Careers & Employment Information

When Should You Update Your Job Skills?


With the U.S. economy still slumping and unemployment numbers barely moving forward, many workers may be considering what their employment future could be like if they were to lose their job. If you're in a healthcare field, or possess computer skills, you don't have much to worry about, except explaining why you left your last job. On the other hand, if you're employed in production or manufacturing, you may be asking yourself, "when should I update my job skills?"

If you're lucky enough to still have a job in this economy and you're pondering the future, you should consider updating your job skills immediately. Your current education level will determine what you should update. If you already possess a Bachelor's degree, examine what your skills deficits may be. For instance, are you up to date on computer programs commonly used in an office environment? If you want to make a move into healthcare, do you have medical terminology or CPR? Some states allow degree holders to get into teaching without having a related degree. Some may require a certificate. Your employer may even pay for your continuing education. Career colleges offer courses with flexible times so you can work and update your skills.

On the other hand, if you're one of the over eight million people who is currently looking for full or part-time work and your job prospects are not very good, updating your skills could be very important to your future. Again, you should assess your current educational inventory. Consider the industry you've been in and see if it makes sense to change. There are a lot of openings in sales, healthcare and computer related industries. Federal or state aid may be available to you for educational purposes.

Finally, if you feel safe in your current job, create a strategy of cross-training. Make yourself so valuable to your employer, that even if the job you hold now is eliminated, you could easily move to another one within the company. Advancing your computer skills is one of the best ways to do this. Improving your sales skills is another. By creating added value to your employer, you put yourself far down the list to be trimmed.

The answer to when you should update your job skills is - always. Whether you need to update the computer programs you know or train for a completely new industry, your ability to adapt to change will help keep you employed, both now and in the future.

Career Education Opportunities - www.top-colleges.com

About The Author

Max Stein, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

http://www.degreesource.com/articles

Max Stein is a freelance writer who writes about business, education and marketing.

For daily updates, read our blog at http://degreesource.blogspot.com


MORE RESOURCES:
Google

Maxwell-Gunter Employment Exposition set for Sept. 25
Maxwell Gunter Dispatch, AL - 13 hours ago
Maxwell Support Division?s, Airmen and Family Readiness Center, Family Support Branch offers the Maxwell-Gunter Employment Expo Sept. ...


Honda Sun Celebrates Completion of New Plant in Hijimachi
MarketWatch - 4 hours ago
Honda Sun established this new plant with the goal of making it a world-class plant with a universal design which will further expand employment of people ...


The Job Link Employment Expo
WALB-TV, GA - 10 hours ago
The Allied Health Division supports Darton College in its goal of providing educational programs for the citizens of southwest Georgia. ...


Tesco supplier in US reported to employment tribunal
Retail Week (subscription), UK - 12 hours ago
One of Tesco's suppliers in the US has been reported by America's biggest food workers' union in the latest spat between the two organisations. ...


Vital Signs: Will Employment Get Worse?
BusinessWeek - 9 hours ago
Finally, results of the upcoming employment report will be of particular interest to the Federal Reserve, which meets on Sept. 16. Despite the wishes of the ...


AFP

China to boost tourism employment to 100 million by 2015: report
AFP - 14 hours ago
Labour Minister Tian Chengping said earlier this year that the employment situation in China was "very severe," as 20 million new jobseekers emerge annually ...


Employment Law Resource Center Offered by Lawyer Central
Emailwire - 41 minutes ago
Lawyer Central is pleased to offer an employment law resource to employees and employers who are interested in learning about labor law, employee rights, ...


Alberta still has the best labour market in North America
Financial Post, Canada - 9 hours ago
The study includes an overall measure of labour-market performance based on five indicators: total employment growth, private sector employment growth, ...
Report says Alberta, BC, Sask, have best labour markets; Atlantic ... TheChronicleHerald.ca
Canadians facing 'historic' softening of the job market: economists The Canadian Press
all 31 news articles


Franc Down Against Yen, Higher Versus Other Majors Ahead Of Swiss ...
RTT News, NY - Aug 28, 2008
(RTTNews) - The Swiss Federal Statistical Office is scheduled to issue the Swiss employment data for the second quarter at 3:15 am ET Thursday. ...
Swiss franc gains further versus greenback RTT News
all 2 news articles


Employment lawyers know no-go cases
Houston Chronicle, United States - Aug 27, 2008
Kathy Butler, an employment lawyer who represents employees at Butler & Harris in Houston, has also seen plenty of folks come to her law office with dollar ...

Employment - Google News

home | site map
© 2006