The most important value that all successful people have in common is their passion for learning. It doesn’t matter how high you’ve climbed up the career ladder or in your professional journey, you must always set a goal to gain new knowledge every day. A commitment to lifelong learning is necessary for anyone to stay relevant in the workforce.
While there are virtually endless ways for you to study or train new skills, whether via professional training courses or self-study, online learning is the most preferred mode of study since it’s relatively more affordable and time-efficient. So let’s go through this list of the positive impact that online learning has on your personal development.
Strengthen Your Resume With Some New Skills
The first and foremost benefit of online learning is, of course, to prepare yourself and strengthen your resume for a dream career. Especially now that there are many emerging jobs that didn’t exist just a decade ago, so the demand for skilled workers in those fields becomes much higher. If you want to stay relevant in the Industry 4.0, start exploring the options to study online.
As compared to traditional education that covers multiple disciplines, such as a degree or even post-graduate, digital classroom usually focuses on very niche areas. It’s better for you to master a specific skill depending on your job requirements. There are a plethora of free or low-cost courses available in topics ranging from computer science to copywriting, languages, life sciences, literature and more.
Eighty-seven percent of students who take an online course through Coursera said that they’ve found themselves perform better at work and 34 percent reported to be offered a better-paying position upon the completion of the course.
Not sure what to study in 2018? Check out this list of the top 10 demanding skills right now:
- Cloud and Distributed Computing
- Statistical Analysis and Data Mining
- Middleware and Integration Software
- Web Architecture and Development Framework
- User Interface Design
- Software Revision Control Systems
- Data Presentation
- SEO/SEM Marketing
- Mobile Development
- Network and Information Security
Get a Degree While Working Full-time
Did you know that you could also enrol in a university course online? Remote learning, usually on a part-time basis, is the best option for working adults who wish to further their studies after work. For instance, an AACSB-accredited online MBA program allows you to complete a master’s degree while working full-time.
Despite its popularity, many people still have some concerns over the credibility of digital certifications. Online studies can only add values to your career if you know how to apply your knowledge in real life. Which means the right question to ask is: “Which course is the most suitable option for your preferences and how can you make the most out of it?”
Before signing up for any course, make sure that you’ve done your research to avoid wasting time and money on irrelevant programs. Online learning is a great way to boost your career, whether you’re just interested in upgrading a specific skill or you’re in the market for a whole new degree. Don’t spend another day languishing in a dead-end job or wondering why you didn’t get picked for that promotion. Give online learning a try – and build the skills you need to have the career you’ve always wanted.
Below are the top online learning platforms that you can consider:
- Coursera – Offers accessible courses across all common study fields, from arts, language, to math, IT and data science among many others, with partnered courses with US’s leading universities.
- Udacity – Specialized in technology subjects with flexible payment policy.
- Skillshare – A membership-based platform that allows you to enrol in multiple disciplines.
- Udemy – With a huge catalogue of courses spanning from business, IT, to even product-specific training (e.g: Oracle, Microsoft, SAP, etc.)
This article is contributed by Tiffany Rowe, writer of seekvisibility.com.