ROI of Training

What kind of investments do you make? Do you favor immediate returns on investment? Or do you favor guaranteed returns? How long are you willing to wait? Time spent in training or practice is equal to making an investment. Different methods or focuses produce different results. Much of the training available in the software industry focuses on new frameworks. With a myriad to choose from, there is no shortage. There are many introductory courses. All encourage picking up the tool and applying it to basic problems. Yet these frameworks are subject to change. Two years down the line the framework will change. Sometimes in two years it can become obsolete. In other cases, it becomes an industry standard. All in all, these skills degrade. Some of the degradation comes from market changes. Lack of practice also contributes to the decay. How often do you truly use that obscure array access format in language so-and-so? Rarely, for most of us. Yet there is a class of training and investments that are less likely to degrade: People skills. People skills are usually presented in management or leadership courses. They are an investment class of their own. The opportunities to practice people skills are vastly more numerous. As a result they do not suffer as much ‘lack-of-practice’ degradation. Furthermore, people skills remain in demand for many higher level positions. Want to be a consultant? You need People skills. Want to start your own company? You’re gonna need people skills. But these skills are difficult to acquire. In fact, these skills are in high demand precisely because they are difficult to acquire. People skills are also applicable across industries, if you ever wanted to move. The skills of a software developer carry over any industry we develop for. Much the same way, the core skills of a manager translate well across industries. As career capital, they pay large dividends. The best investment for anyone strong depends on what they want from life? I enjoy the challenge and rewards of programming. But I am interested in the role of management, and in its unique challenges. With an eye to the future, people skills appear to be the best investment. The skills suffer less degradation with time, and have remained in demand over the long haul. What do you value in your investments? Do you want to expert in technologies? Or do you want to diversify? Hopefully this perspective provides another lens for reflections.