Before you say yes to the above, take a moment and think what’s the main reason behind this itch to move. Is it: Career dissatisfaction? An urge to do more than what you do now? More money? Want to do something that’s closer to your passion?
If any or all of the above made you nod in agreement, then read on. With some diligence and some of the advice from this post you can do more in your spare time, or spare some time to do more. The bottom line is that you can achieve anything you want if you have the right levels of focus and motivation. Explore the potential in your current surroundings and most importantly within yourself.
Here’s how you can begin:
Network with the right people
Networking is vital if you want to advance your career as quickly as possible. There might be lots of business owners around the country that run similar operations. So, you need to ensure all of them know your name if you want the best outcomes. You can do that in most instances by attending trade shows. There are sure to be exhibitions or functions that attract people from that industry niche. Getting tickets for yourself is a wise move if you want to earn more money and secure a better role. Make sure you have some business cards to take along to the event. You can then hand them out to anyone you believe has some influence. Who knows? You might meet a business owner who offers you a new job there and then. Stranger things have happened.
In present times, career progression is highly dependent on smart networking. The more quality you have in your network, the more chances are you’ll be lucky to know of an awesome career move than others.
Continued learning and training
You probably take advantage of every training course your company offers. However, you might also think about learning new skills in your spare time. There are lots of short weekend courses you might like to consider. Maybe you want to become a first aider? Perhaps you’d like to learn how to perform CPR so you can save lives in the office? Nothing is stopping you from doing that when you’re not at work. The action might help to increase your wage, and you might even get a promotion. At the end of the day, all workplaces require a health and safety officer. So, you could end up taking that role on alongside your current position. That said, you don’t have to opt for first aid. There are plenty of other courses that could benefit your career progression.
It might seem like a lot of hard work. However, going back to college and getting a degree is almost guaranteed to improve your career prospects. Best of all? You can do it in your spare time these days in most situations. You can even complete courses online depending on which subjects you wish to learn. For example, thousands of new lawyers gained their degree qualifications using the internet. That is because the courses are often text-based. However, you’ll have to accept some practical work if you wanted to try something like nursing. Of course, all the final decisions are down to you. You just need to ensure you assess all the options on the table before making your decision.
Freelancing is a career
Let’s presume you’ve learned a new skill, and you want to show your boss that you can put it into practice. However, they are less than enthusiastic about the idea. Well, you could register as self-employed and try working as a freelancer. You can still keep your other job, and just show the results to your employer. For the purpose of this post, let’s presume you’ve just completed a course in graphic design. You want your boss to see how much you’ve improved. So, you use a couple of freelancing websites to find clients and complete jobs. You can then show them to your employer, alongside any testimonials. If they have any sense, that will encourage them to take you seriously. They should also see a potential for you to use those new skills within their operation. That could lead to a promotion.
Now you know how to open more doors in your spare time, I hope you’ll make the right decisions. At the end of the day, nobody ever said mastering the working world was easy. Sometimes you have to put in a lot of effort for free to achieve your goals. However, those with the right levels of motivation will always reach their desired destinations. Also, it’s worth mentioning that if you have a clear end goal in sight, there’s a decent chance you will achieve it. So, set your sights high and work out where you want to be in five years time.