How to Learn New Skills for a New Career
Starting a new career can be a long process, filled with doubt and setbacks. One of the best ways to ease this process is to be a great candidate for the new job. By being attractive to prospective employers, each step, from applications to interviews, will go much smoother. How can this be accomplished? The simplest way is to have a relevant skill set.
This is easier said than done, though. Here are two ways to learn new skills to ensure your resume stands out from the rest.
Personal Projects
One of the best ways to become better at a skill, whatever it may be, is to use it. In the world of web design, this means designing websites. In programming, it means making software that showcases talent. There are numerous examples.
Creating personal projects has two major benefits. First, you are becoming better at the skill because you are using it. Secondly, you begin to build a portfolio that can be used as a reference to prove your expertise.
A great portfolio filled with projects can be a surefire way to stand out among other candidates. A portfolio can take many forms depending on the subject. A web designer may have several published websites, or an artist may keep all their work on a physical medium. Regardless, a portfolio that an employer can reference to prove that you have the know-how is priceless and can ease the uncertainty of hiring someone new to the field.
The other obvious advantage of creating personal projects is practice. Not only are you building a portfolio for reference, but you are simply practicing the skill. With more practice, you become better. A well-practiced candidate is hard to find, and many employers will gladly take the opportunity should one arrive.
Online learning
The internet has allowed new freedom in learning. Gone are the days of being restricted to a classroom to learn a new skill or subject.
One of the best ways to learn a new skill is to be taught it. Almost any subject can be found online, with most resources being free. From programming on YouTube to incident command on the FEMA training website, there is almost certainly a chance to learn about a skill online.
Massive Online Open Courses, commonly known as MOOCs, are becoming extremely popular. Prestigious universities such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology or Harvard publish some of their popular coursework online, in their entirety. Completing these courses will not earn you a degree in the subject, but the knowledge given is golden.
There are other avenues if you want to pursue online learning. Hundreds of companies offer online courses and materials, the most common being YouTube. Personally, I earned all my IT certifications with free, online training through YouTube, along with a search engine for the learning objectives I needed to go more in-depth on.
Personal Projects and Online Learning are two of the best ways to start a new career. By learning about the career and it’s intricacies, and building a portfolio that proves your talent, you’ll be hired in no time!