You can learn anything ~ with the right teacher.
A couple of years ago I was incredibly frustrated with a new job. I could not learn the software. I had a distinct feeling my trainer was beginning to doubt my abilities and my boss seemed to be rethinking my hire!
I would have have started to doubt my abilities except I know how I best learn ~ and the training was exactly the opposite of that.
Knowing how you learn is critical to your success in the age of technology. The ability to skim information, retain the relevant pieces, and then apply it as needed can make the difference between getting career recognition, advances, and increased pay …. or not.
In Learn Like Einstein by Peter Hollins it is noted there are several known models of learning. A popular learning model is VARK, developed by Neil Fleming, and has these four styles of learning:
- Visual
- Auditory
- Reading/Writing
- Kinesthetic
There are many other learning models that have been developed. To learn more about these visit Wikipedia or read Learn Like Einstein.
Back to that job — I’m a visual learner but my trainer was teaching me with an auditory style. I was doomed.
In hindsight, I give thanks for that job. There I was introduced to the software giant Salesforce and its free online learning program Trailhead. Not only could I read the training information, but I could also then apply what I learned immediately after reading about it!
A year after being introduced to Salesforce and Trailhead (and many study hours later!), I was working as a full-time Salesforce sys admin at another company.
I’m a huge fan of Salesforce and believe anyone can learn Salesforce as long as you find the right teacher for you. If you learn by reading and doing, Trailhead is fantastic. If you learn by seeing and doing, Udemy and PluralSight have great courses. If you learn by practice, there are free developer orgs. If you want to learn Salesforce, the training options are unlimited!