Why grown-up learning is more fun

Sophie Cross did just enough to get by at school and university, but since launching her own business she has a new-found thirst for learning and has discovered that she loves it.

I quite enjoyed school – friends, sports and even the lessons weren’t that bad. I found most subjects easy enough to do well at. Well enough that my teachers and parents weren’t getting on my back too much, but not having to work so hard that it encroached on my time for socialising, which was how I wanted to spend 99% of my time. In fact, I pretty much did the bare minimum I could to get by.

This strategy continued into college and university. I had been expected to continue in education, I had been expected to choose fairly academic subjects, I did some work, but I didn’t really get why I was doing it other than to pass exams and I only did it to pass exams. I think you needed above 60% to get a 2:1, I got 60.4%. Always just enough to get by.

I hadn’t thought too much about work beyond university, just assuming that now with my 2:1 degree, employers would be snapping me up. But this wasn’t the case. My interview skills and confidence levels were lower than low and I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do. I’d always been desperate to set up my own business but, in my early twenties, I didn’t quite have the maturity levels or any money (that wasn’t already ear-marked for beer).

I went from Pizza Hut waitress to personal trainer, eventually landing a role as Marketing Exec in the Hilton where I’d been working in the gym. I enjoyed my corporate life for a few years but there always seemed to be so many barriers to trying new things and creativity so at 29 I left employment and launched my own freelance marketing business.

Woohoo! Freedom, control, not to mention that I could now accomplish my lifelong dream of getting a rescue dog as I was now working from home. And with this great responsibility of running my own business and finding clients suddenly came an enormous thirst for knowledge.

I wasn’t an employee anymore, I was a marketer, I was a business owner. I was expected to know trends and other marketing-type things and I expected it of myself. I wanted to be known as an expert in my industry, I wanted to learn things that I could use to help others, not to mention apply to my own business. And I got to choose what direction I wanted to go with it - what, how and when I wanted to learn - there were no barriers but there was a real purpose.

From that day on I became addicted to learning – reading, doing courses, going to events, watching videos and writing about what I’d learnt in blogs or newsletters, creating my own courses and testing things on my business.

12 reasons I love learning as a grown-up…

You can think about what you’d like to be known as and go after it.

You can learn in unexpected ways. Do things other people in your industry aren’t typically doing – it will make you more interesting, stand out and put you a step ahead.

You get to choose how you want to learn.

You’ll have lots more things to talk about.

Your confidence will grow.

It helps make you positive and open-minded.

You’ll get more satisfaction from your job.

Your personal brand or business will grow.

You can help others with your knowledge.

It’ll give you tonnes of ideas.

You’ll find it easier to market and sell yourself and what you do.

You’ll raise your profile and be known as an expert in your industry.

About the writer

Sophie Cross is the editor of Freelancer Magazine and creator of LinkedIn For Humans – the online, on-demand course that will teach you to be in LinkedIn’s top 1%, raise your profile, grow meaningful connections, post interesting content and open yourself up to a tonne of new opportunities.