Useful Courses To Boost Your Career

I don’t know about you, but every few months, I get these hideous pamphlets through the door telling me to attend college and take a pointless course that is neither relevant nor enjoyable and I usually pop it straight in the recycling bin (minus the staples). However, I recently actually took the time to browse through it and found there were a few hidden gems. Not all seemingly useless courses are as pointless as they may first appear. Here are a few of my favourites and why YOU should embrace them in your life today.

A Management Course

“But I am not a manager…” Even if you don’t work in a managerial position, learning how to manage a team could be enormously beneficial. If you wish to progress, it gives you the building blocks of knowledge to enable you to manage your own team. If actual management isn’t for you, an understanding of management will help you to be a more active and understanding member of your team. It will help you to make sense of the decisions your manager makes. When a manager appears to be unfair, it can cause great unrest. You could be the one to help your team understand the why and what for.

Basic Counselling

Life is hard at the moment, with the recession adding pressure. I know people who are struggling so much, some are so cash-strapped they can’t even afford to go bankrupt. Others have family illness or bereavement to contend with. Whatever the problem, if you are working with other people in any capacity, this is a course you cannot ignore. Being able to support others and support customers and clients is good for the soul, but can also make you an invaluable member of your team. While you may not do it for recognition, knowing how to approach difficult subjects can make you very popular among others and may help you to empathise with things the higher-ups do or say.

Business ICT

You could be asked to do a number of things with computers and IT, and there nothing more embarrassing or time consuming than having to ask for help with things you really ought to be able to do. Consider a course in basic IT to get you used to the functions and capabilities of your software. Can you navigate Word but find yourself completely lost in Powerpoint or Excel? Get studying. It is desirable to most companies for their employees to be competent in MS Office.

What if I want to choose a course specific to my role?

Only choose something that has an accreditation with it, preferably one that is recognised. There are hundreds of courses out there that could be beneficial to different careers, so do your research. Please note though: if a course only lasts a day, it probably won’t teach you very much! Listen to reviews wherever they are available. Only take on distance learning if you are motivated enough to follow it through!