Why do people want to learn something new? Just because they need it, or there are some other reasons? Today I’d like to dig a little deeper and see what motivates people for professional growth.

Necessary Knowledge

The most typical and common situation is when the person needs additional knowledge for the everyday job. The sad part here is that the person is usually either forced to get the knowledge or in a position with no other choice.

The motivation of people in such a position is usually either financial or career. So, they need to acquire new knowledge and skills to get a better salary, change their position to a higher one, or a combination of both. There is nothing wrong or bad about this motivation, it is just business.

People who are trying to learn something new to get such necessary knowledge are always concentrated on the things they can do or achieve with this knowledge. It is purely utility knowledge acquired with minimum interest or passion.

New Perspectives

The second popular reason to learn something new is to open new perspectives. The primary difference from the previous reason is that the person himself almost always initiates it.

There are several options regarding motivation. It could be financial or career-based like the previous one, e.g. if the person is a private entrepreneur who wants to open a new business or department, and he needs to learn something new to do it properly. However, it also could be pleasure-based, like a hobby or desire to spend time with friends or family. Finally, it could be communication-based e.g. if the person is looking for new contacts and needs to acquire some networking skills.

People looking for new perspectives may not always have a direct or clear goal in mind, but overall they are doing better than the previous group as it is their own decision and the goal.

Keep The Brain Working

Finally, many people are learning something new to maintain mental health and keep their thoughts organized. This aspect is especially important for aging people who have less mental activity than before but still want to have clear thoughts. The motivation here is simple: you need to keep the brain working because of the fewer real-life mental activities.

The curious trait of this reason is that results become less important. Here, the learning process is more important than results. No matter how unusual it sounds it is still true. Just think about learning as necessary exercises. You do physical exercises to keep your body working, and you have to do mental exercises to do the same for the brain.

The consequences of this approach are mostly positive: the brain is working, and there are even some results. The timing and the efficiency are less of the problem as they never were a priority.

So, here are three common reasons for professional growth. If you’re lacking professional development and need an additional kick-off, just pick the one that suits your situation and follow the recommendations.