Continual personal and professional development is essential

Now before you click the delete button let me explain what I mean by that rather long and convoluted header.

Learning does not stop the minute you leave school or university after gaining the qualifications you think you need in order to get the job you say you want. You see, whilst qualifications will get you a job, it is the lessons you learn AFTER finishing "school" that will give you the life you want. How many of you were taught how to budget at school? No - me neither. How many times have you run out of money because of poor purchasing decisions - and not been able to make your repayments? And no I am not asking you for a show of hands - this is not about embarrassment - just a thought - if you had been taught how to budget and work with the money you currently earn, how much further on do you think you would be now? Now I know that having more money than you know what to do with can cause it's own set of issues and problems - accountants, bookkeepers, charitable donations, tax, extortion, blackmail and even what to do with the interest you will earn on the money you have - can cause problems if you don't know what to do with it. Budgets and plans are just as important to you if you have money as to those people who would like more than they currently have. You see if you don't learn to manage what you currently have, you will not be able to cope with unexpected income and windfalls when they do arrive. That's true education. And it is usually self taught, either through experience or by reading, research and asking the right people the right sets of questions.

And it applies to everything in our lives at present.

How many of you were taught about the risks of long term alcohol consumption, junk food binges and the effects of a poor exercise regime? You may have been taught the principles, but it is only through experience (either by ourselves or observing those around us, falling over and getting fat, undergoing gastric banding surgery or getting a quadruple heart bypass) that we begin to get the real education. Similarly - getting a low paid job (usually whilst you are studying) and getting all the rough shifts will ensure you work a lot harder at school to ensure you don't end up working in that low paid job for the rest of your life. I worked at a biscuit factory for 6 whole weeks before getting a job in information - can you imagine smelling like a cooking biscuit for the rest of your life? No me neither which is why I now work a lot harder on myself than I did BEFORE I got that job.

Our true education only stops when we decide we have ALL the information we need to live the life we want to live, which lets face it - will be a long way off yet - if you are a true student of life.