It’s been a while since my last post. Summer break, conferences, and other priorities kept me busy. But it’s time to pick it up again. This topic is one I hesitated to share for quite some time, as it can easily be interpreted in different ways. Still, I believe it’s worth discussing, and I’ll let you take from it whatever resonates most. I’m diving into how we gather knowledge and stay on top of new developments with the ever-evolving technologies we work with every day.

Lately, I’ve noticed many people taking a laid-back approach, waiting for knowledge to find them. Personally, I think that doesn’t lead to success. At the same time, I understand there’s an overwhelming flood of updates and news, often more than anyone can fully absorb. So how do you stay truly up to date?

How the eagerness and the ability to learn has changed

Let me get one thing out of the way directly. By no means, I’m not an expert in human behavior. All written below is based on my own observations and maybe even some frustrations. Over the past years I’ve worked with people from different age groups and drives. Some are eager to always do better, learn more and get the most out of themselves. Others are fine working 9 to 5 and won’t go the extra mile that easily.

Especially during and after COVID, I’ve noticed a significant shift in how people approach learning and growth. Before the pandemic, being in the office meant constant exposure to new ideas and challenges. You could bounce questions off a colleague at the coffee machine, brainstorm solutions together on a whiteboard, or simply learn by observing how others tackled technical problems. These spontaneous interactions created a natural flow of inspiration and knowledge-sharing.

Fast forward to today, with remote and hybrid work becoming the norm that dynamic has changed. People rarely go to the office (myself included) as working from home offers flexibility and focus, it also reduces those unplanned moments of collaboration. Fewer casual conversations often mean fewer opportunities to spark new ideas, share experiences, or get motivated by others’ energy. Every now and then when I’m personally lacking motivation or energy, I easily find this by just planning a day in the office with colleagues I like to work with.

I’ve noticed for many, the whole working from home has led to a noticeable drop in inspiration, and in some cases, even slowed down personal and professional growth. Especially as those who started their career during or after the pandemic have never experienced the natural source of inspiration as it was before COVID.

Time for personal development

For me, it has always felt natural to invest some of my personal time to learning and development. Growth simply doesn’t stop when the workday ends. Sometimes that means attending a user group session in the evening, where you not only hear about new ideas but also get to connect with people facing similar challenges. Other times, it’s spending a Saturday at a community-driven conference like Data Saturdays, right in the middle of the weekend.

I genuinely enjoy these moments because they allow me to learn directly from others, hear different perspectives, and see how people approach problems I might not have encountered yet. These are the interactions where I get inspired and triggered to explore new technology. For me, that interaction with the community has become one of the most powerful sources of inspiration and a driver to explore new innovations.

I don’t want to project my own behavior on others, and I don’t consider myself to be the average person, as I’m investing a lot of time in contributing to as well as sourcing from the community. Although, average is nothing but a composition of all deviations. 😉

Lately, I’ve been hearing more and more people say that learning and development should be entirely facilitated by their employer. The mindset is often: “If my company doesn’t give me time during working hours to grow, then it’s not my problem.” While I can understand where this sentiment comes from, organizations do have a responsibility to invest in their people, I also strongly believe it should always be a mix.

Relying solely on your employer for personal growth can be limiting. Companies might prioritize training that aligns with their immediate business needs, but true professional development goes beyond that. It’s about building skills, knowledge, and perspectives that will carry you forward in the long run, regardless of where you work. Waiting passively for your employer to provide those opportunities risks slowing down your own growth and leaves you less prepared for future challenges or career changes.

Are you working for HR now?

Why am I writing this after all? Are you suddenly a Human Resources employee? Please no, but too many times I’ve come across people that are simply not up to date with the latest and greatest in their area of expertise. This has frustrated me several times, as someone pretends to be an expert in a certain area, but does not act like that. When you ask them for a little extra, you simply get answer like “I’ve never done that before” or “I don’t know where to start” without at least trying or a minor time investment with a simple search on Google, ChatGPT or any tool of your preference.

I often like to say: “When you have 360 degrees of options, your only limit is your imagination.” It’s a quote from Darren Berrecloth (Where the trail ends – 2013), a Canadian mountain biker, and while he used it to describe exploring trials do ride his bike down a mountain, I find it equally relevant to personal and professional growth. To me, it’s a reminder that opportunities to learn and develop are everywhere, you just need the curiosity and drive to explore them.

How to keep up!

As the technology we work with has never been developing in such a fast pace as nowadays, I realize very well that it’s challenging to keep up. I experience the exact same when I try to stay up to date with all things Fabric, it’s simply too much! However, I try to pick the topics of my interest, nowadays Data Agents, Semantic Link and anything Power BI in particular, where I invest time to read updates in more detail. Other content around spark, notebooks, warehouses and what more, I simply scan the announcements on high level and when something triggers me, I may invest more time to read what it is and how it can help me.

But there is more than just reading updates. It’s also investing the time to attend user groups for example. Power BI and Fabric have user groups everywhere across the globe, for sure there is one near you! (check the community page to find your local user group) Both in-person and online meetups are organized regularly, where you can get inspired by others who share their knowledge on a certain topic, or just bring a different angle to a topic you may already be familiar with.

Next to user groups, there are also plenty of events – small ones and larger ones. For example, take a Data Saturday (formerly SQL Saturday) which are also locally organized around the world, run by the community – for the community. These are typically relatively small events where speakers from across the world share their knowledge. While there’s often a small registration fee, most of the cost is covered by sponsors. And if you’re employed, it’s always worth asking your company to cover the ticket while you invest your own time on a Saturday to learn and connect.

Then there are the larger, multi-day conferences, like the Fabric Community Conference which typically come at a higher cost and take place during the workweek. These events are great opportunities to hear directly from product teams, learn about the latest innovations, and get inspired by experts from leading tech companies like Microsoft. They offer a broader perspective, helping you not only deepen your technical skills but also understand the direction in which the industry is heading.

I realize, I’m personally an exception here, as I speak and attend a lot of conferences! However, I truly believe that everyone working in tech, should at least attend one or two learning related events every year, whether that’s a local user group, local event or larger conference. It’s not only about the content that is brought to you at these events, but also the social interactions and network you built at events like these.

Wrap up

At the end of the day, staying relevant in our industry comes down to continuous learning. Technology moves fast, faster than ever before, and standing still means falling behind. It’s not about knowing everything, but about being curious enough to keep exploring and growing.

While employers should absolutely support learning and development, I strongly believe that personal growth starts with you. Great knowledge and staying up to date simply aren’t free! It requires time, effort, and sometimes even stepping outside your comfort zone. Investing a few evenings, a weekend day, or simply a bit of curiosity goes a long way in shaping the professional you want to become.

It’s never too late to get started! Whether that’s joining a local user group, reading up on the latest product updates, or attending a community event. Look up the events near you, subscribe and attend!