With a new year in full swing, it’s understandable that many ambitious professionals might be seeking to enhance their careers in 2022. The best way to achieve your career goals is to learn new skills, also known as upskilling.
Regardless of whether you’ve recently graduated and are just beginning to climb the corporate ladder, or simply looking to progress further in your existing career, upskilling can help you gain additional skills. This can help better yourself to aid you in your chosen career.
If you’ve been educated to a high standard, you may think that you may not need to upskill yourself. However, in a constantly changing business world, professionals and executives need to adapt and learn new skills to stay one step ahead and progress in their careers. Often, individuals fail to advance within their jobs because they don’t have the skills to secure a raise or promotion, which is where upskilling can help.
In this article, we’ve outlined several ways that you can upskill and advance yourself in 2022, so you can find the best approach to suit you and drive you towards the success you desire.
1. Attend Online or In-Person Courses
A popular way for individuals to upskill themselves is by attending in-person courses, or learning online. Many schools offer their high-quality courses online, so you don’t have to travel and can work at your own pace. For example, the London School of Economics and Political Science online certificate courses are a perfect way to get a prestigious qualification without having to move to London. Online certificate courses have become extremely attractive to individuals looking to better their professional skill sets. One of the main reasons this particular upskilling method has become so popular is that you can take the course from the comfort of your own home.
The appeal of online certificate courses is that they offer a flexible approach to their training. With flexible durations of six to ten weeks, individuals can allocate six to nine hours per week to complete their training. It gives them the freedom to spread the workload over several days and not have to finish it all at once. Those who choose to go down the online tuition route can juggle their learning alongside their current job, which allows you to earn a salary while improving yourself simultaneously.
Individuals should opt for an online or in-person course that will benefit their desired career path and fill any missing skill gaps in order to help them to achieve their goals. For instance, if you’re from a business sector specialising in marketing or financial services, you may choose an online certificate course in data analysis. These courses can give you the skills you need to enhance your personal and professional lives.
2. Job Shadow Someone In Your Company
Another way to upskill and advance in 2022 is by job-shadowing someone in your company, or asking a colleague to mentor you. Whether the chosen individual is a manager, a colleague whose work ethic you particularly admire, or even an employee who has a specific skill that you wish to learn, shadowing is a valuable way to acquire and learn skills from first-hand experience. These skills cannot be obtained by reading or research, so shadowing can give you practical experience and insight. This method of upskilling also presents flexible opportunities, as you can discuss with your chosen mentor how and when you’d like to shadow them and create a plan that suits both of you.
Shadowing is an upskilling technique that is extremely attractive to employers and individuals looking to improve their professional skill sets. It doesn’t incur additional costs such as travel or tuition fees, making it a beneficial method to find information needed without the hefty price tag. It’s also easy to undertake and can showcase your dedication to your role.
3. Try A Different Approach Like Microlearning
Microlearning is another online tuition method of upskilling yourself to advance your career. The main difference between online courses and microlearning is that the latter is a more cost-effective option of online tuition. Additionally, microlearning makes it faster for the individual to learn the information they require. Both methods are highly flexible and allow trainees to choose when and where they complete their studies. Microlearning could easily be slotted into a break while at work or university or even on the commute home.
Generally, a microlearning session lasts around ten to fifteen minutes and includes a quiz or short exercise. This learning method condenses information, so there is less for the trainee to take in and makes it more digestible. The activity that concludes the session helps the individual retain the data since it takes an interactive approach to learning, akin to a game, making studying entertaining and easier to recall when needed.
4. Write A Development Plan
Another technique to help you upskill and advance yourself in 2022 is devising a professional/personal development plan. A professional/personal development plan is an upskilling method that enables individuals to outline a realistic set of goals and how they intend to achieve them.
Creating a development plan allows you to condense the process into simple steps, which you can track along the way to monitor if you are reaching the targets and deadlines. Make sure to include both your short-term and long-term career goals and the skills you think you’ll need to achieve them, so you can refer to and update them throughout the process of your career as you climb the corporate ladder.
For instance, if one of your long-term goals is a promotion or a raise, ask yourself why you want the advancement. You also need to consider if you have the skills needed for the next step in your career and if you don’t, how you can achieve them. Outlining all the above in your personal/professional development plan will help you keep you on track and motivated to succeed. You can create your development plan by finding guidance and templates online. Or you could collaborate with your manager if you have a particular goal in mind, so that you can get personalised advice that’s tailored to your unique needs.
Also Read: Automovill launches LMP to upskill Auto Mechanics
