There’s no question that increasing your knowledge and skills increases your income. But how can you acquire this education if you’re already working, and don’t have the time or money to go to full-time school?
In this blog, we’ll discuss some practical ways to get you onto a more lucrative career path.
Take advantage of employer sponsored formal education.
Many large companies offer opportunities to take courses that will make you a more valuable employee, paying some or all of the costs. In some cases, you enroll with a local school and make arrangements through HR for paying the tuition. In others, the courses are provided by the employer.
At Integrity, our Next Step U online training programs are free to all associates and employees (and can even be accessed on their mobile phones). In partnership with Penn Foster, an accredited educational institution, our course offerings range from bookkeeping and computer skills to administration and basic English — all designed to help people take the “next step” up their career ladder.
Ask for opportunities with your current employer.
This one is about expanding your skillset, not acquiring a formal degree or certificate. It still looks great on the resume, though.
- Offer to take on additional responsibilities in your current role.
- Apply for a transfer to an open position in another department. Even if you need to be trained, employers would rather hire from within since they already know you.
- Sign up for any management training programs the company offers.
Look for a new job with educational opportunities.
If you’re job hunting — or thinking about it because your current position looks like a dead end — this should be high on your wish list. You can usually research the company online and find out what training opportunities they offer before you even submit an application. Otherwise, bring up the question during the job interview.
Expand your professional interests.
The most obvious courses to take are those that make you more competent in your current career. But don’t rule out the possible rewards that could come from learning skills you don’t really need right now.
For example, if you want to become a front line supervisor in an industrial setting, you don’t really need to know bookkeeping. But someday you might want to start your own business in that same industry. Then you will definitely need some bookkeeping knowledge in order to run the business.
The saying that “knowledge is power” is literally true. It’s the power to reach a higher earnings potential and a better life. And it can be yours — now that you know where to find it.
