5 Ways to Augment Your Skillset

Experience is by far the most effective way in building your skillset! It’s all about getting out there and doing it, however, each of us have different career paths.
We need to look at options that align with what we want to do as well as
accomplish during our careers. You might be thinking about taking a particular training course that helps in strengthening a specific skill set to achieve mastery at a position while another professional can be contemplating taking a multi-year MBA programme that can drastically trajectory their career for the long-term. At the end of the day, you need to take many factors into account in order to make the best choice for you and that means doing research–utilizing an array of resources (i.e., engaging with other professionals, combing websites) while assessing the pros/cons of which paths you are considering. To make it a little easier, here are 5 ways to augment your skill set:

1. Education – in this day and age, an education is a must. Obviously, there are some great career paths that dont need a tremendous amount of education including the trades, there are other positions in a variety of sectors that require specific education to fulfill requirements in areas of finance, business and leadership. Education is both a huge commitment when it comes to cost and time, so it is very important you do you due diligence in seeing if it is truly a beneficial option for you.

2. Certified training – when seeking education, it typically requires longer
time/financial investments. However, if your long-term educational options dont appeal to you, you should definitely look into certified training or training programs. There is a galaxy of training options out there. If you are currently at a job that you enjoy and have made a conscious decision to continue on that path, look into further traininginternal training, external certified training through associations and training through colleges. These training programs can offer you a quick and effective way to augmenting key skills to help you progress in your professional development.

3. On-the-job  as already noted, work experience itself is the most important way of building your skill set. Whether you are a project manager or an account manager, it is the act of experience the job you are in and becoming a life-long student of your particular craft. Take some time to assess the position and learn as much as you can in order to improve, progress and excel. Sometimes success does not mean promotions, however, it might mean growing your opportunity for more money like in a sales role. Along with experience, look around for ways to augment your skills such as seeking mentorsthey can steer you in the right direction when it comes to zeroing on the appropriate skill-building tools you need in order to grow in your chosen profession.

4. Volunteering – along with professional experience, volunteering is a great way to easily augment your skill set. Being exposed to new opportunities in the non- profit sector can allow you to not only do good in your community, but take on responsibilities that you might not have at your current job. If you are looking for volunteering opportunities, look into whats available locallypreferably a cause that appeals to you. From there, volunteer your time and be sure to outline skills you want to discover or grow.

5. Freelancing – if you have a full-time job and already building your skill set, thats great! However, what are you doing in your free time? A freelance option can be an amazing way to pursue something that you enjoy while growing additional skillset. Like volunteering, you can enhance skills you might not be doing at your current work like business management, client engagement or marketing. Before diving into freelancing, think about what you may want to do. A great starting point is fiverr. This is one of the most popular freelance sites online. Take some time to skim what others are offering in services. Write down some that appeal to you and go from there. This is a good site to start offering a service that you choose and before you know it, you are on your way to building skills that can help you forge a more profitable career.