Why It is Better to Have No Experience

So many job openings require 1-3 years experience in the industry or I did not get a job because another candidate had much more experience than me.  Granted I just graduated college and my experience is limited but I find that as an advantage.

It takes much longer to unlearn a false information, a bad habit, or a wrong technique then to just learn it.  The experienced individual has to first forget the way they conducted themselves and if done for a long time this can be extremely difficult and time consuming and then learn the new and correct method.  If you do something everyday for weeks, months, or years that is how you are going to do something.  So if the new workplace has a different policy, structure, or way to conduct business than you are use to it will not just be unfamiliar but also weird, awkward, and just seem wrong.  An employee that thinks they know how something is or should be done is not only a hinderence to the company but also a liability.  I know from personal experience of the new guy coming in and not learning the operating procedures and just going right to work.  Well this is how I do this and how we did this where I use to work.  Not only did that destroy the flow and order that we had in the workplace but also those "shortcuts" were a safety violation.  Despite the supervisors warnings and instructions he would still on occasion "forget" and do it his old way.  Remember Pluto the planet that is no more?  How hard is it for individuals to remember and consider Pluto no longer a planet.

Fresh clay, it is the material you want to work with, it has the ability to be whatever you want it to be, like a bowl.  But after the clay is worked and no longer new and fresh and has some experience it can no longer be anything you want it to be.  The already made clay might be a bowl, but that experience might have molded and formed it into a bowl of the wrong size or fit.  It takes a lot more work, time, and effort to turn that made bowl into the bowl you want it to be than just using the fresh clay.

Photo Credit: Scott Ableman

Would you prefer to have an experienced piece of clay or  fresh clay?  Any other analogies you can think of that would work? Do you have some bad habits that you need to unlearn?  

Continual Education: Always Learning

I graduated in December 2009 and I am learning MORE now that I am out of college. All being self taught for my enjoyment and to stay on top of the changing trends in the business world. I am putting more time and effort in now than I did during college.  I am also having to absorb a lot more because of how much information I am taking in daily.  Honestly I am not sure how long I will be able to go at this pace.  I am currently teaching myself about SEO, proper social media use for different brands and other topics.  My class load is huge right now and it is getting harder for me to retain this information.  To help aid myself in this task I am starting to teach myself like this was a class and taking notes to review later and less like a hobby.

How am I continuing my education?

• Watching numerous webinars on topics that interest me including social media, marketing, and engagement. 
• Reading numerous books on marketing. Some books I recommend are UnMarketing: Stop Marketing. Start Engaging (affiliate link if I did it correctly) and Twitter Works.
• I read numerous blogs every day a quick list of my top 5 because of the content, quality, and consistency are:

1. Social Media Examiner
2. The Brand Builder
3. Jim Raffel
4. UnMarketing 
5. Translator Digital Cafe

• Writing blog posts talking about marketing and getting my ideas out onto the web.
• Conversing with other marketing professionals on Twitter and Linkedin.

Photo credit: ZadorSpain

What webinars are you watching and participating in?  What books are you currently reading or would recommend that I and others read?   Which are the blogs you read daily, I read more than those 5 but they all offer consistent quality posts.