Customer Reviews

Training Yourself : The 21st Century Credential

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The key message of Charles Hayes's excellent book is that each of us needs to take responsibility for his or her own learning and development. The author brings together the main reasons for this, highlighting changes taking place in the worlds of business, technology and education. Technological innovations come upon us faster than we can learn in the traditional setting of a college or university. By the time a course has been put together much of the material to be taught is out of date. If we consider this, together with the fact that companies want to employ people who can do the job rather than present a piece of paper saying that they have achieved a qualification, then we are faced with serious questions about the usefulness of educational establishments as they are currently constituted.

Hayes also talks about the trend towards temporary working and the increasing tendency for people to move between jobs. In the past an employer would be careful to take on someone on the basis of qualifications because this seemed to be the safer option. Now, since it is easier to part company with someone who is not up to the job, there is a greater tendency to employ people on the basis of what they appear capable of.

As individuals come to have more access to information first hand through books, the internet and other media, they are less willing to take the word of professional experts. Hayes cites the situation in the USA, which we are also seeing in the UK, where people turn up at doctors' surgeries with ideas about their conditions and possible diagnoses, which they have gleaned from various websites - much to the distress of the doctors! Expertise is of course valuable, but it is ceasing to become exclusive. Hayes says that his book is about developing an autodidactic philosophy of life. As a successful autodidact himself, the author is well placed to question the holy grail of what he calls credentialism and, quoting sociologist Randall Collins, makes a convincing case for the decredentialing of society. As he says, "You'll get as much or as little out of life and work as you put in, and the skills you learn will be more important in any job than a wall full of degrees and certificates."

The book is small, compact and focused. Its blurb says, "Read it on a long lunch hour or over a few work breaks." I would add, "Carry it around with you for reference." Oh, and buy copies for your friends and colleagues - you'll be doing them a favour!

Every now and then, somebody comes out with a short, easy-to-read book that translates seemingly complex issues into simple insights, with life-changing potential. An example would be Strunk and White's Elements of Style. Reading it over your lunch hour may arguably be more helpful than four years of college in your efforts to improve writing skills.

Charles Hayes' Training Yourself: The 21st Century Credential is an even shorter book with an even more ambitious purpose. Hayes provides a secret to success in all aspects of life. Approach everything you want to do with the attitude that you are able to teach yourself the necessary skills. Life itself is a learning experience, and the attitude you take in facing challenges is more important than the formal education you may receive in college or on-the-job training.

This is a tiny book with a big idea. If you're already a successful person, you will recognize its truths. But you'll want to buy several copies to pass along to your children, co-workers, and friends who can benefit from the knowledge.

In actuality, this book is more of a booklet, with 90 odd pages.

This book is probably the third or fourth book from Charles Hayes, whose two earlier books, entitled "Proving You're Qualified: Strategies for Competent People without College Degrees", & "Self-University: The Price of Tuition is the Desire to Learn. Your Degree is a Better Life." are really great stuff. Please read my reviews of these two wonderful books!

Unfortunately, this book, again self-published, is quite a disappointment, at least from my personal perspective, as it offers no new insights beyond what have already been expounded in the earlier two books.

For first timers who have not yet read any of the author's earlier books, I reckon this book can still possibly serve as a inspiring guide with useful tips for thriving at work in the new economy.

If you are seriously interested in exploring the mechanics of self-directed learning with the view of ensuring your career security, please get hold of the author's two earlier books as outlined above.

I regret I have to give it a rating of 3.

This is a short book, about 18000 words, almost a pamphlet. For the price there isn't much content, and the book is cheaply made. If it cost $1 or were given away, I would give it another star. I read it in a day, by the end of the day the binding had already cracked, and the book was falling apart.

The ideas have some merit, but the book also has the flavor of an advertisment, pitching the author's website and materials there.

If you find a copy, or someone loans it to you, it's just about worth the time to read it. But it makes for an expensive purchase.

If you find yourself in a 9 to 5 job, feeling safe and comfortable, then this book is for you. After one hour of reading you will realise that the world of work is changing and how you need to change in order to cope. If you have always felt inferior about your education or lack of it, then this book is also for you. It explains that "education is not something you get, but something you take"; that the best education is what you take by yourself; and that today "competence has precedence over credentials". If you know the world is changing, this book will remind you to always be prepared for change. One memorable quote from the book is "Always assume you are in the midst of another reorganisation", and this is something more people are able to identify with in the last few years. The book provides seven steps for training yourself and discusses each in a separate chapter. While the book mainly speaks in general, it provides enough of a starting point for those who are not practicing self-training in preparation for the changes that are happening.

The foundational ideas seem solid, but the confused verbosity of the presentation distracts from the issues. Perhaps it is good that it is short.

My copy fell apart before I was half done. But I would probably buy it again. While none of the philosophy is overly original, the content does reflect some of the authors well thought out personal insights.

The main area I find to disagree is that the author is still fixated on a correlation between knowledge and finding a job. I, and others before me, have realized that as we leave the bureaucratic age behind, "self" will become the largest employer. A reputation of possessing a love of learning is becoming a necessary networking tool for self employment.

To paraphrase one of the author's insights, "What you know is becoming more important than where you learned it."

As a manager in a large corporation, I know the constraints organizations have in adequately training their employees. No matter how good a company is when training their employees, the quickly changing knowledge and skill requirements of today's marketplace require that employees be proactive in obtaining their own training. If someone reading this book only takes away the idea that training and education is something you take, as opposed to something you get, the book is worth reading. But luckily this book offers lots of other useful information and advice. I was so impressed with this book that I bought every member of my staff a copy.

Bridging concepts of career and life, Hayes' text serves the astute individual in all fields, from Management to Homemaking. A worthwhile read because of its powerful message, not to mention its pithy aphorisms and acute insight in providing kean strategies for all who wish to be something more. Highly recommended for the ambitious student in all of us.