Pick up new skills, knowledge and flexible attitude

In the face of retrenchment and unemployment, the middle-aged and matured workers are constantly encouraged to go for "training and retraining". The fact that people need to be reminded to go for training and retraining simple reflects the learning attitude of most people in the society.

Many people stop reading and learning the moment they step out of school. They tend to think that reading and learning are exclusive mandatory tasks of students in schools. Once they leave school, they naturally stop reading and learning. Sadly speaking, there are even young people who told me complacently, "I finished my studies already!" Really? Do you know what you are talking about?

Things are changing and evolving everyday. As soon as we stop reading and learning and move forward with new knowledge and skills, we would be relatively left behind. There are many middle-aged people who are computer-illiterate. Why? They simply resign to the fact they are too old to learn how to use computers, it is too hard for them to pick up computer skills and that computers are designed for new and younger generations. I think what this group of people really need is a fundamental paradigm shift and a reconditioning of their minds. Looking forward, we need to constantly and conscientiously acquire higher skills, new knowledge and flexible attitude.

Regardless of age, we should try to even venture into new fields of study or knowledge so that when the need arises, we can move on to other fields of work. I heard of a woman, while she was still gainfully employed in the bank, she was studying for a Diploma in Preschool and Childhood Education. A totally different field. She has graduated. With the recent wave of retrenchment in the banking industry, she now has a choice of either continuing to work in the financial industry or she can work in the childcare industry if she chooses to, which is set to boom with the government's call for parents to have more babies. I read some years ago, there was a man who at age 60 read Laws and at age 65 started practising as a lawyer.

Therefore, Folks! Continue to learn and learn new things. Pick up new skills, knowledge and flexible attitude. Always try to move beyond our comfort zone. Remember, short-term pain for long-term gain.