Learning and Development or CPD is an essential requirement for us to stay relevant and continuously sharpen our skills.
I speak to many people who have a vast array of certifications and qualifications that back up their levels of expertise.
And then there are others who have little to no further certifications and qualifications since they left school. Their experience is all through learning by doing.
No approach is right or wrong in the majority of cases when it comes to the mid to senior career level.
But for those who are seeking work and thinking about how they can develop, this article is aimed at providing a brief overview of how to determine what is the right investment right now.
For those not currently working and actively seeking a new opportunity
For some, this might feel like the golden opportunity to take some time and develop a new qualification or skill.
It is tempting to think that perhaps gaining a new qualification could give you the competitive edge you need amongst other candidates.
I’d argue that for mid to senior career professionals, this is less of a priority right now as your experience should showcase your capabilities.
The time you spend completing a new course could be invested in your job search.
And there’s plenty to be done there when you have to search for roles, tailor your CV for each role, prepare for job interviews etc.
Focus your time, energy and budget exclusively on getting back to work at this stage.
The time for further learning and development can come later when there is less pressure to secure a new opportunity.
For those that gain their energy from learning and development as well as those who have a prolonged career break and want to showcase they’ve been focusing on their career development, an Udemy or Coursera course related to their experience is all you would need to hit those goals.
For those who are in a role currently and keen to increase their level of knowledge.
If you’re finding that your tried and tested ways of working may not be as effective as they used to be, or perhaps you feel like you’ve reached your limit when it comes to the learning you can do on the job.
Learning and Development is great for re-igniting that passion and investing in something that makes you better at what you do.
From a technical skills perspective, consider what courses are out there that align to your career path, for example, PRINCE2 for Project Management, Lean Six Sigma for Process Improvement specialists or CIPD for HR Professionals.
There are a vast range of industry recognised qualifications out there that you will likely be familiar with which you could invest in through work or financed directly which can help teach you new ways of working that can elevate your performance and re-ignite your passion for the role.
From a human skills perspective, there are plenty of Leadership development courses you can take or psychometric testing to help you understand your own personality type as well as learning more about others such as MBTI or Discovery Insights.
Don’t forget that most companies offer L&D programmes you can take advantage of such as courses available on LMS platforms and programmes of activity driven by L&D teams. Tap into the company resources and see what they can offer you to develop your skills further.
For those who are keen to pivot in an entirely new direction.
When you’ve taken the decision to pivot in a new direction, Learning and Development is essential for you to be successful in your role.
Before you’ve made that decision, you’ll have already considered what transferable skills you have, what your preferences are and how your experience translates into a new role.
But what skills gaps have you identified as part of the new role you’re targeting?
These are the skills where you should focus your learning and development on.
For example, if there’s an industry wide known qualification for your new target industry, I would hold fire on jumping straight into that qualification.
How do you know you’ll love this career path enough that the investment will pay off?
Find courses that specifically target your knowledge gap and focus on those to help improve your overall knowledge.
Then, if you have decided that in the long-term this career path is for you, invest in the core qualifications to back up your transferable skills and experience.
The different types of learning you can do.
As humans, we are all unique and different and learn in different ways and we need to recognise that so that we can grow our capabilities and not lie stagnant.
For example, I am definitely someone who learns by doing as well as learning from others.
If you ask me to read a book on the topic, I simply won’t, and that’s ok, because my skills continue to evolve through my own ways of learning.
To help you determine what’s best for you, here’s a summary of the types of learning you can do.
Professional Qualifications : Great for those who enjoy a programme of activity to study, learn, test and validate your learning and gain a recognised certificate to showcase on your CV.
Online Courses : Subject matter experts have developed great, easily accessible courses on platforms like Udemy and Coursera that are very specific to certain new and emerging topics. If you have one specific gap that you need to close, you’ll find a dedicated course on this topic.
**Mentorship :**Find subject matter experts who have done it before and learn from them how you can avoid the same pitfalls. Mentors can be people you work with, coaches who are dedicated to specific topics (such as me as a Career Transition Coach). You could have 1:2:1 sessions, join memberships, read blogs, attend webinars and events or even listen to podcasts. Mentorship has become much more accessible in today’s world so find your experts and follow them to learn how they do things.
**Learning Programmes :**These typically consist of long-term modular learning activity that is in the classroom with an instructor, self-led, task based learning all around specific themes such as leadership and/or action learning groups to discuss and collaborate together. This could be a masters degree for example or even a cohort learning programme at work. These work great for those who get bored by one particular learning approach.
No matter how you choose to complete your learning and development, do take the time to consider what is the best use of the time, energy and resources you have and focus on the right areas so that you can move forward in the best way.
Unsure what learning and development could look like for you?
Book a free, no-obligation 30-minute consultation with me and tell me your story.
Let’s see if I can help you shift the dial and secure your new career.
