Career Turning Point: Upskilling to even more career options

Holly is a program coordinator at a local non-profit organization. She’s been working there for four years, learning on the job, and increasingly taking on more responsibility. She’s recently decided that she’d like to pursue a certificate in business management and possibly learn a new language. Given how she perceives the current employment environment—a volatile job market, modest growth in the economy, and an increasing number of adults with post-secondary education—she believes her decision is nothing short of necessary, and has the potential open more doors. Holly, to put it more plainly, is upskilling.



Holly isn’t alone—according to the 2013 Kelly Global Workforce Index (KGWI), approximately 60% of workers globally are “either actively seeking further education/training, or are considering it.” This survey of over 120,000 people in 31 countries across the Americas, EMEA and APAC regions takes a generational approach to opinions about work.



Why do people upskill or pursue second career training? Reasons seem to coincide—57% are seeking promotion at their current company, 47% are looking for advancement at a new company, and 42% are looking to enter a completely new field of work according to the KGWI. Some more nuanced explanations might be that employees are being passed over for promotions due to new staff with advanced degrees or specialized training; some professionals are looking to increase their standing (and salary) at their current firm; or to simply obtain a new job.



Whatever the reason, before you or anyone considers second career training, be sure to consider the following:



Skill Type – What type of upskilling are you considering? Are you looking obtain soft skills, such as leadership training, or hard skills, like project management or learning a new language?
Finances – How much will this cost you? Do you have the money to pour into a costly course, or can you afford to take time off of work?
Current Work Situation – If you have told your current supervisor about your plans, how do they feel about this? Are they a proactive employer who celebrates this type of initiative?
Time – Do you have the time? And what might you have to de-prioritize as a result of this new focus?
Why – Ask yourself, “What does success look like?” and determine the why behind this decision. Only when you can answer that should you comfortably move forward.

A key part of this process is research—the costs, resources available (including financing from the government or your HR department), and time required to achieve your goals. What will also help is good old face-to-face conversations with senior professionals. They can tell you what additional skills they have acquired over the years and what, in their opinion, makes someone more valuable as an employee. Most importantly, consider whether what you’re doing fits into your overall career plan and lifestyle.for more info, check out avant career