Jeremy Kaplan
If you are familiar with the world of investments at all, try and take a moment to dream up the perfect investment opportunity. There’s infinite potential for growth and return, no one able to get in on it but you. On top of this, there’s no set financial limit to buy in. Sounds nice, right? Now, what if I told you it exists? It’s one thing to try and get behind a startup or a stock, but when it comes to most potential, the best thing to invest in is yourself.
This mentality can serve you well in any aspect of your life. Take the time to start working out and you’re likely to look better and be healthier. Invest in your mental health by using a professional or simply doing mental exercises on a daily basis. What we’re going to talk about today are ways you can invest in yourself in the career sense. There are many things that you can do—and you may be surprised on how far this can take you.
Extra Training Makes You More Appealing In The Career World
Whether you’re looking for a new job or trying to advance, a lot of getting ahead is standing out. If you are a fresh college grad, there are many people coming out with the same basic education you have. As a result, as you get started, it’s going to be the side things you’ve done that help you stand out. If you’re fresh out of college, it’s likely to be internships or similar projects. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg.
If you really want to invest in yourself, understand that being a student never ends. Always look for ways to expand your library of skills. For example, nurses may go to the extra step to go through getting botox certified. A journalist may consider learning another language so that they can cover a whole new field. Many people across several careers are learning programming and other computer skills as tech takes over their industries. Adding further certifications and qualifications to your resume is a sure bet to keep you current in the workforce.
There are many different ways that you can go about doing this, and they don’t all necessarily mean going back to school. For one, start by looking for free courses online. Often offered by institutions of higher learning and industry influencers, these are great for learning the basics of something without taking on a heavy financial burden. Once you hit this step, you may consider shelling out for an e-book or seminar for more specific information.
Where Do I Start?
The best thing you can do when it comes to figuring out what parts are the best areas to invest in is doing some self-assessment. If it helps, think of yourself as a product you are trying to sell. There’s always going to be strengths and areas for improvement. Simply sit down and put together a chart of areas where you as a professional are strong and can grow. Sometimes, you will find your areas of improvement being specific to the industry. For example, you may want to pursue some sort of certification to qualify for a job. Other things may be more general. For example, you are on the shy side, but want to take on more leadership role. As a result, you start looking into public speaking.
Sometimes, the investment you make to hone these skills and areas is financial, like buying a course. Sometimes, it’s more about investing time, like actually reading all those books you picked up from the library.
In other cases, it’s just a matter of changing some bad habits. Constantly struggling to find where that document is? Take the time to look up some organization techniques and put them into action. The time you spend once could save you many work hours down the line.
While it may be a bit daunting, it’s important to never forget the return you get. By making a conscious effort to improve yourself, you let the professional world know that you are looking to grow. No matter what stage of your career you are in, this is the type of image you want to put out. Indirectly or directly, you’ll likely see some positive effects on your bank account as well.
