depending on life situations, sparability of time available after work etc. There are two points that one may consider :-

   (a) The target skill/ area of expertise &       applicability/ utility of the course/trg.

   (b) Practical experience/mentorship for better results, especially for cognitive/ hands-on skills.

3. Your article(it's quite exhaustive & can hardly be considered a comment :), also highlighted a very important & innovative step of having a sort of internship/ practical experience of working in corporate/ industrial environment for service officers. This would be a great synergistic & progressive step from which not only the individual, but also the organisation & industry would benefit tremendously. I hope your thoughts reach the right place and the decision-makers take a step in this direction.

Regards,

Ahlu,

Ph 9599671890.