“What have you learned today?” :: Career-Resumes® :: Former resume expert for Monster.com

“What have you learned today?”

Do you need more education showing on your resume, in order to succeed with a job search?

I was thinking about this after I checked out an article entitled The Seven Myths of Online Education.

You can get the full explanations by clicking through the link, but in short, here are the myths:

Online courses are easier.
There’s no personal attention and communication with other students.
Online schools aren’t as good.
The credits you earn online won’t transfer to traditional colleges.
Employers don’t take online degrees seriously.
You must be a computer whiz to take online courses.
You’ll never set foot on a college campus.

The rationale in the article sounds valid for each of them. But then again, when you see the banner advertising for online education powerhouses like the University of Phoenix, you have to wonder whether you’re getting the whole story.

But I digress. The reason I’m posting about this at all is to propose the idea that more education isn’t always the answer to your job search situation.

Back to the original question: What have you learned today? Did you read an article in a trade association publication? Analyze the results of a product test? Network with someone in your field and talk about the trends in your market?

Then guess what? You’re getting educated!

Sure, if you’re thinking about a change from finance, say, to IT…maybe a course or two would be a good way to get your feet wet. Or to decide instead you’re perfectly happy in finance, and you just need to find a more senior-level challenge in your field.

But before you decide to invest in further education, take stock of what you’ve already learned. Look at what you’re learning every day. Then start thinking about how you can honestly spin your experience to apply in a different field, rather than thinking you have to start all over and learn a whole new function.

“Transferable skills,” as they say in the resume writing world. They could save you a lot of time and money.

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