What is further education exactly? From as big an investment to full-time study to as small a step as a one-hour free online course, furthering your education is always worthwhile. Certainly it can mean going back to school full time, perhaps studying for the MBA you’ve always dreamed of, or entering graduate school to gain an additional degree. But it could also be a professional qualification. In the field of special events for example, a Certified Special Events Professional (CSEP), Certified Meetings Professional (CMP), Certified Professional Catering Executive (CPCE) or Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME) are but a few of the designations you can earn to demonstrate your expertise and experience in your chosen field. Such qualifications can not only help you increase the quality of business you receive, but the process itself – of applying, studying, taking an examination – can teach you valuable information that will help in your day to day business.
When considering further education options, however, don’t discount the value of informal sources such as local and online courses. Such courses need not be expensive, time consuming nor particularly difficult or technical. Think about your interests or consider a challenge you face on a regular basis. What about your long-term career goals? Perhaps you’ve always been interested in philosophy, or you waste hours of your week looking through all the menus in a software program because you’ve never taken the time to learn it properly. Maybe you’re getting bogged down at work and need something to stretch your horizons a little, or you’d really like to move to a different career but just don’t know if you have the right skills. Start out slowly: websites such as www.about.com and www.learnthat.com have excellent free courses in hundreds if not thousands of topics (if you don’t find what you want, do an online search for ‘free online course [topic]’). If you like it and feel you are learning something worthwhile, buy a training book, try a paid online course, local seminar or evening class.
The point is, no matter how informed/intelligent/knowledgeable etc. you are, you might be surprised at how much enjoyment and pride you get out of reaching just a little bit higher. The further the better, I say.
