How Did You/How Would You Skill up with a Full Time Job?

TheGhost on 31/10/2023 - 13:16
Last edited 31/10/2023 - 14:29

As the title suggests, regardless of industry or individual interests, how did people skill up or how would they skill up in future if they wanted to whilst having a full time job.

I have always wanted to skill up but struggling to make the first step. I personally have a time frame of 1-2 years in mind but any period of time is welcome as it might help someone else.

I didn’t want to restrict the topic to only a certain industry or interest. Just genuinely want to know how did people do it.

Edit: I didn’t initially specified industry but I am in transport industry. We have no fixed finish time so its hard to organise any courses or study. We might finish at 2pm one day and at 7pm the next.
I do have windows of time available during the the day at work from 1-2 hours where I can study online.

Education & Work

Comments

  • Hybroid on 31/10/2023 - 13:31
    +4

    You say you don't want to restrict to certain industry, but it does matter as opportunities are not all the same.

    For example in Engineering, there are several different avenues:-

    • If you're a designer or in consultancy, you can opt to spend a year or two with a contractor on-site to expand the breadth of your knowledge and practical understanding, which will help you significantly in future.
    • Most global consultancies will have multiple different training programmes that you can sign up to get accreditations or learn new skills. For example if you're a PM and wanted to take a week long Primavera planning course or work towards Project Management Professional etc.
    • There will also be in-house training provided for things like soft skills or leadership training. Also lots of grey-hair mentors around that will happily provide support and steer in the right direction. You need to seek them out, not them chase you.
    • Some large consultancies will be happy to sponsor you undertaking further academic studies e.g. a Masters or PhD degree. They'll even pay it (or part thereof) and give you appropriate paid time off to study.
    • Some industries have professional bodies (e.g. Engineers Australia or Australian Institute of Project Management) that offer a wide variety of training, courses, mentoring, career development support, networking, events etc.
    • Stick your hand up for any opportunities that arise. Team needs some supervision on the weekend for some Geotechnical borehole drilling surveys? Yea! Know absolutely nothing about Geotech, not even my field, but why not. Safety boots on and head out and learn tons.
    • Additionally, one of the best ways to skill up is to simply change jobs and pivot. Join a new company, for better pay, and learn new things from new people with new systems, new software and new ways of working.

    I imagine someone in Culinary or Service fields may not have these specific kinds of opportunities. Those in Finance or Medical industries will have some similar opportunities (e.g. professional bodies of their own) but also some different options to explore too e.g. spend a year doing Risk Management or rotating specialities.

    So really, what is it YOU want to do and/or become?

    • TheGhost on 31/10/2023 - 14:14

      Thanks for your elaborate reply. The reason I didn’t specify any industry is because I am open to different fields of business and even outside of it.

      Also nice to see how some examples of how others have managed to do it and example from one industry could apply to others.

    • HeWhoKnows on 01/11/2023 - 19:32

      OP has 1-2 year time horizon so only time to do a basic course

  • geekcohen on 31/10/2023 - 13:56
    +2

    Get a job that you love doing and that is a hobby at the same time. So work doesn't feel like work, but a passion. Then you put the extra effort in outside of hours. I love what I do and do additional things outside of work that not only upskills me, but I get paid for it as well.

    I think you need to have the drive and passion for whatever it is rather than looking at it as upskilling to get further in your chosen field or get a bigger pay packet.

    If that at all makes sense.

    • TheGhost on 31/10/2023 - 14:17
      +1

      It does make sense but there are personal and financial constraints that can affect the decision.

      • geekcohen on 31/10/2023 - 15:59

        Yes, I do agree. What I officially have a qualification in, I don't do full-time. Only on the odd weekend. What I do full time now was a hobby and has been for about 15 years. So experience isn't always everything and you don't have to have a qualification to always move up.

        • TheGhost on 31/10/2023 - 17:04
          +1

          Very well put together. Something I can think about.

  • Bid Sniper on 31/10/2023 - 14:05

    Depends what industry you're in.

    In my area, I get a given a budget for training that I can use and host of free internal courses / programs due to being in a large organization. Personally I get thrown and throw myself into deep end of various projects, so I learn as I go, which the way I prefer, ie out of necessity.

    • TheGhost on 31/10/2023 - 14:21

      That’s nice. There are not many upskilling opportunities at my current job unfortunately. So I have to do it on my own in my own time and with my own money.

      I am prepared to change industry, hence didn’t restrict the topic.

      • Bid Sniper on 31/10/2023 - 15:13
        +1

        Think large a well known organization will provide better opportunities and pay. Dont have to change industries, change employers can open new doors.

        • TheGhost on 31/10/2023 - 17:05

          That’s also an option.

  • dust on 31/10/2023 - 14:22
    +1

    In my experience, who you know (and your soft skills) matter more than what you know if you want to climb the ladder/get promotions.

    • TheGhost on 31/10/2023 - 14:31

      Well said and I am well aware of this. I just need to try things that are in my control.

  • Tee Rex Arms on 31/10/2023 - 14:37
    +1

    See if you can get RPL - recognition of prior learning. Contact institutions such as CLET, Churchill or more industry specific ones that are relevant to you.

  • freekay on 31/10/2023 - 14:50

    I've jumped/leapfrogged many different career paths/roles in the 20ish years I've been in the workforce. It's always been "organic" to a degree - meeting people at the company I worked at who held a role that I was interested in, then putting my hand up to help out in that space to get some real-world experience. I only bothered to get certification after I had secured (even a junior) role in the area that I wanted to branch out in. It helps because then whatever certification I'm working towards, I can translate into my day-to-day work.

    TLDR
    1. Look for opportunities in-house, be proactive and get your foot in the door
    2. Once you've secured a role, apply for certification/training - if your employer won't pay for it, it's still tax-deductable.
    3. Get 1-2 years under your belt and look for the same role at another company to bump up your salary.

    • TheGhost on 31/10/2023 - 15:07

      Very helpful advice. Thank you

  • saltypete on 31/10/2023 - 15:33

    I upskilled well into my career by doing a degree part time while working full time. Took 5 years of long hours and discipline. Made an incredible difference to my income and enjoyment of work. Would do it again in a heartbeat.
    Important that you think of what you want to do because you will put a lot of time and energy into it.

    • TheGhost on 31/10/2023 - 17:07
      +1

      I have been contemplating going part time and doing a course or take up studying. Thanks for your input.

  • boomramada on 31/10/2023 - 16:17

    If it is IT, the best way to upskill is by swapping jobs.

    • TheGhost on 31/10/2023 - 17:08

      Transport at the moment but thinking of jumping ship.

  • bobbified on 31/10/2023 - 16:24

    Within financial services and insurance, the larger companies often pay for short courses for their employees to learn a new (related) skill. I made use of those over the years.

    • TheGhost on 31/10/2023 - 17:09

      My last job was also in transport but the company had online study available for employees and their family members.

  • ihbh on 31/10/2023 - 16:29

    I didn’t want to restrict the topic to only a certain industry or interest.

    How about a bit more restriction around technical specialist vs general management, white collared vs manual work?

    • TheGhost on 31/10/2023 - 17:01

      I can but I think what I wanted to get out of this post was what strategies and/or approach worked for people in different settings. That’s why I asked what worked for others.

      Any advice is more than welcome but I was specifically looking for examples.

  • Tommyaka on 01/11/2023 - 10:20

    Personally I'm doing a course that is held outside of working hours.

    2 nights per week I take part in a virtual class, and then 8 or so hours I do self-paced study and assignments.

    It's not easy juggling multiple commitments, but I am definitely enjoying it.

    • TheGhost on 01/11/2023 - 18:35

      That’s what sort of arrangement will suit me. Cheers.

    • Dealor on 14/11/2023 - 15:50

      study leave in big corp help as well

  • SlickMick on 01/11/2023 - 11:17

    I think it just requires motivation. e.g. I got sponsored to do a graduate certificate, so I put my life on hold for a year to squeeze the study in.
    Back in the day, my employer paid for me to do a degree, so I put the effort in then too.

    I want to do an industry certification at the moment, but I'm struggling to find the time to study for it. I can see that the only difference is, I don't have someone else paying the bill for me.

    • TheGhost on 01/11/2023 - 18:35

      I would definitely take it if work offered something like this.

  • Ghost47 on 01/11/2023 - 17:00

    What do you mean by how? As in what did people do or how did they do it? Enrol in some course that’ll give you a piece of paper in the end and do the study at night after working all day. It also depends what discipline you want to skill up in. Sometimes you can just self learn and then build a portfolio of work to show at interviews.

    • TheGhost on 01/11/2023 - 18:39

      As in what sort of arrangement they had along with full time job. What sort of course/study/training/classes and if it was online or in person. What approach/strategy worked and how difficult it was.

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