Looking For Ways To Get Better? Here Are 9 Ways to Upskill for Your Career!

You do know how we are constantly reminded that a degree is not enough, right? This does not mean enrolling in graduate school again or imposing large student loan debt. You may either need another degree or a master’s, even PhD. But is that enough? We don’t think so. No matter how far you’ve advanced on the job ladder, it’s never a good idea to become too comfortable. In fact, the most valued skills in the workforce today are changing so quickly. Despite your high level of education and training, your industry will constantly change and require ongoing adaptation. Plus, with shocks like the most recent Covid-19 outbreak and the Delta variation show that we can never predict what will happen next. 

“So, how to deal with this?”

Don’t worry, we have a solution! No matter what position you are in, the best thing a professional can do is always advance their skills with an eye toward the future. Trust us, even though this seems like a lot of work, it’s gonna be fun! Just to be clear, this process is called upskilling. Let’s first learn what is it exactly and then simple ways to upskill!

Up Up And Away! Why do You Need to Upskill?

You don’t want to be a pager in a world full of smartphones, right? Giving your skill set a shake-up is always a smart idea, whether you’re a recent graduate starting your professional career or feel trapped in middle management. 

The gap between what you can accomplish and what your organisation expects you to do is filled by teaching yourself these lacking abilities (or attending a class). And that is the literal definition of upskilling, to up your game. You must always seek to learn new talents and maintain your current ones up to date because the workplace is constantly changing. 

Remember the last time you enrolled for something you wanted to do? You made mistakes, learnt from them, and then you emerged with a brand-new talent, skill, or body of work to display. Think about how rewarding that felt. 

No one can stop you from getting a raise if you are bringing new and upgraded skills to the table. Maybe the new abilities you’ve acquired will help you get the promotion or land a better position at a different organization altogether. 

Also, remember the number of times you got bored with your job? Learning new skills can improve your work life by making you feel more motivated and pleased at work and increasing your productivity. Additionally, if your role changes as a result of your skills, you’ll have new duties to take on to break up any monotony in your workday.

Now you do get the benefits of upskilling, let’s dive right in and see what are the ways!

Invest in Yourself!

1. Check out the best books: You can improve your skills from anywhere by reading or listening to business books. Do not underestimate this because so many of the concepts that you will use in your field are picked up from books themselves. You may also come across as knowledgeable and interesting. You’ll develop your creativity and innovation book by book.

2. Podcasts: If books aren’t your thing, we have got you covered. There are audiobooks and podcasts available on a wide range of topics. Stream podcasts! They are not just widely available and nearly always cost nothing. They’re also fantastic for playing in the background while you’re at home or even travelling.

3. Follow the trends and new technologies in your industry: Nobody wants to be missed out. The simplest course of action to be updated is to simply follow social media profiles or sign up for email newsletters produced by professionals in your industry. For example, if you are into advertising or psychology you can easily keep up by just following some experts on Instagram.

4. Online Courses: Take into account quick courses like specialized certificates that are directly correlated with emerging trends in your industry. Online tutorials on using technology and software programs are also widely available. There are websites like Coursera, Upskill, Udemy, etc. available that make it easier for you to have many courses under one roof. There are many opportunities to hone your skills while working from home at little or no cost.

5. Work on your social media presence: You don’t need to establish yourself as a thought leader or even a LinkedIn influencer, feel free to post whatever strikes you as being most authentically you on the platform with which you are most familiar. Depending on what works best for you, this could be long-form pieces on Medium, sharing your favourite industry-related news on Twitter, or posting on industry trends on LinkedIn. You might as well build contacts or catch someone’s eye.

6. Learn a Language: What’s a better way to upskill than to learn a new language? This can open a plethora of opportunities for you, people have even got opportunities abroad just by learning a new language. It makes you more marketable for jobs and is a helpful and frequently necessary tool when living and working overseas. Apps like Duolingo come in handy for this and you don’t even have to devote a lot of time.

7. Digital Upskilling: The need for digital upskilling is greater than ever as offices continue to function remotely and via digital means. By developing new digital abilities, you can advance your career and financial prospects. You can gain knowledge about social media, digital marketing, SEO, and web building. It may be very easy to fall behind in technology because it advances at such a rapid rate, therefore it is worthwhile to learn skills that will be useful for many months or even years to come.

8. Attend online seminars and events: By participating in online meetings, conferences, and webinars, you may be able to get used to a new manner of networking, learning, and cooperating that will likely persist far beyond COVID-19. It is also beneficial to keep an eye out for conferences and business events that may enable you to advance your knowledge and profession. By doing this, you are making your networking stronger.

9. Start a Side Hustle: Experience firsthand is the best method to learn something. Anything you do to increase your income while not working your regular job is a side hustle. But there’s no need to be restrictive in this situation. Setting up a personal project has the benefit of allowing for plenty of room for trial and error. Furthermore, whatever you learn will benefit your organization just as much as it will benefit you.

Ready to Upskill Yourself?

It is very likely that you can upskill yourself and acquire the skills you need to move to the next stage of your career trajectory by completing courses or earning on-the-job experience. Make sure it’s not boring! 

Take your time, choose a strategy that works best for you, and make sure you follow it through. Contact us if you need assistance choosing the courses or skills that are most appropriate for your field. Our career specialists at Mentoria will be pleased to assist.