Advice for Working Professionals Upskilling with Certificates
Working while continuing your education can present challenges. Sean Schuyler, a learner who has earned multiple certificates from Georgia Tech, shares his tips for success.
Continuing your education as a working professional comes with challenges. Time management, financial responsibility, and perseverance are just a few. Life doesn't pause when you go back to school, and finding balance among your personal, professional, and educational responsibilities takes discipline.
Sean Schuyler spent four years earning certificates and course credits in pursuit of the Georgia Tech Premier Occupational Safety and Health Certificate. Throughout his time as a learner at Georgia Tech, the more Sean learned, the more invested he became in sharpening his skills to effectively support the men and women he serves as a safety professional. Below, he shares tips for working professionals to help them get the most out of a certificate program.
Time and Financial Commitment
What advice do you have for learners concerned about the level of time and financial commitment needed to complete a certificate?
Managing your time and balancing your work while seeking a certificate can be done. I did it — but it wasn't easy. In my experience, you should manage what matters, and if something is important, you make time and sacrifices. Forget the 8-hour day mentality — you have to plan and execute.
You should also be aware of the financial commitment. You are making an investment of more than just time. Engage your employer in conversations about your goal. Not only will they hopefully support your efforts, but they may be able to help cover the cost.
Course Planning
Every certificate has specific courses required for completion. Some of these classes aren't offered every year or online. How do you suggest learners prepare for this?
Some classes can be taken online while others require in-person attendance. I live four hours from campus, so when I needed to take in-person classes, I stayed at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center. I had to work ahead to create a window for class. Then, I would work late from the hotel room to respond to emails and support both work and my family remotely.
It's important that you plan weeks and even months ahead to accommodate the opportunity to take required classes. Some classes are offered less frequently than others. If you don’t take the required courses when they are offered, you can run out of time to complete the certificate. Regardless of your circumstances, you have to plan accordingly if you want to be successful.
For those specifically in the Safety and Health industry, Georgia Tech Professional Education has a new tool to help you plan your certificate journey.
Get the Most from Your Education
What advice do you have for learners who want to get the most out of a certificate program?
I would encourage everyone to apply what they learn — beyond academic achievement, the value of these programs resides in the application of the education. When I began taking safety courses at Georgia Tech I started by making a map of the most common injuries among our employees. We were seeing a high number of polymer burns and lacerations. So, I took courses in guarding and human behavior in order to implement a behavior-based safety program and reduce the risk of these injuries.
Life Happens
Continuing your education as a working professional can be difficult at times. What would you say to learners who are lacking motivation to keep going?
Focus on the task at hand and be encouraged as you complete each step in the process. A certification is the sum of many achievements, and you should celebrate each one!
Don’t let yourself become overwhelmed; a career is a process. My Premier Occupational Safety and Health Certificate journey took four years.
If you have questions, reach out to the Georgia Tech leadership and supporting staff; they are always responsive and helpful.
Understandably, safety professionals would need to continue their education throughout their careers, but what about people in other industries?
Don’t think you have to be a college graduate or early in your career to take these classes. If your work could benefit from an advanced understanding of certain topics or awareness of new tools or technologies, then I highly recommend that you consider taking classes to learn more. You have the potential to drive improvements in your respective industry. You never know the difference you can make.
Break Career Boundaries Through Cross-Disciplinary Learning
