#60 Try to make time to do an assignment with a college class - maybe even overseas using SKYPE. Teach and learn. Inspire and be inspired.

Someone once said that you’re never too old to learn. I would add that it’s also never to late to teach.

I recently was asked to participate in a class project next year that we will do primarily over Skype. We’ll define the scope and goals and then be the “client” and “teacher” on the project. I’m excited for this opportunity, both for my team and for the students. While we get a chance to go back to school, we’re helping the future leaders of our profession learn some practical wisdom with some real-world wonderfulness sprinkled in.

So if you are itching to teach, want to try it, or just think giving back to your profession is something you want to do, contact a design professor. It can be anywhere in the world with the internet and the need to bring practicing designers into students’ curriculum.

I’m curious – how many of you out there do this already? Any professors want some volunteers? Come on and let’s connect.

Keeping up with design can be hard because its continuing evolution can quickly pass right by us. Ten years ago, Rule29 was not designing web sites regularly, nor did we know what social media was. In fact, we were just getting the hang of Adobe Photoshop 4.0 and Mac OS 9. Today, we are well versed in web design and constantly experimenting with social media even though we never saw that coming. Our industry evolves rapidly, and if you blink too long it’s easy to miss interesting innovations, trends and changes. As a sober designer in our or any other industry, it is important to keep up on the latest and greatest so your business can innovate and grow along with it. Here are a couple of ideas that may help you stay on top of things:

1 - Put Employees In Charge

Most designers, and I am sure this is true in other professions, really love certain aspects of their job. For example, if someone on your team really enjoys learning the latest software features in Adobe CS4 and cannot wait to upgrade… then charge him or her with sharing their new tips and tricks with the team. By giving ownership in playing around and uncovering the new bells & whistles - and presenting them to the team - you empower your employees and help educate everyone. Do this for every software upgrade! By giving each employee time to research, learn, and share the things they are passionate about, your team and business will grow.

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