Career Development: The importance of acquiring a range of skills throughout your career

Well, as is known to all, it is very important for a person to acquire a range of skills in the course of his career. The question is of course – why?

When he has a range of skills, first of all, he is obviously more competitive than those who don’t and therefore has better chances of surviving a downturn. To put it another way, companies are likely to retain highly skilled staff members even when mass layoff is inevitable.

And that’s not the only benefit.  A person with a range of skills is more likely to work his way to the top of the corporate ladder.  In most companies, whether or not you have the appropriate skills is a relevant criterion for promotion. 

On the other hand, it will also be easier for a skilled employee to find a job outside his own company if he is not satisfied with his present job.  In this way, acquiring a variety of skills in one’s career offers more professional mobility.

So, when all the benefits are taken into account, no wonder acquisition of skills is taken so seriously nowadays.