It's not always what you learn but you know

This morning I was answering a question posted on LinkedIn. The person asking the question was concerned they were becoming less valuable to their employer and was considering returning to school for a higher degree. This person works in Information Technology (IT) but their situation is not unlike a lot of working professionals (and some jobshoppers) who believe more education is a winning strategy for getting better jobs and higher pay.

I must agree that the more you know about your job and profession the more valuable you may be to your employer (and for your career). But sometime knowing more is less important than knowing how better to use what you know.

In my answer on LinkedIn I tried to convey the point that a lot skills and capabilities employers are seeking today were not taught in schools. Because the questioner worked in IT I tried to provide examples of current IT trends and IT-related workplace skills in demand that were unknown and not even thought of just a few years ago.

Twitter (tweeting). Smart phone apps. Working through social networks (like LinkedIn). Blogging for business and professional advancement.

The point I wanted to make is this. Sure. Getting more classroom smarts can help us with our jobs and careers. But we should never lose sight of our changing world and the need to learn ways of applying those changes (in society and technology) that can also make us competitive.

I recently learned that a lot of sales and marketing departments are seeking new hires with high rankings on social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn. They want folks who know how to work the social networks to build vast networks of connections their employers can use to reach customers and new client prospects. They also want people who can help them reach more website traffic by raising their Search Engine Optimization (SEO) rankings with social network and blogging use. These are not classroom related skills, but they are surely in demand skills.

Take stock of what you know and think of ways you can apply your skills in solving work related problems. Leverage that which you know to accomplish that which needs doing.