What are some low-cost ways to invest in your career development?

Online courses provide a cheaper and accessible way to improve and refresh one's skills. One of the advantages of online courses is the option to learn at your own pace!

I agree. It’s easier and cheaper to do online trainings and be certified for any job of interest. It’s something that could be done from the comfort of your home and at anytime that is convenient for you. I find it helpful as a home maker who is also a goal getter to advance my career with ease.

You can learn so much from an online course. These courses are usually pre-recorded - > thus, you can watch them multiple times. You can take advantage of doing it over and over again until you master the material!

In a world of self-acclaimed experts and leaders; career growth requires constant "mirror engagements". This means to objectively review your knowledge, experience and skills, identify where the gaps are and then take the steps that have been laid out in the main article. It is also important that you do not merely seek growth in perceived/trending growth sectors/areas. Tech and AI are great and we all should know a little more about its power and influence, but do you need a career overhaul because tech sis and bro appear to be the new synonym for "career advancement"? That's why "mirror engagements" are critical first steps to sustainably growing and advancing in your career. First, where is the gap? Then, how do I fill it?

Online courses are a great way to engage in self paced professional development. Many platforms offer free courses and or webinars at a low cost.

I love a good podcast! As a pharmacist by training, I listen to podcasts that provide healthcare updates or help me develop soft skills (like leadership or networking skills. My preferred platforms are Spotify and YouTube. I usually find out about great podcasts and webinars from my peers or scrolling through my LinkedIn feed. These are perfect for my commute to work or a break in between meetings.

Podcasts and webinars in M&E and consulting have been my go to places to listen and learn from the gurus in various thematic areas.

One time at work, I felt stuck and really busy at the same time. I was pushing mlestones but still felt I was not learning anything new. I deceided to be listening to webinars and posdcasts while on the road to work and back home. This helped me saty on track with matters I wanted to gro in. From my experience, you have to find time to build yourself.Life is so busy and there are things that cannot be put aside. The good thing is the older you grow, you want to invest in things that capture your soul hence intentionally creating time for them is not so hard because they become like a luxury and still grow you.

The Service Corps of Retired Executives is a free program of the Small Business Administration that matches retired business people with people that need help starting and growing businesses. They have online and in-person classes, publications and other resources that can help with mentoring and coaching.

In mentoring, the Mentor transfer skills and experiences direct to the mentee. This increases the confidence in the mentee in the new level of his/her career. Reason being the Mentor has to be ahead of the mentee.

Investing in your career development doesn't always require a significant financial commitment. Seek out opportunities to job shadow or mentor with experienced professionals in your field. Learning directly from someone with experience can provide valuable insights and guidance for career development, often at no cost.

I truly began my marketing and development career by volunteering. I had no knowledge, but volunteered to serve on an event committee. I learned from others on the committee and the school of hard knocks. After doing it for a couple of years, I was looked at as "experienced" by the other volunteers. I added the experience to my resume, which helped me get my first marketing job and later morphed into development.

Il est souvent difficile de prouver ses années d'expériences sur un CV. Par contre si vous devenez volontaire dans une organisation vous avez la possibilité d'apprendre a gérer, d'élargir votre réseau professionnel et surtout d'apprendre sur le terrain. Je conseille cette stratégie a toutes les jeunes femmes que je rencontre. de plus, plusieurs organisations disposent d'une politique de recrutement privilégiant les stagiaires ou bénévoles ayant presté en leur sein. Bref non seulement on apprends, expérimente et élargi son réseau mais on s'offre aussi une éventuelle opportunité d'avoir un contrat décent.

My professional journey is a testament that volunteer work contributes a lot to defining the kind of professional one will be as it serves a great opportunity to understand what the work landscape looks like and manage expectations; By allowing ourselves to be exposed to different kinds of dynamics, and professional environments, a great value of adaptability and capacity to shape our professional image and goals is harnessed.

Volunteering has proven to be the most effective and cheapest way to improve ones career. As you offer free services, you build competency in your skills and it's enrichment to your CV as it boost your know how.

You can invest in your career development by having a mentor, being with people that are successful, investing in your education, take a course, earn a degree, learn all you can about your job, show respect and kindness to others, stay current about trends in your area of employment and the world, don't stay stagnant, have an open mind, listen and learn, network, make new friends, learn a new skill, volunteer, work an interesting partime job, read, write an article, display (P.M.A.) Positive, Mental Attitude. Peace be with you! Prof. Goldson

La lectura es muy importante. Buscar libros relacionados con el tema que nos interesa es hoy día una tarea fácil. Debemos ser muy rigurosos a la hora de seleccionarlos. Una vez hecho esto, la lectura de un libro suele proporcionar una visión global, armónica y sólida sobre el tema que nos interesa.

These could be some specific ideas: Look for free or affordable online training there are possibilities at Coursera, edX, Udacity and Khan Academy, read books and or go to a library for example on the internet you can access Project Gutenberg, networking can be here on LinkedIn, look for a Mentorship, find free professional development resources like Skillshare, HubSpot Academy, Google Digital Garage and others, Volunteer, attend local conferences and events, develop soft skills. These could be some options.

Low cost investment will give you low cost return . How do you want to show up in your life ? My best learning always came with a price and a high return ! Get a great coach or guide !

Depending on how you look at it, because I wouldn't say my time is particularly low cost, (I actually value my time very highly!) but some of the most valuable feedback I got that propelled my professional development forward was having someone more senior than myself but in the same role, from another business, shadow a meeting I was facilitating, and give me feedback afterwards. At the time, I wanted to become a better facilitator. I was a junior scrum master at that time and she had years of experience. I made the relationship through meeting her at a local industry free Meetup event, and shared that I was struggling to get feedback from within my current workplace.

Trade Shows and Industry expos. They are usually free and happen on an annual basis. If you dont know what industry your interests fall into, go to several. You'll know what you like. Pay attention to why. You can also call a big name company or walk into the office, and ask a professional. Tell them your serious about learning the types of jobs in the industry, and do they know of a trade show you can attend to feel it in person. Volunteering. I volunteered for two different poetry companies at 20. Vert different styles. I asked them questions of how to they book talent, did they make a profit, expenses for an event, etc. Writehand ent (Anderson Smith) had me at the cash window training me how to balance the pay/expenses on the spot.

No incluida en los puntos anteriores, plataformas como LinkedIn permiten no solo construir y mantener una red profesional, sino también aprender a través de los contenidos que otros profesionales comparten. No limitarse a ser un observador pasivo, sino participar en grupos de discusión específicos de tu materia puede ser muy enriquecedor.