Continuous learning is a critical puzzle piece to staying competitive in today’s business world.  In the IT world specifically, as we all know, the only constant is the fact that processes are changing and new processes are evolving all the time!  In order to keep up with the learning curve, we must make continuous learning a high priority.

At Source Allies, continuous learning takes place in many forms including:

• Training - courses attended over the past year include: AFS & Kerberos Best Practices, No Fluff Just Stuff, Tuning and Improving your Agility and Spring One 2GX. 
• Reading - Source Allies has an internal book club that meets on a weekly basis to review a specific book.  Books that have been and are currently being read and reviewed include TDD by Example and Effective Java, 2nd Edition. 
• Weekly meetings - each Monday, after hours, the Source Allies team meets to discuss current projects and share techologies that are being used on these projects. 
• Technical presentations - team members present at least yearly on the technologies they are involved closely with.
• Internships
• Mentoring

The examples above are just a small sample of the continuous learning opportunities available to our team at Source Allies.

Continuous learning should be an important part of your career development goals.  What do you want to learn?  How do you want to apply what you learn at your partner site and to your projects?  During this time of year, many of us are reviewing our personal career goals.  In doing so, make sure you identify and include your learning goals… but don’t stop there!  Make sure you focus on these goals and review your progress often throughout the year.

You’ll notice that when you are focused on learning, it will not only grow your value but it also makes you more passionate about your projects and work in general.  It’s easy to get in a rut if you’re not focusing on staying ahead of the learning curve.

Specific knowledge and skills become obsolete with time but learning how to and having a passion for learning is a permanent skill that will carry you throughout your career and beyond!