Upskilling: Taking Charge of Your Career Trajectory
Several professions require continuing education credits to maintain certification and licensing. However, many others do not. Therefore, it is up to the individual to take charge of their continued development. Upskilling is the idea that you are developing and sharpening your already possessed skillset to be more competitive and stay up-to-date in your field. However, you can still use upskilling techniques and strategies to foster new skills as well. Upskilling can look a variety of ways, allowing you to choose your own adventure to take ownership of your professional growth.
Books
Honestly, I am not a big fan of self-help and development books. However, I can acknowledge the value in them and have recently found an alternative: Audiobooks! Whether you are listening or reading, you should find a book that will help you be more effective. When approaching book development, I make sure to attack it in chunks. Reading one chapter at a time, allows me to take adequate notes (yes, always take notes) and have an opportunity to apply it. I am a firm believer that learning without practice and application is futile. Therefore, I aim to implement a new method each week. Sometimes, in full transparency, I spend longer than a week if it proves to be more difficult in practice than in theory. I recently finished the book "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie. This book gave me concrete strategies to learn how to motivate and influence my team members to achieve a shared goal. Consider the skills that you want to develop, google books on that topic, and dive in!
Classes and Workshops
Enrolling in courses offered at local universities, colleges, and organizations is a great way to develop your knowledge and skillset. Typically, these classes cover a variety of topics and details that you are going to learn and take away from the class or workshop upon completing the course. These types of professional development opportunities range from free to pricey. When considering paying for a course, it is most important to think about its long-term benefit. Sometimes a course that prepares you for a certification exam could save you hundreds of dollars associated with test re-taking fees. It might also give you an advantage if you are considering changing your career field and trajectory. Always do your research and decide if a course is worth the amount that you would pay for it. Try to find a free version to start and then assess if a paid course would be worthwhile.
Webinars and Recorded Sessions
The COVID-19 quarantine has allowed me to become the queen of webinars and recorded sessions. I was listening to at least one webinar each day…to the point where I had to slow down because it was information overload. Still, it is an excellent practice that allowed me to gain information and development that I would not have otherwise gotten. When I could not attend the live session, I would be sure to tune into the recorded session that was typically sent out following its completion. I participated in several webinars from General Assembly. They were free, but they also allowed questions at the end of courses, which facilitated greater understanding of the topics. I also utilized SkillShare via a free three-month promotion. This platform has a healthy plethora of pre-recorded sessions that I was able to tune into while cleaning the house or during sleepless and cabin fever nights. Overall, my ability to find free and informative webinars informed my professional development for work and business.
Podcasts
Being someone who loves radio talk shows, naturally, I am a big fan of podcasts! I greatly appreciate the variety of podcasts that are available that speak to the different parts of you. I have several podcasts that I listen to that relate to pop culture and lifestyle, stories, entrepreneurship, and best business practices. Considering that most podcasts are available on a variety of platforms, it is made to be listened to on the go. Podcasts are a great way to get tailored and specific information quickly. Often, I might look for a topic as simple as "relationship building," and tons of results will populate with listening times varying between 5 and 60 minutes. It is also nice that podcasts often have linked social media accounts that allow you to get new information even when scrolling on social media. If you are looking for an easy first step at professional development, podcasts are the way to go! Search your field and see what comes back!
Owning your professional development is a way for you to dictate the direction you want your career to go. Imagine how dope it is to be able to speak on trends in your sector based on what you gathered from your research and development! Here's your homework: commit to listening to one podcast episode related to your field within the next seven days! Remember, the hardest part is taking the first step. Cheers to your development and upskilling so that you are ready to excel in the position of your dreams!
