I remember the days of elementary school.  Back then, it seemed like the hardest thing you had to deal with was a little homework, what the cafeteria was serving for lunch and whether it was going to be kickball or dodgeball in gym class.  Ah, those were the days.  They literally gave you time during school to go out and play at recess and, get this, you had the entire summer off!  No classes, no homework – only fun.  However, all good things had to come to an end, right?  That was the dreaded – Back To School.  It was the mixture of not wanting to deal with schoolwork and tests combined with getting to see all your friends again.  For most, the cycle continued until college graduation, and then it was onto the working world.

Did you ever truly leave?

But here is my question.  Are you sure that you really finished school?  “Why yes, and I have a degree to prove it,” you might say.  Let’s be honest though, you can never stop learning, and that means that you are always in school.  It may not be brick and mortar, but it is still school.  Search is a rather interesting school to attend too.  In its rapidly changing environment, there is the need to understand the past, deliver in the present and innovate for the future.  The twists and turns of the search industry will surely throw many off the path, so to keep moving forward, you need to continuously learn new things.  Always be looking for what can make you stronger and more intelligent in the space.  Keep on top of the changes, but evaluate for yourself how and why those changes will affect you and your client (or company).

In the school of real life (work), you are learning, but also assessing and questioning.  It is your job to examine the thought behind a new idea.  That is the way of the world.  Always has been, always will be.  Just because someone says so does not mean it is right.  Build up your credibility and you may not get as many questions, but don’t expect to get a free pass either.  Especially nowadays with the accessibility of so many social media outlets, the opportunity to debate, accept, or criticize an idea is so much easier and faster to do.

While you’re at it, don’t just be the student.  Why not challenge yourself and work to be a teacher too?  Become one of those innovative thinkers in the space.  Start contemplating what is next.  It doesn’t have to be the next great thing (it can be if you want), but how about even just the next thing.  Small and large changes are happening in the search engine marketing space seemingly every day.  Kick around those ideas, debate their worthiness, and even accept and implement them if they are good, but also establish yourself as a teacher.  Bring forth your own new ideas or facilitate the evolution of an existing idea.  Somebody has to do it, so why not you.

When you accept the reality that you are still in school, embrace the idea.  It doesn’t matter whether you are a student, a teacher, or both.  As long as you are a thinker and an innovator, I think you will do just fine.

By the way, it’s kickball in gym class today.