While preferential learning is fast taking over in the race of personal and professional training, the place of continuous learning should not be over emphasized. Research as a professional and significant field of human endeavor will not flourish if the place of endless knowledge acquisition is thrown to the background.

Research can be viewed from various dimensions- academic research such as final year projects conducted by university undergraduates, personal research such as self-imposed skill acquisition research done by an individual to promote personal skills-set, professional research such as skill expansion programmes conducted by a company to help employee adjust to new trends in their profession.

Here are hand-picked definitions of continuous research from different e-learning platforms:

“Continuous learning is a constant state of learning new skills to support how you improve knowledge”

“Continuous learning is the constant expansion of skills and skills-set through learning and increasing knowledge”

“It is further expansion of skill-set in response to a changing environment and new development”

From the three definitions, we can be certain to conclude that continuous learning cannot be so called without learning something new-a new skill. While this is the case, the aim is to prepare ahead to be able to adjust favorably to changes in the future and as such, researchers are not exempted.

Why is continuous learning necessary for every researcher?

You become self-confident
One of the lessons I’ve learned overtime is that each time something new is introduced to my learning curve, there is this conviction that comes around; makes me confident enough to face the next step for the day and I quickly feel like I want to teach someone. Constant learning in which ever field of professionalism is the foundation for self-conviction, confidence and self-satisfaction for acquired knowledge especially when you are trendy about it.

It’s the key to improve earning curve
Continuous learning in research opens up windows and doors of your earning curve. No one rewards a lazy-about for whatever reason; only hard work is rewarded and celebrated. In the academia for instance, to rise to the next level of profession, you would have written a considerable number of publications up to the level of professorship. I tell you what, your earning grows as your level grows too.

It presents you with many choices
Continuous learning opens you up to several options to choose from. When you learn and unlearn, you get to know the good and the bad; you will get to sample opinions, philosophies, ideas, rationale and background; it will subsequently help you narrow down your own idea the way it suits you.

It prevents memory loss
If you are a researcher and you neglect continuous learning, you are likely to begin to forget things with time. No matter how old, when you learn consistently, your brain expands the more making way for more knowledge and ever ready to unleash whatever have been saved up there.