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Viewing Five Ways you can Invest in Your Professional EducationFive Ways you can Invest in Your Professional Education
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Going to business school is not the only option for advancing your professional education! Here are five easy ways you can beef up your skills and knowledge, without having to take on the time and expense involved in attending business school. By Linda M. Lopeke Going to business school is cool, but it is not the only option for advancing professional education! Here are five ways you can beef up your skills and knowledge without having to take on the time and expense involved in attending business school. Never miss an opportunity to invest in your professional development, whether you prefer to go solo, partner or buddy up, or join a group. 1. Successful people read - a lot! Luckily, there is more than one way to get that reading done. If books are not for you, try the audio version - easy to fit in on any commute. Do not overlook business book summary services either. Summaries compact top-selling business books to just the key messages, and are a great timesaver. They cost less too. If that is still too much for you, a few well-chosen magazines can also keep you up to date and in the know. 2. Combine networking and education by taking advantage of professional and industry association offerings. Business associations offer many programs and seminars in the form of breakfast or lunch meetings, chapter meetings, special interest workshops, and so on. The atmosphere of these events is perfect for making new professional connections. Sometimes they even feed you too! 3. No time for a full-time MBA? See if your company will invest in an Executive MBA program for you. Not everyone can take a couple of years off to go back to school, but many can manage evenings and weekends. Your company might support this as an option for you (and maybe they will even pay for it, too) - but you will never know if you do not ask. 4. Check out company-offered programs; they may surprise you. Businesses are expanding their internal training options rapidly. It is not unusual to find live and virtual presentations on a variety of subjects. Programs not offered in-house are usually available externally, and quite often, your company will pay your tuition. Just make sure that any requests you make in this regard are relevant to your current job or logical next step up in the organization. 5. Work with a mentor or mastermind group. Hang out with people who have been there and done that, and associate yourself with others of a like mind. You will pick up great tips, benefit from the support, and improve your own game simply by association. You become the average of the five people with whom you spend the most time. Therefore, look around and see if you are missing opportunities to grow professionally because you are not spending enough time with people who can do you some good. You do not have to give up your friends; just add a few new ones along the way. About the Author: Get thirty more free career tips and take the cash-for-college challenge at http://www.smartstartcoach.com. Career advancement expert and mentor, Linda M. Lopeke, is a leading authority on how to succeed in the 21st-Century workplace and the creator of SMARTSTART Mentoring Programs: Success-to-go for people working @ the speed of life! Article Source: 1st Rate Articles - http://1stRateArticles.com |
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