Sure, you may already be in a job you love. You may have already completed the qualifications, sent off the job applications, nailed the job interview, and landed your perfect role! But, that doesn’t mean you necessarily need to stop working on your self-development and personal or professional growth. Indeed, many employers look favorably upon professionals who choose to upskill once already employed – and let’s face it, it’s never too late to learn something new! Whether it’s a new skill, a university or TAFE course, or a higher tertiary qualification that further develops your existing knowledge and adds weight to your professional experience, or even something completely different from what you’re doing now – you will never regret challenging yourself and pushing yourself to achieve more. Yes, you may have already secured your profession, and you could be well on your way to forging your dream career path. However, it’s still important to keep learning. Here’s how.
How to Upskill as a Professional
As a qualified professional, it is highly likely that you already possess the capacity, and indeed, the skills, required to upskill. Chances are that you have already completed higher education or tertiary studies at a university or other educational facility, to acquire the qualification that has enabled you to land your current job role. It is also likely that you already possess the skills and knowledge of the techniques required to complete a professional qualification – that is, you already know how to study, learn, think, educate yourself, and most of all, you know how to be curious! Indeed, far from curiosity killing the cat, being curious and inquisitive in nature is what inspires an individual to continually better themselves and challenge themselves to learn, develop, and grow – be it personally, or professionally.
But how exactly to upskill, especially if you are already professionally employed? Of course, one of the biggest challenges can be finding the time – especially if you work full-time. Another challenge can be finding the best educational facilities that can help support your work-life balance, and enable you to still work while you study. Online and off-campus institutions offering digital educational resources and virtual classrooms (with communication methods via Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meets, for example) often work best in this situation! Lastly, you need to make sure that you are still filling your own cup, and ensuring that you are still looking after yourself, with adequate downtime and self-care strategies in place so that you do not eventually burn out. Lastly, keep the end goal in mind! Once completed, the benefits of upskilling will be well worth it.
Why you Should Upskill as a Professional
There are many benefits to upskilling as a professional. First, upskilling adds to your personal development and enables you to become a multi-faceted, well-rounded individual who has many different capabilities. Of course, upskilling not only adds to your character, but it also makes you more employable and professionally competitive – or, if you are already employed, it makes you even more qualified to go for that promotion! Upskilling can also teach you new techniques and knowledge to develop and add to your existing skills and professional experience. As mentioned earlier, employers are impressed by employees who show the initiative of taking on further learning and education. What better way than to impress your boss, and to help work your way up the company ladder?
On the other hand, you may wish to study something completely different. Learning a new skill is a great way to increase your versatility, skills portfolio, and professional employability. You may even want to start a new side hustle! Certainly, the rise of side hustles – also known as side businesses, personal businesses, or at-home businesses – has grown exponentially since the occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdowns, when almost all professional employees were asked to work from home. During this time, people discovered that upskilling and trying something new was well within reach – especially given that many individuals had more time on their hands, partly due to no longer having to commute to a communal office, but also because, they were no longer able to go out in their spare time! The success of these side hustles and side businesses highlights the benefits of staying on your toes, keeping busy, and educating yourself on new ways to earn a living – and what better way to do this, than to upskill?
Upskilling as a professional has many benefits. Of course, upskilling is not without its challenges, and anyone choosing to upskill will have to face learning new ways to balance their time between work commitments and the study of the new skill. However, for a successful upskiller, the personal and professional payoff is worth it – and there is no time better than the present to get started on learning a new skill.