Auto-what? The term “autodidactic” comes from the Greek root “autodidaktikos” which means “self-taught.” The future of our profession is all about learning how to think. Machines are increasingly handling our routine work that involves checking boxes and redundancy work. As a result, most of the jobs that can be automated will be automated — it’s only a question of when. What’s left is the ability to think because high-value thinking (i.e., advice) is what clients will continue to pay you for. I’ve found the best way to improve your thinking is to expose yourself to new ideas and to more learning.
To paraphrase Mark Twain, “Those who don’t read have no advantage over those who can’t read.”
“Great,” you may be thinking to yourself, “I’ll get my firm to send me to some courses for that.” Wrong! It’s up to you to be proactive about managing your own professional development. In order to “grow what you know,” you must learn to be self-taught (i.e., batteries included).
Right now, there’s a war for accounting talent. You might feel emboldened to tell your employer that if they don’t take care of your professional development, you’ll go somewhere else that will. But the tide may eventually turn, and the leverage will shift back to employers. When that happens, the people who are going to be in demand are the ones who are committed to lifelong learning — on their own.
It’s never been easier to be a self-learner
The good news is that it’s never been easier to be an autodidact. There are an incredible number of inexpensive, easy-to-access learning options out there. You can take MOOCs (massive open online courses) from MIT, Stanford and most other top universities for free or next to free. There are virtually unlimited webinars, podcasts and YouTube videos on any topic you could possibly want. You can have books on any subject shipped to your home within 24 hours of placing your order online.
Another reason it’s so important to be a self-learner today is because so many people are migratory in their job patterns. A generation ago, you got hired by a company or firm and whatever career path they had in mind for you was the direction you’d take for the next 40 years. Now employees go wherever the work (and their interests) takes them.
If you’re running a firm, you must be aware of this self-reliance trend. If you’re an employee, you need to be conscious of this trend as well. Everyone’s working virtually; everyone’s doing their own thing. It’s not like the old days when employees would sit in the conference room three times a week to have so-called learning sessions. Those days might never be coming back.
How to be an autodidact
Of course, with so many options out there, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. The first step is figuring out exactly what you want to learn.
First, make a plan. Where do you want your career to be in three years and what do you need to learn in order to get there? Once you’ve laid out your three-year roadmap, figure out what you need to do day-to-day and week-to-week to help you build momentum. Then think about what you’d like to accomplish every 90 days on your self-learning quest. For more about reaching 90-day milestones, see my articles
I realize self-learning can be hard in the beginning. Change is difficult because you’re not used to it. But once you create the self-learning habit and make it part of your daily life, change will get easier. In fact, you’ll start to feel uncomfortable when you’re not learning something new.
What kind of learner are you?
It’s also important to understand what kind of learner you are, since not everyone learns the same way. Some people are natural readers. Others dislike reading and would rather learn by listening (auditory). Others have to read it first and then write it down in order for it to sink in. And still others are tactile learners who need to be actively engaged in their learning.
Research shows there are four main learning styles:
- Visual (you need to see a graph or a picture);
- Auditory (you need to hear it);
- Reading and writing (you learn by reading things and writing them down); and,
- Kinesthetic (you are a tactile learner who uses movement, testing, trial and error and a nontraditional learning environment to retain and recall information).
The sooner you understand what type of learner you are, the easier it will be to find the options and platform that best suit your needs and time frame. It could take some trial and error to figure out your learning style. I like to read in my spare time. I always thought I was a book learner, but I learned over time that I’m actually an audio learner. I can listen to something and retain it much better than when I read it on paper or on a small screen. That was an eye opener for me.
Finally, you’ll have greater success as an autodidact if you spend time learning about things you’re interested in, not just about things people say you must know.
Biggest skills gaps for CPAs
Not sure where to start in your self-learning journey? Here are three of the biggest skills gaps I see among CPAs of all ages:
- People skills: The ability to lead people and communicate your ideas;
- Writing skills: Even if you’re a numbers person, you should write. If you can influence people with your written words, there’s no stopping you; and,
- Decision making: Understanding risk and reward when choosing a path.
Your ability to work with people, make good decisions and communicate well in written and spoken form can have a tremendous bearing on your career success. Anything worth learning must be uncomfortable because growth is by definition change.
Being clear about where you want to be in a few years and knowing the type of learner you are will give you a significant leg up in your career journey. Ultimately, no one else can get you there but you. Embrace the self-didactic lifestyle.
