Have you been thinking about going back to college after joining the workforce? Thinking… “continuing professional development might help me make more money and get a better job?” As someone who went to school full-time and worked full-time. I know it’s no easy feat, but I did it and I graduated with a 4.0 GPA. Here are the eleven genius things you need to do to reap the full benefits of continuing professional development.
Going back to school can be pretty scary but it’s also extremely exciting. And if you’re anything like me, then you will want to plan for success. I am giving you my continuing professional development plan, the plan that got me through school.
You are going to learn all about prioritizing, time management, maximizing, and more. After learning about all of these tips you are going to be extra prepared for your journey.
This post is all about continuing professional development in the most productive and profitable way.
Best Continuing Professional Development Plan Ever
1) Measure Convenience
Considering what is convenient is not always a bad thing. In order to maximize your efforts, you need to take your time into consideration and that means attending a school that is both geographically convenient and scheduled in a manner that suits your needs.
The last thing you want to do is spend more than an hour and a half going to and from school. Those commuting hours add up and take you away from everything else in life.
Also, look at what time these classes take place and if they work with your schedule. Going back to school means making your life better, and that does not mean stopping everything you have going on for you. Luckily most continuing professional development courses are in the evening so keeping a day job shouldn’t be difficult.
I specifically selected a school that was only a few blocks away from my day job and that had enough evening courses for me to get all my credits within a span of two years. There were other schools that I would have preferred to attend, but location and time were two non-negotiables for me.
2) Leverage your Finances
I am not a fan of taking out a loan and many times this can be avoided.
Do you have a job that offers you tuition reimbursement? Or can you find a job that will offer you tuition reimbursement? Many times if you’re able to demonstrate a business case that exemplifies how your schooling will allow you to add value to your work – then you can get your schooling paid for.
Another thing you should do is fill out your FAFSA and apply for scholarships. That is free money and I think it’s crazy that sometimes people don’t always take advantage of it.
Last but not least ask your school if they offer a payment plan. I can’t tell you how nice it was to finish college and have no debt. You can do the same if you do a little research or pick a different school.
3) Continuing Professional Development Courses
We all have guidance counselors and people who are supposed to help us pick out our classes. These people are usually great but not always, so you want to practice due diligence and conduct your own research when selecting which classes to take and when to take them.
If you don’t, you might find yourself in a situation where a course is more difficult than it needs to be.
For example, I was lucky enough to have taken financial accounting before taking personal finance. In personal finance, you touch on reading a balance sheet and understanding different terms that you learn in financial accounting. My friend was not lucky enough and she truly struggled with personal finance because she wasn’t prepared.
The more diligent you are about mapping out your courses, so one leads to the other, the easier it’ll be to complete your courses. And you’ll have a way better experience.
4) Continuing Professional Development Credits
I never understood why some people took all their electives first and then left their last two semesters for the hardest courses. Now I’m not saying you want to only take the worst courses first, I’m saying there needs to be a balance.
Technically each credit is supposed to symbolize an hour of homework and an hour of class work a week. The standard is a three-credit course typically meets two and a half hours a week and you get three hours’ worth of homework.
When selecting your classes, look at continuing professional development credits and balance them out. You want to have an equal balance of “hard” vs “easy” classes so you don’t get burned out and you have enough time to complete your homework.
5) Ratemyprofessors.com
You want to enjoy the experience of going back to school. You should be proud of yourself for taking this step and you want to do everything in your power to take full advantage of it and enjoy it.
When I was in school I loved ratemyprofessors.com. This is a website that kind of works like yelp. Basically, students leave reviews for their professors on this page.
Make sure you take the time to research different professors and select the ones that are right for you. It can also help you see if your professor’s teaching style matches your learning style.
6) Avoid Decision Fatigue
Do you know why Steve Jobs wore the same thing every day? And why Mark Zuckerberg wears the same thing every day? Because making a decision takes energy.
Save your brainpower for school and work and try to remove any decisions you may need to make – off your plate. The most obvious is your clothing choices. Now if you don’t want to wear the same thing every day then limit the time you dedicate to it.
For example instead of spending every morning figuring out what to wear, spend an hour during the weekend deciding your clothes for the week.
Another thing you can plan during the weekend is your week. I give myself an hour every Saturday to figure out my goals for the week and it’s been totally life-changing. Also, I meal plan during the weekends. I love it so much I still do it now even though I’m not in school anymore.
7) Maximize your free time
Have you ever thought about how you use your time when you’re commuting or boiling water as you cook? We all have pockets of free time and how you leverage it can be a total game-changer.
If you’re a full-time student and full-time employee then you do not want to waste this time. For example, one thing you can do when you’re commuting is study or review your homework.
8) Morning Routine
Who doesn’t love a good morning routine? Having a good morning routine completely alters your day.
In the mornings we’re our freshest and it’s the best time to complete your hardest tasks. Put that brain power to good use and get the worst part of your day done as fast as possible. This could be an essay, a project, or homework…get it done early in the morning.
I know it doesn’t sound like fun but it only takes twenty-one consecutive days to build a routine and once you have this habit down there’s no turning back.
9) Network while you’re Studying
I know most people can be pretty shy about returning to college. I know I was but it’s something to be very proud of.
And I encourage you to tell everyone about it. You never know where your next opportunity lies and if someone sees that you’re going to college and working full-time believe me they’ll be impressed. It’s no easy feat and those are the kind of warriors employers are looking for.
Also, it gives you a reason to follow up with people and build a connection. Making networking super easy.
10) Don’t Slow Down
Once you go back to school and you see how flexible some curriculums may be, you might consider taking fewer courses during a semester. Don’t!!!
You’re going back to school to change your life and the faster you accomplish this the better. Don’t increase the gap between where you are and where you want to be for the sake of a “social life.”
Your friends will still be there and you’ll get there faster if you stay on course.
11) Moving Forward
Make sure your resume and LinkedIn page showcase that you are in school and highlight some of your accomplishments. This is not just about networking. This is about preparing for an opportunity before it appears.
The last thing you want is to tell someone that you’re finishing up in school, they ask for your resume and then you send it to them like a week or two later. Time is money and when opportunity knocks, you want to be there to open the door.
This post was all about the eleven things you need to do if you’re returning to college and continuing professional development.
