Wearing several hats can push you forward and upward.
There’ll come a point in your career when you don’t feel happy anymore. You start to feel that there’s no more room for growth so you think about resigning. But then you look for new work and find yourself underqualified for that next step.
What if I told you that your current job might not be a dead end after all? You need to upskill.
What is upskilling?
Upskilling is the process of learning more skills through more education and training. People who upskill are likely to show stronger problem-solving abilities. They may also have higher productivity levels and better overall performance.
The willingness to upskill is essential for those looking for career development.
The importance of wearing several hats
No, it’s not about doing too many things and overworking yourself. Rapid developments across industries mean that our skills have a shelf life. There will always be new processes, technologies, and environments that need adapting to. These situations call for upskilling.
It’s a similar case for those who want to move up the workplace ladder. It’s hard to gain trust from the higher-ups if you refuse to step out of your comfort zone. A promotion isn’t just about getting a pay increase. It’s also about having the hard and soft skills to handle more responsibilities.
Need some motivation? A Gallup study showed that workers who upskilled got an 8.6% average salary increase.
Upskill now
The study also showed that 65% of workers believe employer-provided upskilling is part of evaluating a potential new job. Almost half of the respondents said that they would switch to a new job if skills training opportunities are available.
From my personal experience, I got a promotion after joining several employer-provided training. This was because I learned the skills and possessed the expertise they wanted to foster. Upskilling was also able to increase my value when I decided to move on to a new place of employment.
No upskilling opportunities at your workplace? There’s always online learning. Several platforms have made their mark in the upskilling space. Websites like Coursera and Udemy even offer free courses alongside their paid certifications.
So what are you waiting for? Upskill now!
Featured Image Macky Arquilla
