Sunday, November 13, 2011

Be Up-To-Date and Enjoy the Overwhelming Benefits of ContinuingEducation

Considering the number of people who are joining the workforce everyday, one can not be complacent and stay stagnant even if he graduated from a good University and has earned quality experience through the years. Such qualifications are only good the first few years but one cannot merely rely on them to advance his career. Needless, to say continuing education is important for working individuals to be able to acquire new and improve existing skills and knowledge just so they could keep up and remain current in their field of expertise.

Technological advancement did not only make communication and connectivity faster but it also resulted in the demand by companies and corporate organizations for more advanced skills from its employees and staff.   If one graduated a couple of years back there is a need to acquire further studies to push his career forward. Dependence on and acquisition of high technology equipment and gadget by companies also add to the need to continuously update oneself on the latest knowledge and skills.

Considering the above, continuing education has become more than a past time or means to get higher certification but a need to even survive in the corporate world and be free from the worries of being included in downsizing. Furthermore, acquiring further education has become a necessity for long-time employees to be able to compete head to head with new and more vibrant workforce. Looking at it from an ideal perspective, continuous learning benefits not only the individual who enrolls for courses but even the business as well. The company is able to maintain highly and multi skilled manpower that can fuel the organization to further growth and development if it encourages and support further education and training of its personnel. On the other hand, continuing education offers the following advantages to a career-person:

  • Enhanced corporate/work skills and knowledge – Individuals who acquire further studies gain relevant and up-to-date skills and training that will enable them to be competitive and relevant in the organization they belong to. Furthermore, results of studies reveal that those who are enrolled in such programs have better appreciation and understanding of their role in the company as well as the goal of the organization and how they can be a material help to achieve the same. The theoretical foundation being provided by the lessons and the practical application acquired in the workplace when carried out simultaneously will also result to enhanced practical knowledge and problem solving skills.
  • Career advancement – Those who receive continuous education have a better chance of being promoted or to move up in the corporate ladder considering that they are gaining expertise that will in turn help the company move forward as well; the same will also result in increase salary and other incentives.

  • Thirst for improvement – This benefit may be the least-obvious and immeasurable one but its impact cannot be ignored. Individuals who start realizing the advantages of non-stop learning tend to appreciate the value of education more. Their attitude begins to change and they begin to be much more interested in finding the best possible solutions in solving their work problems; suddenly the world is open and they can see limitless possibilities.
  • Increase corporate value – Once an employee gains higher qualifications and regularly improves, he then becomes a valuable asset to the company. He has more bargaining power and should he decide to transfer to another organization - he wouldn’t find any difficulty doing so.
Beyond the advantages mentioned above, devoting oneself to continuous learning proves to be also beneficial to communities in particular as it increases its productivity and innovativeness and to the country’s economy in general as highly-skilled citizens tend to work harder and better.

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