Millions of individuals across the globe find themselves stuck in a rut when it comes to their careers, despite doing all the right things. If you’re ever caught up in such a situation, beyond looking for better jobs and opportunities, the only other option is to work towards upskilling yourself.
Fortunately, we live during an age of limitless online learning, courses, and certifications, with the likes of Udemy, Udacity, Coursera, and thousands more, offering exceptional value at a fraction of what they used to cost. The only thing standing in the way of most individuals now is their own inherent limitations, and lack of will.
Despite the buffet of options available for young professionals to upskill and get the jobs they desire, it is often seen that these opportunities are squandered, and a vast majority of courses and certifications lose a bulk of their students halfway through the program.
In this article, we list certain tips for making the most of this, along with certain pitfalls to steer away from.
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Choose The Right Qualifications / Certifications
This might sound cliche, but it’s best to get it out of the way. A key reason why millions of people abandon certifications, qualifications, and courses halfway through is that it’s often not what they expected it to be.
As a result, it is crucial to have a clear understanding of the course, the subject matter, materials, instructors, apart from the outcomes such as the resultant pay hikes, and new job avenues that were unlocked for individuals who graduated.
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Studying Online? Choose A Reputable Course
As online courses become the mode of choice for most individuals, it is also getting increasingly crowded with 1,000s of new learning providers getting in on it every year. This makes it difficult to select the best one, or even a quality service provider given the aggressive marketing strategies used by most.
While taking up online courses, it is absolutely essential to look beyond just pricing and flashy marketing, toward the overall reputation of the course provider, and instructors.
Learning platforms providing coaching for established certification programs such as PMP, CISSP, etc, are better off in this regard, with services such as Dooey online courses being better anchored to the curricula of the professional bodies and certifications they offer coaching for.
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Analyze Outcomes
Before embarking on any time-consuming reskilling endeavor it is important to have a strong understanding of what the expected outcome is, and how the graduates of the course, certification, or qualification in question have fared over the years.
These are stats that are often included within the flashy marketing campaigns of such programs, but you’d do well to get in touch with graduates on your own, to better understand their experiences and the benefits they are witnessing after having undergone the program.
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Understand Credibility & Recognition
This segment has seen a steady influx of unscrupulous players in recent years, projecting a professional presence, often promising the moon, and eventually leaving their students and graduates in the lurch, with no value added to their careers whatsoever.
With this, the credibility and recognition of a credential, qualification, or certificate become paramount. The best way to go about this is by studying the background of the program, why it came into existence, who is behind it, and more. This can be followed by its acceptability, both among employers and other higher education institutions.
Final Words
As we enter into the age of perpetual change, prompting constant upgradation and upskilling of professionals, we are also fortunate to have bountiful opportunities that remain well within the reach of the masses.
With the right approach, strategy, and execution, spending time to take up qualifications and certifications can supercharge your career, adding substantial value to your professional life.
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