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Forever Student? Yes!So you’ve finished your Master degree, and now you are thinking maybe, just maybe you should go back for a Ph.D. - you say to yourself, “In this competitive marketplace, I need an edge”. True, we all need something the sets us apart from others, especially when we apply for a competitive position, but you might want to consider alternatives to another sheepskin on your wall. Nontraditional education like noncredit Spanish 101 offered though CCAC or community leadership programs like Leadership Pittsburgh or Leadership Development Initiative will expand your resume and professional skill set in a way that WILL set you apart and give you an edge over the competition. Skills that you will gain from taking a noncredit Spanish class are pretty obvious- you will learn Spanish, but community focused or regional leadership programs are less understood. Community leadership programs will help you develop professionally in a number of ways: they will help you to expand your knowledge of issues affecting the community and provide exposure to regional leadership, amenities, community initiatives and opportunities; they will also help you enhance your leadership and professional abilities- i.e. public speaking and networking skills. The benefits of participating in nontraditional education classes are numerous; through our participation we expand our interests, knowledge and abilities. When a potential employer looks at your resume they look favorably upon associations outside of work and traditional education. However, we all have a limited amount of time and resources to develop ourselves professionally; we want to put our efforts (and money) into the correct program. When considering expanding your professional education and skill set, consider the following:
An important part of deciding what nontraditional educational opportunity is right for you is to understand your motivation for participation. As with all opportunities, you need to assess you interest, outlook and expectations prior to applying- you don’t want to be sitting through session eight thinking “What did I do?! Why am I here?!?!”. In an attempt to help you make the correct decision below is a list or organizations in our region that provide nontraditional educational opportunities.
So once you have conducted your research, considered your options and determined now is the time, making the decision is easy. One of the greatest benefits to nontraditional education is that you do not have to look at a report card at the end of the class; rather you can look back and admire what you did learn…and then add it to your resume.
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