Learn professional development
Professional development can help you gain new skills through career training or applicable education and can open up new career opportunities. In this guide, you'll learn about education options and possible career paths.
What is professional development?
Professional development helps you hone existing skills and learn new ones so you can stand out from your peers. Adding courses, executive education, degrees, or industry certifications to your résumé can signal your expertise to employers.
Courses may take weeks to complete, executive education programs may take a few months, and degree programs often span four years or more. You can leverage the knowledge from these programs to help you join a new field, advance in your current field, or become an entrepreneur.
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Choosing the right professional development program for you
To find the perfect professional development program, consider where you are now and where you want to be. If you're just starting out, an entry-level course may be suitable. Take into account how much time you have available, as well as the cost of the course.
Here are some potential programs to help you learn about professional development:
Courses
edX offers a wide range of courses that could help you with professional development. From storytelling to learning programming languages like Python, short online courses can help you build niche skills or understand foundational elements of a new field.
Courses typically last a few weeks and can be taken at your own pace.
Certificates
These programs typically last a few weeks and award you with a certificate upon completion. Earning a certificate can be a great résumé booster to help you gain a competitive advantage in your field.
Executive education programs
Consider an executive education program that's relevant to your current field. For example, a business program could give you the tools to make informed decisions and lead your current team more effectively. Executive education programs can usually be completed in a few months.
Degrees
If you're seriously considering professional development, a bachelor's degree or master's degree could be perfect. For example, a bachelor's of science in computer science could teach you advanced programming skills and give you a strong foundation in computer science principles. A bachelor's program typically takes four years of full-time study to complete, while a master's usually takes two years.
Jobs following professional development
Pursuing professional development could open up a wide range of potential careers. Certifications or advanced education can open the door to senior roles with higher salaries and help you eventually become a CEO, CFO, or COO.
Here are some potential roles to consider:
Learn about professional development online with edX
Consider enrolling in an online course at edX, or choose from a range of other professional development programs.
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