Well, whether or not you believe taking a course or going to college or grad school is worth it, what is beyond doubt is the need for continuous informal learning. Reading books, magazines, journals and articles... attending seminars, workshops and conferences... consulting with experts... joining professional associations... These are all activities that may or may not require much investment in terms of time, money and effort... yet are crucial to your ongoing career development.

Moreover, nothing will destroy your career development more than thinking that you already know it all. After all, true experts - whether in sports, the arts, business or any endeavor - typically say they don't already know it all and that they are always learning.

Who would you rather be? Someone who closes their mind to new insights and deeper understandings... and therefore hinders their career development... or someone who strives to learn and grow and gets those promotions, new jobs, and all the rewards that go along with those achievements? Really, embracing and investing in ongoing learning is the only option. After all, learning is the only way to grow as a person (not just as a professional).

For example, imagine you're a hairdresser who has spent the last 10 years cutting and styling hair. Does being a professional hairdresser for that period of time mean you know everything there is to know about hairdressing? Well, yes, you know how to cut hair. But look around - new hairstyles and new variations of old hairstyles are constantly coming into fashion. Which is simply the result of new techniques, new styles, new hair products and new tools being created.

That being the case, if you were a hairdresser who was serious about your career development, you would constantly be reading the latest hairdressing trade magazines, attending hairdressing conferences and shows, and trying new techniques, styles, products and tools.

Just ask my hairdresser. She is, pardon the pun, a cut above most, because she continues to learn and develop her skills. And that's why she is able to charge multiples of what the average hairdresser can charge - you know, the hairdresser toiling away in a salon in the mall, earning minimal wages, and wondering why they can't get ahead even though they "know it all".

So please, avoid the mindset of "knowing it all" and, instead, be open to learning, whether it's the formal or informal kind. This is how you will continue to develop in your career and grow in general.