Get Your Students Hired
I agree with your 80/20 rule. When I first started in financial aid back in 1994, I had a combination of formal/informal training right in my office. However, it wasn't until I started attending state and regional financial aid conferences that I felt like my world opened up to me through the magic of networking.
I learned more about financial aid from a "holistic" approach merely by listening to conversations over dinner or in the hallways during breaks. Usually, there was a mix of seasoned professionals and newbies who had the same questions as I did. In this way, I got a variety of viewpoints and "this is how we do it" discussions. Very valuable to my career advancement.