Everything you need to know about getting a business certificate

With the current COVID-19 pandemic causing a lot of economic uncertainty and job losses, you might find yourself wondering whether you should get a new qualification in order to boost your employability, job security and career prospects. Of course, if you’re already mid-way through your career then the idea of going back to college for a year or even longer might be unrealistic. Luckily, however, there are a number of business certificates that you can earn in a much shorter period of time that will still teach you useful and practical skills. Here’s a quick overview to help you decide if a business certificate would be right for you:

What can I study?

When it comes to business certificates, the range of subjects available to study is impressively wide. This means you can narrow down the exact skills that you want to focus on or the specific area you would like to learn about, without having to waste time going over topics that are not relevant to you. There are far too many to list them all here, but some of the subjects you can cover include business essentials, leadership, artificial intelligence, marketing, project management, data science and communication.

How and where can I study?

Just as the options for subjects are varied, so are the possibilities for how to obtain your certificate. Business schools at colleges across the country – and the world – offer on-campus courses where you attend in-person classes with other students. In addition to the qualification itself, these courses can be fantastic opportunities to network with other professionals in your field.

Don’t worry if studying in person isn’t a realistic option for you, though. Perhaps you can’t afford to take time off work to attend classes, or perhaps your home life makes it too much of a commitment. Or maybe you have your sights set on a college too far away from home. Whatever your reasons, you’ll be pleased to know that a huge number of highly rated business certificates can also be studied virtually via institutions such as Kelley school of Business (https://execed.kelley.iu.edu/).

These days, studying online is by no means a compromise. You’ll be taught by top experts in your field, using the latest learning technology, at a time and pace that suits you. Most programs will offer a mix of live and recorded lectures, forums and discussion boards, interactive quizzes, and self-paced coursework. 

What are the benefits of a business certificate?

Having a business certification can bring you a whole host of benefits. These include improving your job-specific skills as well as general ones, such as critical thinking, increasing your chances of a promotion or new job, and helping you to stay ahead of the crowd. They can even be a stepping stone to a higher award, such as a diploma or even a master’s. It also gives you some control over the direction of your career by allowing you to specialize in the areas of business that most interest you. Plus, with some institutions offering discounted tuition fees due to the pandemic, there’s never been a better time to study!