Life doesn’t stay still—it always pushes us forward. There was a time a few decades ago when the norm was getting a job and staying in the same company for life, a lot of that time spent doing the same thing. At most, people would change their career once or twice in a lifetime. However, today’s world of work and even our personal interests are much more fluid. Now, we live in an age where there many options and resources available to continually improve ourselves.
A lot of these resources to self-improvement can be had free online; however, some pursuits are better and more immersive if you pay for them. You don’t necessarily need to go to a money lender to pursue something that will improve you, but paying for something like a course, can be seen as an investment that will pay for itself once you have acquired a new skill.
Taking a class
Taking courses is now a greater part of most people’s work experience than it was in previous decades. This is true across the board, and it doesn’t matter if you’re a rank and file employee, manager or the CEO.
If you’re looking to be promoted to a supervisory or management position, having had courses in management and the certification will boost your chances. It’s great if the company will cover the costs of this training themselves or if it runs free programs, but if it doesn’t, you still need to look into acquiring the skills you know you lack. Even if the course doesn’t land you that promotion you were going for, more knowledge and skills enhance your value in your field.
Taking a course can also lead you into employment in an entirely new direction. You may decide that what you’ve been doing does not satisfy what you’d want from a job or career. You may find another career path is more lucrative or more personally rewarding. Courses are a great way to put yourself in a circle of people who share the same interest. Not only can you share the learning experience, but there are also good networking opportunities to be had.
Developing a passion
Although some interests can start off as a hobby and then develop into a career, they don’t necessarily have to. Sometimes we just want to keep our interest separate from our working life. Taking up yoga does not necessarily mean that you’re going to stop being an accountant to be a yoga instructor.
Some people want to learn how to play a musical instrument. Perhaps it was an instrument that they played when they were young, had found they stopped playing, and now would like to take up again. Others may want to join a gym for better health or confidence.
The most frequent block to pursuing these interests are a lack of time or money. If you are limited in finances, taking advantage of free material online is an option until you’re ready to financially invest in the interest. If you find you’re always short on time, it then becomes a priority issue. How badly do you want to improve yourself by doing something you haven’t done before? The world doesn’t stay still, and it’s becoming increasingly important to find the space to develop the skills and interests we are passionate about.