Stack your skillset to Build a Brilliant Career

Hello, brave career builder!

No matter what kind of industry you work in, you need to keep building your skills– and then build some more. The more skills you have, the more you can offer a client, customer or employer. And pushing your mental agility is key to achieving success in any industry, including a creative one. 

Now I’m definitely not suggesting you go out and take courses on things you are not interested in.

I’m also not telling you to become a jack of all trades and a master of none. That is a waste of time and energy. But I do recommend continually stacking your skillset and keep challenging yourself.

I have never been into web design or UX, so for me to take a bunch of courses in that area would not feel in any way aligned with the vision I have for my career. I do, however, take courses on project management, personal development and coaching. I also keep my graphic design skills super honed. I know what is happening with trends and software and I know how it all applies to my industry. This not only makes me a better designer, but also helps to build my overall personal confidence.

When I was working 9-5 jobs, I would often take on freelance jobs for the extra cash, but in retrospect, the best part of doing this was that my design skills were always stacking up and improving. I know many Art Directors who became totally hands-off with graphic design and one day, they woke up and could barely use the design software anymore. The problem with this is that many Art Director jobs have become increasingly more hands-on, often requiring full-on designing as well as creative leadership. Many of these Art Directors who let their design skills slip and they have lost out on some great jobs. Boo.

It’s not about putting pressure on yourself to “be the best”, or so you can better compete with others. But those who decide to coast on their existing skills will eventually either get stuck in a rut or worse, get left behind completely. They will also often lose inspiration because their world becomes small and predictable. You want to keep developing, keep learning, keep creating. Find new things to be passionate about because that builds you up into an engaging and fulfilled person. And who wouldn’t want that???

To your brave success,
Alana