We all know that technology is a key part of life and something we use almost all day, every day in this modern, digital age. Yet, for many of us, we don’t invest the time, money, or energy needed to stay abreast of updates in the world of technology.
This can limit us when it comes to business and work advances and cost us money in the long run. Here are some tips for keeping up with changing tech trends yourself in 2022 and beyond.
Attend Workshops and Other Events
One of the simplest ways to stay up to date on all the latest movements in technology is to attend events. Keep an eye out for tech-focused workshops, conferences, webinars, and the like, and see if general business event programs have some helpful technology speakers, too.
You can claim your attendance at many of these occasions on tax, so they can end up being more economical than you might think at first. When working on your company’s annual spend management strategy, it’s wise to allocate some money to training and education, including technology-relevant offerings.
With so many options on the table these days, though, be sure to research event providers and speakers to ensure you’ll be learning from people who are genuinely up on all the latest developments in the field and not those who talk the talk but can’t walk the walk.
Read Tech Information
Next, keep up with changing tech trends by simply reading about them. Tech-specific blogs, news and business websites, magazines, forums, podcasts, and books and audiobooks are all full of handy details that can give you the knowledge you need, and they’re free or very low cost, to boot.
You’ll also find plenty of helpful content on social media, especially via YouTube, TED.com, and other longer video platforms that can get into detail about updates in the industry and the lowdown on what you need to know and why. Pay attention to recommendations and insights and consider what might be most helpful for your business and what it is you do.
Listen to Young Colleagues
If you have interns and other lower-aged workers in your firm, pay attention to what they talk about. The Gen Zs, millennials, and younger generations have grown up with the internet, smartphones, and other technologies and are always adept at and interested in discovering and adopting new trends.
As a result, they’re a great source of information about all the latest tools it’s worth testing out, and they can provide you with excellent ideas of products to investigate further. Pay attention to the tech topics they talk about and if they ask if the business has access to particular programs or has tried utilizing different tech-based strategies over the years. These questions can alert you to areas and wares to find out more about.
Consider setting up periodic meetings with co-workers from around your firm, including in other departments, to talk about technology on the job and emerging tools. These meetings will help keep you updated and give you another way to connect with and engage with other team members, too.
Utilize IT Specialists
Another idea is to utilize the knowledge of the in-house IT specialists you work with, or you might hire outside consultants for numerous jobs and pick their brains for suggestions along the way. Those who work directly in technology tend to continually stay up to date on all the latest offerings in numerous areas and help implement new devices and programs, too.
As such, they can provide recommendations for products they know have been excellent for their other clients and steer you away from those that caused more headaches than they were worth or that aren’t worth the financial investment you’d have to make.
Watch What Other Companies Do
Also, pay attention to what your competitors, government departments, and large corporations are doing and using in the field of technology. Big businesses regularly invest for the future and try new things, so seeing what they put their money into can indicate what might be worth you trying, too.
Of course, you likely won’t be able to keep pace with the huge budgets of many organizations, but you can get an idea of the types of evolving technologies to keep watch on and how to implement them in more efficient ways.
Other ways to keep up with changing trends include joining business groups and organizations, getting assistance from mentors, and talking to your customers. Always prioritize learning and thinking time so you don’t get left behind and be open to testing out new tech tools, even if they seem a little tricky to begin with.
