Intellectual Curiosity: How the Skill Helps Your Career

Intellectual curiosity is the desire to learn new things. Intellectually curious people are lifelong learners who constantly want to know more about the world around them; they are not satisfied with the status quo. Having a curious mind is not tied to academic performance—like other soft skills, you can develop intellectual curiosity with practice, even if it does not come naturally to you.

Intellectual curiosity can benefit you in several ways, such as:

• It can help with career success. Employers want to hire people with a love of learning because they will approach work with a desire to grow. Intellectual curiosity helps you pick up new concepts faster, stay engaged with projects, and develop innovative ideas that can improve a product, process, or workplace.
• It makes you a better learner. A primary reason intellectual curiosity is important is because it helps new concepts stick. If you develop a habit of asking “why” to dig deeper into the world around you, you mightl find it easier to approach any topic.
• Learning becomes fun. Regardless of your profession, the introduction of new concepts, programs, and technology is inevitable. Without intellectual curiosity, following these developments may feel like a chore. But if you can cultivate a curious mind, an otherwise tedious task becomes an exciting learning opportunity.

If you want to put intellectual curiosity into practice, here are a few things you can try:

• Ask questions. Intellectually curious people can find an interesting angle to any topic and will come up with thoughtful questions based on genuine curiosity. This not only makes you a better conversation partner, it shows depth in your thinking and reasoning ability.
• Get out of your comfort zone. Volunteering to lead a team, spearhead a project, or research a new product idea may feel intimidating, but it shows you have a love of learning and that you do not let the fear of failure hold you back.
  
• Seek out learning opportunities. Whenever a learning opportunity presents itself, take advantage of it—this could look like a professional development course, a seminar, or even listening to a podcast episode.

All you need is a MasterClass Annual Membership and our exclusive video lessons from the likes of Elaine Welteroth (the former editor in chief of Teen Vogue and host of CBS’ The Talk), Issa Rae (the powerhouse multihyphenate behind HBO’s Insecure), Robin Arzón (the lawyer-turned-head instructor of Peloton), and other luminaries who have have embraced the twists and turns on the path to professional success. With their guidance, you’ll learn how to lean into your strengths, follow your heart, and build the career of your dreams.