It’s long been said that if you’re not moving forward, then you’re actually moving backwards. I strongly believe the same is true for professional development; if you don’t continue to grow your knowledge base and learn new skills, you will get further and further behind the learning curve. In order to stay competitive in your field, let alone stay ahead of the competition, it’s crucial to dedicate some time to your personal and professional development.
It’s really easy to get caught up in day to day responsibilities and tasks (many of which I addressed in a previous post) that you may feel like it’s impossible to squeeze one more thing in. You may even feel guilty, like you’re taking time off work rather than spending time growing your skills for work. I get that. There have been plenty of times when I went to a conference or spent the afternoon taking an e-course and felt like I was playing hooky. But all the knowledge, skills, and deep understanding I obtain will help me better serve my clients. And the same goes for you.
There are countless opportunities for continuing education, and the best part is, most of them don’t require leaving the house. E-courses allow you to learn on demand, email courses deliver lessons directly to your inbox, and webinars provide short online tutorials that highlight a subject without going too deep. I’ve utilized online education tools for years now and have learned about everything from how to grow my email list to famous battles throughout history. I also teach my own e-courses and webinars, which allow me to take a deeper dive into certain subjects than this blog may allow. And I always use the courses I’ve consumed to inform the courses I teach.
If you’ve already been watching webinars and utilizing e-courses, you may have noticed that they aren’t all created equal. Some webinars are less of a training and more of a sales pitch for the host’s product. Some e-mail courses are light on information while others go too far in-depth. So, if you’re thinking about signing up for some courses or webinars, but aren’t sure where to start, here are a few recommendations:
Melyssa Griffin. I’ve been following Melyssa for about a year now, and continue to learn new skills and receive valuable information from her blog, webinars, and e-courses. If growing your online community is a top priority, then her e-courses and webinars are for you.
Andrew Hubbard. If you’re still skeptical about Facebook advertising, Andrew is the guy to change your mind. I started implementing his Facebook ad recommendations (utilizing different pixels, only marketing to a warm audience, etc.) and have seen my conversions skyrocket. He offers webinars, consultations, and a free Facebook ad guide, which you can sign up to receive here.
Highbrow. This platform offers a wide variety of email courses – some free, some paid – with varying lengths and depths. But what I like best about these email courses is that all lessons are 5 minutes each. Like I said, we’re busy, but knowing that it will only take 5 minutes to read the email and I’ll come away with newfound knowledge encourages me to open every email, every time.
Do you have any favorite webinars or online courses? Please share them in the comments! And if you’re looking to get started right away, I’m hosting a free webinar tomorrow at noon. I hope you can join us!
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