If you’re like me, the almost daily grind of job seeking can get a bit depressing. And the occasional moments of trying to relax away from your “job” aren’t really relaxing. Time keeps moving forward but you aren’t. On top of all that you need to stay positive for yourself, your family and friends, and for any potential employer / employment contact you meet. That’s a tall order. You need something to spark your interest, keep you upbeat. For me the best medicine is learning new skills. And the best place I’ve found is Lynda.com.
There are a number of ways to learn new skills or hone your old ones to a new level but I’ve been subscribing to Lynda.com for several years now both as the fully employed and unemployed and I’m happy with the return on my investment. Let me lay out my reasoning for retraining and for using Lynda.com.
- You need to be interested in the future. Learn a new skill that you find fascinating or hone an old skill that you love. Have a reason to look forward to that day’s exploration.
- Studying online allows you to learn at your own pace, at your home, at the most convenient times.
- You need to show movement on your LinkedIn profile and resume. I’ve discussed the unemployment gap in my Start a consulting company post. Another way to tackle that gap is to show that you are training. You can even include your progress in LinkedIn’s courses you’ve taken section. When you complete an entire Lynda.com course you get a certificate of completion that can be posted directly to your LinkedIn profile.
- Lynda.com costs as little as $25/month and you have access to every course they offer. You can even subscribe for one month and then unsubscribe for several months. If and when you return all your old information and coursework is waiting for you. You are free to browse their listings and pick and choose what you want to learn and how much. Each course is laid out in short, topic-specific sections. These are up-to-date and well-developed video presentations. This is your chance to dabble a bit in a wide range of skills and professions to see if anything strikes your fancy.
- Many job descriptions you’ll see will list several skills that though not required are preferable. Bone up on these online and then be honest with your interviewer. No I’m not an expert but I have had recent training.
- You may just find a new career. One you love.
Other places to learn are Udemy.com and iTunes University. I’ve used all three of these and have been well pleased. If you have a specific job or skill in mind you might hit pay dirt through a Google search by finding experts in the field that offer free help and lists of resources.
So good luck and let me know if you’ve found other places or ways to learn.
This is one of my fundamentals of unemployment.
In Search of a Job Title 