If you're interested in promoting yourself in your chosen career without the commitment of getting a degree, advanced career training might be right for you. This option is usually best for those who already have a bachelor's or higher degree in their chosen field. However, those in fields that don't require a degree such as real estate might also look into advanced career training as well. So what are the benefits of advanced career training?
Many times you can get advanced career training for free. Many companies encourage it and include it in their benefits package to entice potential employees during their recruitment process. Some companies require it, and usually will only pay for it if it is essential to their job.
It makes you seem ambitious to your current employer. By getting advanced career training, your employer knows that you are planning on making a career out of your current profession and perceives you to be valuable. Another great tactic is to talk to senior workers and managers to find out what kind of skills are necessary to your job. Then approach your supervisor or human resources department and propose advanced career training on those skills, stating they are necessary to advance in your field.
It makes you work better. While many skills necessary for your job are self-taught, advanced career training allows you to enhance those skills by learning the theories behind them. It also teaches you new skills that are valuable to the work you do now.
Now that you know about some of the pros of advanced career training, what are the negative aspects of doing it?
You can't take it with you if you change careers. Advanced career training tends to be highly specialized, and if you decide to change careers the training will be useless. While some general information will transfer over to your new field, most of it will not. Which means countless hours have gone to waste.
It doesn't look as good as a degree. This is why it is recommended you complete a degree program before you get any advanced career training. Moreover, if you want to move up to a managerial field, you better go for the degree first. In a scientific field, it would probably look better on your resume to get a postgraduate degree such as a Master's or PhD.
Advanced career training can be expensive, and financial aid is not as readily available. If your company isn't paying for it, advanced career training can drain your wallet fast. And, unlike undergraduate or postgraduate classes, it may be harder to get financial aid. You might want to look at those options first if advanced career training isn't in your budget.
So, as you can see, there are both positive and negative effects of advanced career training. If you are fairly certain of your career path and already have at least a Bachelor's degree, advanced career training is definitely the way to go. However, if you are not sure of your career direction or don't have the necessary degrees for your field, you might want to check that option first. Advanced career training is not portable and won't do much for you in another profession.
