4 reasons upskilling in 2024 should be your top priority

What is upskilling?

In short, upskilling means to teach yourself, more commonly as an employee, additional skills that relate to your role.

This is on top of the experience you’re gaining in your role on a daily basis. It’s more intentional learning.

Simple right? But why is it so important? We’ll tell you…

4 reasons upskilling should be your top priority:

1. You will future proof your career: When you have the most sought-after skills in your industry, you will remain an asset to your company, and you will stay employable if you choose to change careers. Did you know that younger workers are more likely to seek professional development tha older generations in Australia and New Zealand?Did you know that younger workers are more likely to seek professional development than older generations in Australia and New Zealand?
2. You will stay relevant with the latest industry trends: Technology is advancing quicker that most of us can keep up with, so are job roles and their requirements. Upskilling will help keep you adaptable to these changes and you’ll know what’s happening in the world around you.
3. It could help you achieve a promotion or pay rise: Like we said, continuous learning will help you remain an asset to your company or give you an advantage when applying for jobs. Depending on what you’re upskilling in, it might even qualify you for a step up in your company or a pay rise – chat to your manager!
4. It might give you a new perspective (it’s personally rewarding!): Not only will learning something new help with a fresh perspective in your current job journey, but you are investing in yourself in the process. Continued learning keeps the brain active and you never know, you might stumble upon a new passion in the process!

How do you upskill?

• Do your own research via podcasts, YouTube, browsing the web or reading relevant books.
• Take an online course or a university or TAFE course for a more formal approach to learning.
• Speak to your manager to see if they can offer anything e.g. assist on a new project, fund a course. Pro tip: explain to them how it will benefit the company.
• Make learning a habit, replace doom scrolling into microlearning by downloading apps like Blinkist, or if you do have a scrolling habit, make sure to follow industry leaders or pages that post about what you’re looking to learn.

Resources to help you upskill:

• Your Career Development Plan | FREE | This guide will help you discover your passions, identify your skills and write your career goals.
• Coursera | FREE | Courses from some of the top universities.
• Udemy | FREE | Courses are typically created by individuals or businesses rather than by institutions.
• SkillFinder | FREE | Courses provided by some of the world’s leading tech companies.
• Google Digital Garage | FREE | Course on a wide range of digital marketing and online business topics.
• LinkedIn Learning | PAID | Courses on everything from e-commerce to sales to creative writing.
• Masterclass | PAID | Courses by famous and successful chefs, actors and scientists.
• TED Talks | FREE | Talks from global thought leaders to give you a fresh perspective on everyday topics.

Now it’s your turn to upskill!

Being open to continuous learning and upskilling is the best thing you can do not only for your career but for yourself. So, we hope this gives you a starting point in your upskilling journey and helps you take charge of your professional development.

We’ll leave you with this quote from Earl Nightingale, “One hour per day of study in your chosen field is all it takes. One hour per day of study will put you at the top of your field within three years. Within five years you’ll be a national authority. In seven years, you can be one of the best people in the world at what you do.”

Imagine what you could learn by this time next year?!

Good luck!