Is your skillset still relevant?

In one way or another, all occupations are constantly shaped by technology. While this traditionally improves the quality and efficiency of work, it can also be difficult for employees to adjust, particularly if they haven’t experienced much in the way of change previously.

This raises a question for many workers; is my skillset up-to-date? Are there aspects of my job that I struggle with due to a lack of formal training? If the answer is unclear, it might be time address the issue head on.

We’ve come up with some solutions to upgrading your skillset while still holding down a full-time job.

Take an online course

One of the simplest approaches is to target an area you want to improve on and find a relevant online course to complete. Whether it’s a series of instructional videos on sharpening your Indesign abilities or an introduction to coding, it will provide valuable exposure to issues you may face in the workplace.

Launch an external project

Starting your own venture can be an effective career tool. A carpenter might build and sell homemade coffee tables, a marketing professional could manage a sporting club’s social media accounts and virtually anyone could start their own website these days. Not only will this provide great practice, it can also kickstart passion in a particular segment of the industry.

Hire a coach

It can be difficult to evaluate your own work performance critically, so hiring somebody designed to help you improve professionally can be a great move. By providing honest, unbiased advice, coaches and mentors can identify weaknesses and recommend strategies on how to overcome these while developing your strengths.

Attend conferences

Regardless of the industry you’re in, odds are that there will be conferences held throughout any given year. Even if you have never considered attending one before, get out of your comfort zone and give it a go. After all, what do you have to lose? Conferences tend to be filled with industry professionals who want to learn and better themselves, which is a great environment to develop new skills.