curiosity and exploration are the two things that can accelerate any learning that you take up.
As I search for one underline theme in all my past and present learning pattern and projects, curiosity and exploring that curiosity has given me the major benefits.
My curiosity to build bulldozer helped me learn solidworks, exploring with solidworks laid my path to solid model India's first mixed flow compressor. Tinkering with ANSYS scripts fueled my interest in CAE and CAD automation.
Likewise in the recent FEM software my curiosity to explore it made me that tool quicker than others.
So how this all helps you?
Grow the habit of curiosity and exploration. In your free time, between work assignment, explore. Sometime explore excel. Learn how to use macros in Microsoft word. Explore lofting in catia, turbotool of gambit or explore ANSYS’s scripting abilities.
No one can stop you doing that and all it takes is 15 minutes. Get curious and explore.