Whether you’re just starting out or are somewhere in the middle of your career, continuing education can improve your prospects. This is true if you are seeking a new job and if you want to climb the ladder with your current company.
When it comes to our economy, it is constantly changing – sometimes growing, sometimes shrinking – but business must always respond to current conditions. That means that strategies and tools are also always changing. In order to succeed, we must keep up. This is where continuing education comes in.
The good news is that there are tons of fantastic courses that can be taken online in your own time, and some of them are even free! We have collected 4 broad avenues of education to explore if you are committed to being the best you can be at work.
Google Digital Garage
Any business that hopes to succeed needs to know how to work with Google. Not only does it determine how visible your website will be, it also offers a ton of tools and applications that support business, such as its Google Suite of products including Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Calendar, and Forms, among others.
Google Analytics helps businesses better understand their customers by analyzing traffic to the website, and Google My Business ensures that customers can find your contact info online even if the website is not optimized for search. And speaking of web searches, it is vital for every business to be familiar with SEO (search engine optimization) techniques in order to keep their site vital and reachable by customers.
Thankfully, Google runs a series of online training courses called Google Digital Garage that net you certifications in all of their products and the concepts that drive successful business. Many are free and take only a few hours to complete. Others are offered by prestigious universities in partnership with Google, though these may cost a bit to complete.
In any case, Google Digital Garage is an excellent place to start in your search for continuing education in business.
Coding
Computers make practically everything happen in today’s digital world, from advertising goods and services to managing the financial transactions that result. And behind everything that a computer can do is code.
It’s one thing to operate the incredible range of software packages and digital platforms that drive business, but imagine how much more powerful you become when you can actually write the code behind those products!
Coding is an excellent skill to have in any industry as it allows you to design tools from the ground up to support the growth of your business. It also allows you to look deeper into the company’s website and discover where things are going wrong and where they can be improved. And even if you aren’t in your company’s tech department, being able to communicate fluently with the people who are is a huge bonus.
Writing
There is an incredible world of coding behind the scenes in business, but what customers and clients actually see is content. Effective content relies on clear, engaging, and hopefully error-free writing. With the average consumer now taking in 463 minutes (more than 7.5 hours) of media every day, there is a lot of opportunity for the people who produce those words.
Skilled writers push a business forward by delivering engaging content to consumers. You may want to explore some basic writing courses followed by more specific ones focused on writing for marketing, grants, business, or articles.
MBA
If you are looking to climb the ranks in business, a Master of Business Administration degree can be very helpful. Many of the top professionals at work today have one, including leaders at Apple, Facebook, Walmart, and JPMorgan Chase.
This is a degree that teaches everything you need to know to run a business, from leading and motivating people to analyzing large amounts of data to formulate smart business moves. Courses cover topics including management, finance, accounting, marketing, economics, and business ethics. Each of these subjects can be approached in an individual course, but an MBA brings it all together.
You can earn your MBA through a full or part time program, and can additionally specialize in various areas such as finance, technology, or marketing.
In each of these courses, you can go for broad knowledge or specialize in a particular niche. Each of them translates into many possible professional applications and can improve your resume greatly. Whether you want to go full time or work your way through various courses in your spare time, the effort is worthwhile.
Continuing education can position you to get a promotion, land an incredible new job, or launch your own passion project. Knowledge opens many different doors!