Additional education as the decisive career success factor

Having the required level of formal education used to be enough to get you a job, but today it’s not enough to have “just” a degree.

Formal education (i.e., education taking place in schools, colleges and universities) is extremely important as it prepares us for our future job tasks, but it doesn’t provide us with the skills we need to operate successfully in the business world.

A certain level of formal education is only a prerequisite which defines us as a potential job candidate. With the development of business processes in almost all areas of work, the demand for more educated employees with better qualifications also increases and the candidates are expected to invest in additional education.

Additional education influences the employer’s hiring decision

Employers prefer the employees who are willing to do more than just meet standard educational requirements. They are not satisfied with the employees who are ready to take on ‘just’ their job tasks – they want the employees who take initiative and work on their self-improvement. Excellent communication skills, proactivity, self-initiative, creative use of knowledge and the ability to understand other people and to connect with them are highly valued.

Aside from formal degrees, employers increasingly value additional skills. Furthermore, the speed of acquiring new knowledge and the ability to master new skills are both extremely important. Additional (informal) education shows your desire for self-improvement and excellence, and sets you apart from numerous other candidates who are ‘just’ formally educated. It tells a lot about your attitude and character, and points out the fact that your personal development is important to you, both in work and private life.

Furthermore, far-sighted and shrewd employers invest more and more in the additional education of their employees, recognizing it as an investment that will certainly pay off. It is crucial to learn new skills and upgrade the existing ones for both personal development and business advancement.

Your chosen area of additional education depends on your goals

Setting clear goals helps immensely with choosing the area of additional education. Aside from choosing from a variety of specialized courses focused on business development and personal growth, you can also choose between different ways of taking a course (classic, online or combined). In this way, you can take control of your education and adjust it to your wishes and needs.

Broaden your horizons or specialize in a specific area – there are countless opportunities awaiting you. Your resume will look much more attractive when the additional education listed on it represents a person caring about their personal development. To excel in your career you have to be willing to learn and improve yourself, since in the contemporary (as well as the future) working environment it is expected of you to continuously upgrade your current skills and acquire new ones.

Use every available opportunity to improve your skills because somebody else could get that job or promotion instead of you!