Deciding to return to education in later life is a laudable idea. You might have one of any number of reasons for doing so. Some people want to correct the mistakes they made by not trying hard enough while they were in school. Others do it because they’ve become frustrated with their career trajectory, and can’t progress any higher up the ladder without having a qualification to back up the skills they’ve learned through experience. Whatever the reason, deciding to better yourself through learning at any age is always a decision to be proud of.
Because we all have careers and other responsibilities to worry about when we’re adults, the idea of trying to take on the same educational timetable we had when we had at school or college is impossible. We don’t have the time to focus on all of those different subjects at once, and so we should pick the topic that aligns the most closely with whatever our life goals are. Making that decision isn’t easy, though – and so we want to give you a helping hand.
If you want to set yourself the challenge of becoming better qualified but don’t know which direction to jump in, here are a few popular choices you might wish to consider.
Learn A Foreign Language
Most of us have been on vacation to a country where English isn’t the spoken language, and we know the awkwardness of trying to conduct everyday conversations with people who have no idea what we’re saying. If you visit Spain or Mexico regularly, how much easier would you find it if you could speak Spanish? If you do business on the other side of the world, how impressed would your potential business partners or clients be if you could speak fluent or semi-fluent Arabic or Mandarin?
Aside from enhancing your communication skills, learning a new language could open you up to a whole new career as a translator. There’s a shortage of translators in the world right now, and so if you could speak another language fluently, you could find that your new skills are in high demand.
Computer Skills
In the 21st century, there’s no worse skill to be lacking than information technology. You might have all the knowledge and experience in the world, but if you don’t know your way around a computer properly, you’ll find that you’re constantly passed over for promotions and other opportunities in favor of people who can. Nobody expects you to become a programmer (unless, of course, that’s your end goal), but being proficient in Microsoft Office programs is considered an essential skill in the modern workplace.
Despite what you might think, this isn’t just a problem that affects older people. A general lack of computer knowledge is one of the biggest barriers to employment in the United States of America regardless of an applicant’s age, and so if you can become more adept than your peers, you’ll stand a better chance of landing the job … Read More..