How Learning New Skills & Knowledge Helps Your Career  

There are many reasons why more education would benefit you. Continuing your education could lead to better job opportunities. It can also increase your self-esteem, help you learn new skills, and increase your marketability. And, in fact, we should never stop learning about our career fields, hobbies or just new things in general.

So, whether you are graduating from high school or just completed your bachelor’s degree, don’t think you are done just yet! The job marketplace is filled to the brim with (other) people who are searching for the career you may want and doing everything they can to acquire the skills they needd to get it.

You don’t have to spend much money, and you don’t have to go after another degree. Just consider making yourself a more marketable person by continuing to educate yourself.

Continuing Ed Can Enhance Your Image and Skills at Work

When you make it known you are making an effort to learn more, it showcases your work ethic. How?  Here are some ways:

• Your employer or future employer will be impressed with your wish to pursue knowledge. This makes you a desirable employee — someone your employer will want to stick around.
• You will also show your supervisor you want to become an expert in your field; you become the go-to person when someone has a question!
• Your love of knowledge will build up your reputation, and you will likely see yourself rising because of others witnessing that hard work in pursuit of skills-enhancing.

Also, helpful opportunities will present themselves as you pursue more education. You’ll be able to establish new contacts who can point you in the right direction as you follow your career path. In fact, you may find your dream job while you learn. You may love your job right now, but you may find something else is more appealing to you. As you continue to acquire new knowledge, learn, you’ll see your career is either perfect for you or you may want to start looking for a new job.

A Multitude of Ways to Learn

If you don’t mind spending the money or the time commitment, you can always pursue a master’s degree after you get your bachelor’s degree. However, this type of education, while valuable for many fields, is usually expensive. You may not have the time, or the financial ability, to devote to pursuing a formal degree.

If this is the case, there are plenty of ways to continue your education – and often for free:

• Look at websites like edX or Coursera. These online learning places offer free classes from top universities.
• If you are in the healthcare profession, check out free classes that will help you in your field.
• You could touch base with your local community college to see if there are any specific continuing education classes that fit into your profession.
• Ask your employer to see if they provide reimbursement or compensation for learning.
• To broaden your skillset or satisfy your curiosity, you could also consider taking classes that aren’t directly related to your field.
• You may even want to try something new, like learning to code websites for free. Coding is a very valuable skill to marketers and other business professionals, and gives you flexibility if you ever want to switch fields. Even if you want to keep your full-time job, taking a coding or writing class can open up opportunities for freelancing, giving you the ability to earn extra cash on the side.

Time-Friendly Options to Get New Know-How

Sometimes, however, lack of time stands in the way of continuing your education, and taking a formal class, either in person or online, may be too difficult to schedule if you have other responsibilities. This doesn’t mean, though, that you can’t pursue a new skill. So think about the prowess that you want to improve or learn:

• Find a self-paced class environment by visiting class-central.com.
• Visit your local library or a university library. There are tons of books on every subject. You can learn what you want at the pace you are comfortable with.
• Looking for something that can make a positive impact on others? Consider charities or organizations you love or that you support financially. Volunteering for these groups looks great to current and potential employers. You’ll learn new skills that you can apply in your workplace.

Real-World Ways that Continuing Ed (on Your Resumé) Helps your Career

It’s important to put your education to good use. So let your employer know you are taking classes or improving your field skills. Use your resumé to boost your career and reputation:

• Create a section for “volunteer positions,” then fill it up. (Employers love when their employees are active in their communities!)
• Highlight the classes you are taking with a section labeled “Skills.” Include actionable skills you are learning in your classes — things like project management or specific software. It makes for a great conversation in an interview.
• If you are taking classes at a school or through a website, list these as bullet points in the “Education” section. Lists like these boost your qualifications, give you something to talk about, and demonstrate your love of learning.
• If you don’t know how to write an effective resumé, make that part of your continuing education. You’ll find many tips, tricks and tutorials online to help you make your resumé perfect. It’s the first thing an employer sees, so make it an honest, impressive impression of your awesome self.

Pursuing new learning experiences gives you the opportunity to grow. Your strengthened resumé, appeal to employers, and chances for a higher salary will be the positive, natural by-products of conquering educational challenges you take on outside the office!