Old Dogs, New Tricks

Have you ever heard the expression “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks?” It means that once a person (or dog) reaches a certain age, their capacity to learn new things is somehow gone. Speaking as a, well, “middle aged dog”, I must disagree.

Last week all of the counselors in The Career Center participated in a career coaching two-day seminar. We learned the differences between career counseling and career coaching and how to utilize career coaching practices in our sessions with students. I found it very informative and helpful, and left with an enthusiasm to start using these new tools.

This training got me thinking about the fact that we are all life-long learners.  Especially with technology, it is very easy to keep up to date on what is happening in your chosen industry and to learn the newest tricks and tips. You should never feel that you are in a point in your career where you have learned all there is to learn. There is always someone else that you can learn from, whether that someone else is a supervisor, client, co-worker or someone who reports to you. I am always learning about technology from my co-workers, and I hope that my co-workers learn about employer relations from me!

So never hesitate to take the opportunity to learn more about your career and about yourself as well, and remember to always update your resume with the new skills and experiences that you have!

Darlene Johnson,
Director of External Relations