We can all recite numerous methods of self-improvement. You eat right and exercise to get fit; you lift weights to gain physical strength, or play games and learn a new language to improve your brain. But what can you do to grow in your career?
Regardless of whether you are a senior manager or an entry-level employee, you can grow and advance your career and professional goals. Education and training are the keys to personal growth and development.
Many adults return to school to enhance their careers. These individuals believe that additional education will help them make more money, advance in their current occupation, or start anew in a different one. Some also believe that returning to school will enhance their range of marketable skills, making them more competitive both with their current employer and in the wider job market.
While you can certainly take online degree courses through accredited colleges and universities to grow in your career, that is not always necessary. You can take courses towards a certification or attend a webinar to gain knowledge and skills in a specific area. Either way, education is an important step in staying competitive and enhancing your skills.
Here are five reasons why pursuing education in any form can advance your career at all levels.
- Gain Knowledge
This reason may be a given. However, when you pursue advancement through education, you gain up-to-date, practical skills and knowledge that you can apply in your workplace. Doing this may help you see old problems in new ways and give you the creativity to find resolutions. - Boost Confidence
Studies have shown that greater confidence leads to greater career advancement. When you gain knowledge, skills, and experience, it helps both your career and life in general. On top of that, by gaining additional communication and problem-solving skills and achieving your goals, you increase your confidence. - Grow Your Social Network
When you enter a (virtual) classroom, you are given the opportunity to interact with others from both within and outside of your industry with a variety of professional backgrounds. Being exposed to a broader professional network allows you to know people in similar situations or with different perspectives. - Enhance Your Soft Skills
Just because you have reached a high-level management position does not mean you should stop learning. When you open your mind to life-long learning, you learn far more than just a different management style or creating an influential presentation or even just the newest regulations. You also learn more subtle but equally important skills. These so-called “soft skills” include strong abilities in communication, teamwork, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Each of these talents can add value to your organization, wherever you are in it. - Demonstrate a Strong Work Ethic
Pursuing growth through education and training, in addition to your normal work routine, will most likely not make your schedule easier. It takes work to stay on top of all you must do, but doing so will demonstrate a strong work ethic to your team and your supervisors.
Education is always something direct reports, supervisors, and business executives like to see. When employees have the drive and initiative to expand their knowledge, it is a good sign that they will benefit the company further.
Many companies realize that promoting lifelong learning principles is a great investment in their future success. The knowledge gained can be both factual and practical, and the information you learn may not just be interesting but of great use in your current role, to where you hope to go and keep you young at heart.
The Utah Bankers Association provides you access to exceptional instructors — with years of industry insights and experience — who facilitate interactive course sessions focused on the important economic, regulatory, and competitive pressures facing the industry today, as well as management and leadership essentials, diversity in the workplace, and more.
