Six Options for Continuing Education and Career Advancement

Every job or career path requires some knowledge or education to be successful. For some careers you might be able to learn on the job. Others, however, require additional education or an advanced degree.

Obviously if you want to be a psychiatrist you'll need to go to medical school. That bachelor's degree in English won't cut it. But there are many others jobs and careers where that English degree can be used broadly and supplemented with other forms of learning and education.

If you need to add some additional learning and education to your resume here are a six options to consider:

1. Local Community College. Many community colleges offer excellent courses to provide you with a specific skill, such as using Photoshop. They also offer associate degrees or certificate programs in many fields that might supplement your career development.

2. Local Government. Most cities and towns offer community education courses in a wide variety of
subjects and fields. You might just find a low-cost course that will help to gain the skill to qualify for that promotion.

3. Local Organizations. Small (and large) nonprofit organizations, along with other local businesses and community libraries typically offer training in the arts, financial management, computer programs, and more at very low-cost and some, like at the library, might be free.

4. Mentors or Tutors. Do not overlook the training and learning opportunities that a mentor or tutor can provide. A mentor might allow you to job-shadow with him or her to learn more about their work and profession. Hiring a tutor can be a great way to enhance those computer skills or to learn a new language.

5. Online Courses. You can learn just about anything online, such as coding or a new language, through free courses at a variety of great online learning sites, including Codecademy. Check out this previous post about online learning.

6. College or University. Of course, you just might have to go back to college or university in order to complete that degree or earn an advanced degree.

Let Your College or University Help You Even After Graduation

When you graduate from a college or university, you figure your relationship with the school ends there. Not true! There are many ways to stay involved with your school's community and let them help you score a great job.

1. Visit your school's Career Services. Make an appointment with a counselor, even if you've already graduated. They can help you find other tools and opportunities you may not have known about. You can also get your resume or cover letters checked out and revised by a professional or get a peer mentor that can help you with all things involved with being a post grad.

2. Visit your school's website and check out their services for Alumni and Career Services. You may be able to search for jobs that companies only post for college students and alumni and apply right through your school. You can also find out information on career fairs, events, workshops and mixers.

3. Keep yourself informed on alumni news and updates by signing up for their alumni email blasts, newsletters, or magazines. You may also be able to find articles on interview tips, job search advice and much more on their website.

4. If their website isn't up to date, give the school a call or visit to see if they have brochures or other information you can easily pick up on upcoming events or advice on being a post grad.

Career Center Success

Your college or university’s career center has a wealth of resources at your disposal to help you make better career decisions and sharpen your skills to make you a standout candidate in interviews. Unfortunately, many college students fail to use the career center…or fail to use it correctly. Read on for some tips on how to make the most of your time at the career center.

• Maintain realistic expectations: Many students think that they can waltz right in to their college career center and there will be a resume or even a job waiting for them on a silver platter. Not true! Think about it: would you go to a library and expect the librarian to do your research for you? Of course not! A career center provides assistance, from critiquing your resume to putting you through a mock interview, but it will not do the work for you. Expect to put in some work.


• Have a goal: It’s frustrating for career center administrators is to have a student schedule an appointment, come in, and then sit there expecting to be told what to do. Ask yourself this question: “what is my purpose in visiting the career center today?” The answer to this question should guide your conversation and make your visit more productive, keeping you from feeling frustrated.


• Engage in the process: Your time is precious and you should expect outstanding service from your career center. If you feel your needs are not being met, say so. Those in a career center truly want to help you. Be vocal with and committed to your goals to experience success!

Tap into Your Alma Mater’s Career Services

If you’re a recent college graduate or one from years past, tap into the career services and alumni offerings at your alma mater, particularly if you’re job searching. College and university career services offerings are almost always free, and alumni membership usually has either no, nominal, or an affordable tiered structure to annual dues.

The following are just a sampling of offerings alumni may find at their college's or university's career services department or through alumni groups:

Access to assessment tools to identify interests, values, and skills
Access to resource libraries that can link users to business databases, company databases, industry and salary information, and more
Assistance with researching and applying to graduate school
Help in interview preparation including mock video interviews
Assistance with writing resumes and cover letters including samples, templates, and critiques
Access to college-sponsored job boards for posting a resume and perusing job listings
Invitations to in-person and virtual job and career fairs
Input and guidance from career counselors
Help in identifying and implementing effective job search strategies
Access to alumni mentoring program
Invitations to alumni networking and career development events
Access to alumni business directory with information, such as contact names, companies, positions, locations, and industry
Information about alumni LinkedIn group, Facebook page, blogs, and other online networking groups

Remember, one of the key goals of the career services department at colleges and universities is to help students and graduates, including alumni, with job placement and their professional success. Career services professionals, therefore, work to foster relationships and partnerships with employers, and contribute to the employer’s job candidate pool. This is often viewed as one of the most valuable benefits offered by career services.