April 29, 2020 | 5 min read
Looking To Grow Your Skills? Consider Taking Online Courses!

Catherine

Remote work certainly has its perks, but for many of us it also has its challenges. In this blog series, we’ll focus on the home office, discussing ways to adapt, and conquer—both as an employer and an employee. This is post 13 of the series. You can follow the rest of the series and read our past posts here.

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If you’ve been trying to adjust to working from home, it’s likely that one of the last things on your mind is professional development. While you may feel like you can’t achieve your career goals without being in an office, there are actually many ways to focus on career growth from home! In fact, there are 450 free online courses available right now that can help you achieve your goals!

Recently, the majority of America’s Ivy League schools have started to offer free online classes to the public. Not only does this present an excellent opportunity to advance your skills, but these classes can also expose you to new areas you’ve never had the chance to explore.  With hundreds of courses to choose from, getting started might feel a little overwhelming. To help identify the right courses for you, first consider your professional priorities:

For the person looking to boost their marketability

If you’ve gotten used to your work from home routine and are looking for ways to strengthen your essential skills you may want to try courses geared toward expanding your professional marketability. In particular, schools with strong business programs like the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard may have exactly what you’re looking for! With online courses designed to strengthen your entrepreneurial skills, improve your public speaking capabilities, or becoming a better negotiator, there are plenty of ways for you to strengthen your professional capabilities from the comfort of your own home!

For the person thinking about a new career

Have you been thinking about making a career change or thinking about an internal job transfer? If so, then consider taking introductory and overview courses! For example, if you’ve been thinking about pursuing a career in accounting, consider taking the University of Pennsylvania’s Introduction to Financial Accounting. Or, if you’re looking to pursue a career in technology, you can take Harvard’s Introduction To Computer Science. If you have a little extra time on your hands, there isn’t a better time to explore whether or not a new career is the right option for you.

For the person looking for future leadership opportunities

Like many professionals, you may aspire to take on more responsibilities and leadership opportunities as part of your career plan. If attaining new management opportunities is one of your goals, you may want to consider taking any of the classes the University of Pennsylvania is offering on how to become a successful manager, like how to manage a team on an interpersonal level. Or, if you’re struggling to figure out the best way to manage a remote team, taking one of these courses could give you new ideas that will keep your team energized and focused!

For the person who’s looking for something new and fun

There are hundreds of courses available if you’re looking to make advancements in your career. However, if you’re really looking for something that sparks your personal interests, you’ll be able to find those classes as well! For example, photography lovers will probably love Harvard’s digital photography class, while history buffs may be interested in the Civil War series offered by Columbia University. While these online courses are a great way to grow professionally, don’t forget to find things that will help you maintain a good personal and professional balance too!

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