Chad advanced within the organization very quickly. He was three steps from the top of the corporate ladder by the age 32. Luckily, the company was opening a lot of operations throughout the world. The travel, the training, the negotiating provided excitement and adventure. He stayed engaged and busy. Eventually, the growth slowed, the travel stopped, and he found himself growing bored. He rekindled his enthusiasm by enrolling in certification courses on project management, leadership, and supply-chain management. He took the new ideas to his VP. She gave him permission to implement some of what he learned in the operation.
Formal Education and Training
You may choose to pursue formal education and training. Too many people assume formal education means getting another degree. Many people will assume they have the wrong degree and sign up for a second bachelor’s degree. You don’t necessarily have to earn a second bachelors.
Formal education may include:
- Continuing education classes through your public school district
- Degreed programs (Associate, Bachelor, or Master) from a local junior college, state college, or university
- Certificate programs through applied technology colleges
- Certificate programs through IT vendors like Microsoft, SQL, PeopleSoft, Novell, or others
- Certificate programs offered by professional or trade associations
- Courses to update your skills on computer programs and more
- Licensure courses to prepare you for exams that award licenses
Informal Learning Methods
Technology provides a myriad of learning opportunities for you to enhance your skills and stimulate your thinking processes. In addition, the old fashioned methods still work. Between the two you may choose to:
- Read blogs and technical articles online
- Watch TED talks, YouTube videos, and other MP4 downloads
- Search topics that interest you (You may add also use Google Scholar for academic research or more scholarly articles)
- Subscribe to newsletters from famous authors, speakers, or others
- Read books recommended by your professional association or other sources
- Take random online learning programs
Friday we summarize and conclude our series to help you exit a dead-end job
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