Continuing Education – It’s Not Just For Employees
Posted August 3, 2009 in Business, Lifestyle 17 Comments »
If you’ve ever worked in the corporate world, then you probably already know that corporate employees sometimes get perks that freelancers don’t.
One of those perks is continuing education.
While many corporate employees receive continuing education as a matter of course, many freelancers choose to “economize” by not getting additional training. I believe that continuing education is something freelancers should include in their annual budget.
Don’t be fooled! Corporations provide for continuing education for their employees because it makes good business sense. In return for paying for classes or other training, the company gets more efficient, more knowledgeable workers.
Continuing education makes good business sense for freelancers too. What you learn through continuing education may even allow your business to market additional services or products.
How To Make Education Part Of Your Plan
When you create your business budget be sure to include a projected dollar amount for continuing education. If you set aside a small amount of money for training each month, then you are much more likely to remember to include continuing education in your goals and plans.
Remember that if you select training that is relevant and useful you’ll most likely be able to recoup your investment quickly. So, don’t hesitate to make continuing education a part of your plans.
The good news is that there are more learning options than ever before for freelancers and others wanting to increase their knowledge and skills. Training options can be divided into traditional and non-traditional learning options.
A Look At Traditional Continuing Education Options
There are still many traditional continuing education options (in a physical classroom environment) for freelancers. An advantage to pursuing traditional education is that it may lead to networking opportunities with other students.
Traditional continuing education options include:
- Colleges and universities — Most colleges and universities offer courses to part-time students or members of the business community. If you are thinking of pursuing a degree, your continuing education work may also count towards that goal.
- Seminars and courses available through training companies — These courses may be offered at the training company’s location, at a hotel or conference room, or even in the conference room of a large corporation. Training companies typically provide material in a compressed fashion – you may need to go every day for a week or the course may take an entire weekend.
- Courses available through professional organizations — Many professional organizations also offer courses and certifications to their members.
You should review both traditional and non-traditional opportunities carefully to make sure that they are legitimate and relevant to your work. Look for testimonials from previous students as well as a description of what each course offers.
A Look At Non-Traditional Continuing Education Options
There are also a whole host of non-traditional education options available to freelancers. In fact, there may be more non-traditional training opportunities available now than at any previous time in history.
Here are some non-traditional training avenues to consider:
- Online courses — Many colleges and other organizations offer online courses that you can take at your convenience. These may also count towards a degree program.
- E-books — There’s a reason that we promote books and e-books such as The Unlimited Freelancer here at Freelance Folder. It’s because we know that continued learning is important and that such books can teach skills that freelancers might not otherwise learn.
- Webinars — Many individuals use audio and visual web conferencing tools to host a course or a series of courses. These are typically scheduled for a specific date and time. You may need to download specific tools, or these may be available through a special student log-in.
- CD-based training — Another self-paced training opportunity is CD-based training. This training can be operated on your own computers and revisited as often as necessary.
Whether you choose traditional or non-traditional continuing education, it is important to stay current in your field. Read blogs, news stories, and other publications. Network actively with others in your field. Share ideas.
Let’s Talk About Continuing Education
Do you make continuing education a part of your freelance business plan?
What types of training have you found most helpful? Do you have any that you’d specifically recommend?
About the author: Laura Spencer is a freelance writer from North Central Texas with over 19 years of professional business writing experience. If you liked this post, then you may also enjoy Laura’s blog about her freelance writing experiences, WritingThoughts
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17 Comments
Igor Helps You Succeed
August 3rd, 2009 at 2:23 pm“Everyone is self-made but only successful people can admit it”
Everyone can educate themselves on their own. Especialy using the internet where information is probably the best selling product ever.
You can get educational material on anything and most of the time it’s free.
~Igor
Laura Spencer
August 3rd, 2009 at 2:26 pmThanks Igor!
There IS a lot of free information available, it’s true. Sometimes, however, a freelancer (just like a company) may wish to include a credential (either a certification, certificate, or diploma) to show that they have the knowledge.
Also, traditional classes offer the opportunity for face-to-face networking.
Joe Wallace
August 3rd, 2009 at 4:33 pmNow there’s something I never considered—can you write off continuing ed as a business expense? I’m not talking about insurance certifications or CISCO stuff, but things for freelancers that while not part of a core competency like insurance continuing ed would still contribute to the business?
Matt Keegan
August 3rd, 2009 at 7:05 pmI agree with both Igor and Laura — how about that? A lot of my training is through online resources, even if that involves reading a blog, an ebook or taking a seminar. But, I also know that it is important sometimes to pursue credentials which usually includes taking a class.
I don’t set aside money specifically for my own enrichment, partly because of time and budget (kids have their needs too). However, if there is a conference that I want to attend or a course I want to take, I find some way to do it.
Once the economy improves (my personal economy, that is) I’ll probably set aside “X” amount of money each month toward conferences and other important events and classes.
Vu Tran
August 3rd, 2009 at 9:02 pmFor me and perhaps most freelancers out there, I am self-taught. Through my own personal interest and hobbies, I have picked up several books, spent countless hours on the internet and using its resources such as forums, blogs, tutorials, and e-zines, it has greatly contributed to my knowledge for my freelance career and business.
Haryo
August 3rd, 2009 at 9:50 pmI’m currently pursuing my master degree in psychology, simply because my work relates heavily with psychological aspects of human nature. But graduate degree is definitely not the most important thing for me, because the invaluable knowledge I’m obtaining itself is the most important thing.
I also plan to get at least two professional certifications in the next 12 months. Not only to broaden my knowledge, but also to provide excellent impressions to my (potential) clients that I’m a certified professional in my field.
Laura Spencer
August 3rd, 2009 at 11:20 pmVu Tran and Haryo – Thanks for sharing your educational and training experiences and goals!
It sounds like you both have good plans in place to keep current with what you need to know.
Chris
August 4th, 2009 at 12:19 amI definitely think that continued education is important. It’s actually one of my favorite parts of this field. I love reading a new ebook, or learning a new technique.
Eventually when I get some good cash flow going, I plan on either going to a traditional college or taking online courses. For things related to my business and for hobbies.
Learning is very important. It’s the main ideal behind my blog too. Great post!
Maximilian Bartel
August 4th, 2009 at 2:35 amI think so too – most freelance businesses simply require to learn continuously in order to improve skills or expand fields, but I also think that many people like me really enjoy learning new things which can be used somewhere.
In order to save time and do this as soon as I can, I really like screencast tutorial sites like lynda.com for example. They often just cover the basics in 10 – 12 hour courses but I usually learn something I didn’t know before and it’s definitely a good start to get an idea about something and to proceed learning on my own.
Laura Spencer
August 4th, 2009 at 9:59 amThanks Chris and Maxmilian!
Maxmilian – Thanks for the tip about the tutorials at lynda.com. I’m off to check them out myself!
Lexi Rodrigo
August 4th, 2009 at 10:58 amLaura, this is such an important topic. Thanks for writing about this! Freelancers need to realize that the only way they can set themselves apart from their competition – and charge higher fees – is by continuing to develop and improve their skills.
I myself was surprised when my clients got excited that I had taken Frank Kern’s Mass Control course. It was a significant investment but an important one, since I am a copywriter after all. And, given my clients’ reactions, a good one.
Keep these great posts coming!
Laura Spencer
August 4th, 2009 at 11:09 amThanks Lexi!
Well, years ago one employer made this comment about my STC (Society for Technical Communication) membership – “It shows that you’re serious about technical writing.”
The comment stuck with me and I think it’s applicable to freelancers getting training – if you invest in training in your field it shows that you’re serious about freelancing. . .
Dave Bull
August 4th, 2009 at 11:10 amI get together with a group of other freelancers and consultants every other month and we practise on each other for the day – presentations, training exercises, group coaching, facilitated discussions, a variety of things that help us each continue to grow and learn.
Laura Spencer
August 4th, 2009 at 11:28 amDave – What a great idea!
It’s innovative and combines networking and learning. Plus, it’s not expensive. (Perfect for the freelancer!)
Julian
August 4th, 2009 at 1:03 pmGreat article Laura. I personally enrolled myself in a 1-year certificate course and found it be highly rewarding. Not only did it give me a better understanding of working with people but I also made a great contact.
It would be great if you did a Monster List of HIGH-QUALITY Online Courses/Webinars/CD-Based training for web developers, writers, or other creatives.
You see, I knew about online courses and the like from day one but there’s so many offering that I can’t separate the good from the bad.
Thiago Cavalcanti
August 5th, 2009 at 2:52 pmGreat work that shows off what one has learned is the best credential anyone could ever want.
I for one would never hire someone because of a piece of paper. YMMV.
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