Building Your Skills Outside of Work

Learning new professional skills is a great way to advance your career, but it's not always easy to balance educational opportunities with a full work schedule. Fortunately, you don't have to enroll in a degree program to learn new professional skills. There are plenty of short-term learning opportunities available in your community and online. If you are interested in career advancement, try at least one of the following activities.

1. Volunteer Your Time

Nonprofit organizations need volunteers to raise funds and provide program services to people in need. If you want to learn a new skill, volunteer for a nonprofit organization in your area. You might have the opportunity to build a website, write a donor newsletter or learn the finer points of event planning. Volunteering gives you the opportunity to learn new professional skills and grow your professional network.

2. Take Time to Process

If you are always jumping from one task to another, you don't have an opportunity to analyze what you did and learn how to improve. After completing a task, schedule some downtime so you can review what went right and what went wrong. Scheduling downtime gives you an opportunity to learn new professional skills in the areas of management, business analysis and information technology.

3. Complete Online Courses

You don't have to go back to school full-time to learn new skills. In some cases, taking one or two courses is enough to give you the basics. Several universities offer open courses for people interested in learning something new. Lynda.com and Udemy have courses on topics ranging from computer programming to social-media management.

4. Join LinkedIn

Although LinkedIn is known primarily for its networking capabilities, the professional network offers plenty of opportunities to learn new skills. Sign up for LinkedIn groups to stay on top of what is going on in your industry and access articles related to your field. Connect with thought leaders who can teach you new skills and help with your career advancement at the same time.

5. Take Time for Networking

Participating in a networking group is a great way to meet industry influencers and learn new skills. For example, serving on a committee can help you develop your leadership skills, while volunteering as the treasurer for a networking group makes it easier to learn new financial-management skills.

6. Find a Mentor

If you are new to your industry, search for a mentor to guide you in developing your career. A mentor should be happy to teach you new professional skills and introduce you to important people in your community.

If you want to learn new professional skills, you don't have to take out student loans and spend years in school. There are plenty of learning opportunities available if you are willing to look for them.

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