5 ways to sharpen your skills and continue your professional development
It’s that time of the year again! Kids are back to school, whether it be in-person or virtually. They’re shifting their focus from time with friends to time in the classroom.
Just as children further their education at school, it’s equally as important for professionals to further their education and skills in the workplace. If you’re not continuously growing, you may get left behind.
It’s easy to get caught up in the monotony of the Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 work day. To shake things up a little and stimulate your mind, consider using these programs to sharpen your skills or learn some new ones!
While LinkedIn Learning isn’t free, it’s definitely worth the $29.99 monthly/$299.99 annual fee. Whether you’re looking to broaden your skill set by taking classes outside of your field or refine the skills you use every day, LinkedIn learning has a class for you. Each one is taught by an industry leader in software, creative and business, with a vast variety of classes to choose from.
Example of course offerings:
With 11 different fields of classes, from language learning to data science, you can easily find anything you’d like to learn. In addition to classes, you can also obtain various degrees from universities such as Penn, Michigan and Colorado, Boulder. Coursera also offers a plethora of certificates in different areas you can work toward.
Example of course offerings:
- Brand Management: Aligning Business, Brand and Behaviour
- Successful Negotiation: Essential strategies and skills
- Project Management: The basics for success
Addison Group employees are eligible for Perks at Work and love it for the discounts; but did you know it also recently introduced its Community Online Academy (COA)? Within the COA, free courses are offered on everything from learning to fitness and fun with top-of-the-line instructors. If you haven’t already done so, register for Addison Group Perks at Work to get started on saving money and taking classes!
Example of course offerings:
- Pilates
- You Can’t Quarantine Laughter: How humor can be a powerful weapon in dealing with the new normal
- Mood Boosting Recipes
Khan is a nonprofit educational organization focused on educating students of all ages in topics of all varieties. As one of the most-recognized online learning organizations, Khan has been able to provide its users with mass amounts of classes. It truly does stick to its motto, “Anyone can learn anything.”
Example of course offerings:
- Senior product manager and senior software engineer: Our budget and planning for our future
- Tips to prepare for an informational interview(Opens a modal)
- Your 401(k): 10 things to find out – by Better Money Habits®
Udemy may not be free, but their classes start at just $9.99. Some, of course, are more expensive than others, but it’s a great resource to look into for a multitude of classes. It’s essentially the same type of website as Khan Academy, but offers some classes that may not be on Khan. Definitely worth looking into if one of the other sites doesn’t offer a class you’re dying to take.
Example of course offerings:
- Beginner to Pro in Excel: Financial Modeling and Valuation
- Writing With Flair: How To Become An Exceptional Writer
- The Complete Presentation and Public Speaking/Speech Course
