Build New Skills Without Going Back to School
The emergence of artificial intelligence, lack of career growth, or a need to enhance earning potential are a few drivers that may steer you towards building new skills. However, lack of time or resources may prevent you from returning to school. Check in with your Career Advisory Board (C.A.B.); they may have some resources or ideas to support you with building new skills. Also, consider the following methods to expand your expertise.
Take a Course
You do not need to formally return to school to benefit from the education a course provides. Consider different learning platforms that offer free and cost-effective courses that will help you build new skills. LinkedIn Learning offers expert-led courses that are free for a month, so you can try on different hats to see what fits before making a financial commitment. Coursera lists artificial intelligence courses for beginners to professionals with certificate status. The options are vast from Khan Academy to free courses at top institutions like MIT and Harvard.
Acquire Certifications
Are you an HR manager, a Business Analyst, a Project Manager or another specialist? Have you earned a certification in your speciality? If not, consider how undergoing a program that leads to a certification can help your career growth and allow you to remain relevant in your field. Kevin D. Davis details one example in the Top Benefits of a Project Management Professional Certification in today's world. The certification is globally recognized and leads to increased earning potential of 20%. Moreover, project managers are in high demand.
Volunteer or Intern
Volunteering allows you take on new tasks that will require you to learn new skills. Learning a new skill in a goal-oriented fashion grounds your learning experiences. VolunteerMatch provides remote and in person volunteer opportunities based on your search criteria. Interning offers similar opportunities to build new skills; you may have to officially be a student for some options. Thus, you can enroll in a course to gain student status in order to apply for an internship.
Stretch Assignments or Rotations
How much flexibility do you have in your job and life? Are you able to stretch yourself a little further by asking for an assignment from a different department? By doing so, you can learn new skills in a concrete fashion and gain visibility for when future opportunities arise. Such an assignment can lead to an opportunity to rotate into that department temporarily or long term to further enhance your skills.