Even in the past twenty years, lots has changed. And if you’re surprised by the fact that when we say “twenty years ago, we mean the year 2000, then you probably understand how quickly time passes. If you’ve been in a specific professional industry for a while, then you can probably name plenty of changes to the way you do your work that have come about since you started in your career. Since change is inevitable, it’s up to you to make sure you’re keeping up with the times. In most industries, you can keep up with the times by adding a professional certificate program to your resumé.
Keeping Up with the Times
Professional development shows your employer or team members that you are willing to keep up with the changes happening all around you. Technology, specifically, can pose a barrier to productivity if you haven’t kept up with the most recent trends. Even if your career path isn’t particularly “techie,” you can show that you are always trying to improve by earning a certificate as a Microsoft Office Specialist.
If you’re in a managerial or leadership position, you can keep up with the most recent ideas in that field by earning a certificate in Business Management and Leadership. Even if you earned your Master’s degree years ago, you can personally and professionally gain a lot from a willingness to grow and connect better with those new graduates on your team.
Of course, if you entered the IT field a while back, you know that it doesn’t take long until what you learned has been replaced by something new. In order to stay relevant and up-to-date, you can always take a short IT certificate course. Certificate programs are a simple, practical avenue for honing your skills and adding new ones to your repertoire.
A Fresh Appreciation
You might even feel like the career path you chose has lost its luster. You used to love the work you do, but you’re struggling to see the relevance. A certificate program is a practical way to remind yourself about the excitement you felt when you first entered your career. Adding new skills can remind you why you used to love the work you do in the first place. Changing professions isn’t always the best, most practical approach when you’ve lost your passion for your job. By committing yourself to learning for a few months, you just might find the boost you were looking for!
Setting the Standard for Others
If you’re in a leadership position, you might expect the people you supervise to continue learning, and you probably appreciate it when they bring their new skills to your team or come to the table with a fresh approach. But what about you? By continuing your education and staying current with the training being offered today, you show team members how important it is to make learning a priority.
Washington Technical Institute
Washington Technical Institute’s fully online certificates can be completed in a matter of months, with daily or bi-weekly start dates. Such flexible start dates make these programs unique and much more accessible for our students. Most of our certificates can be earned as a self-paced program, meaning that you can work at your own pace to complete your work, even finishing early if you have the time and motivation to do so. An additional benefit of WTI’s programs is that we offer affordable pricing and monthly payments to help our students leave school without debt.
Although our goal is to help our students graduate their programs with little to no debt, we also recognize that some students might need to utilize a loan for their educational investment. We are excited to announce our partnerships with Climb Credit or Ascent, student lending companies focused on financing career-building programs.
If you’re ready to enroll and start working on a plan for the personal and professional benefit of professional development, you can register for your program online through our website. Still have questions about our programs? Feel free to call us at 800-371-5581 or text us at 952-465-3702. Our admissions specialists will be happy answer whatever questions you have.