Making an advancement in your career can be in different forms. It could either be in climbing the corporate ladder in your office or taking on some important role that used to be above your skill level. Regardless of how you are going about it, you won’t succeed unless you have a plan in place. Ever thought of creating a career roadmap? Everyone has his or her definition of success in career advancement so you have to define yours. You can adopt several tips that are proven to work and ones that don’t require you necessarily breaking the Bank.

Get certifications that are in high demand for levels above you

Oftentimes, you realize that an office you work for has some vacant positions that would have meant an upgrade in your career if you were able to apply for and get into that position. It is even possible that no one in your office is qualified to take the position, so the company is forced to recruit someone from outside the office. Having a master’s degree especially in business administration helps to get into higher positions but it is a lot of money. An alternative is a project management certification that is as effective as an MBA in advancing your career.

PMTI has been reviewed and approved as one of the providers of project management training and licensed by the Project Management Institute (PMI). PMI is a not-for-profit professional organization for project management that is based in the United States. There is a 4 Day PMP boot camp in Washington DC which is also known for short as 4PMTI. A junior-level project management certification is also available if that is okay with you. You get to have an in-person training course taught over four consecutive days by an interactive instructor. You will be able to ask questions, and your instructor will strive to adapt and relate the training to experiences that you and your classmates have. 4PMTI’s course itinerary has been proven to be very successful over the past 17 years. It is more trusted than any other over the years and it is not as costly as obtaining a full MBA from the University.

Check with your HR department for career development opportunities

Making an effort is key if you want to advance your career. One such effort is checking with your human resources department to know if there are programs for you to take. Training workshops, leadership or management development courses, and many other courses can upgrade your status and set you on course for career advancement. You can make suggestions to your company if they do not offer the courses that you will need. Though not all companies do it, some organizations do negotiate good deals with training companies to take their team on technical and computer classes.

Look out for professional organizations for the benefits they offer

Several professional bodies offer free publications and events on their websites. The mistake most people make is that they join these professional organizations as members and even pay membership fees but do not take advantage of what they offer in terms of free training. Some professional conferences, events, and training can be costly but you can occasionally take the plunge after doing your homework and seeing that those are the only opportunities that present themselves. You don’t have to do this all the time though.

If you are a member of any STEM-related professional organization, you should really consider paying attention to the occasional training which is free or almost free. The training can offer you an opportunity to demonstrate your talents too.

Apply to some affordable schools

Nowadays, some schools are creating affordable options for professionals who aren’t necessarily cut out for management. For example, the School of Continuing Studies for Georgetown University has launched a master’s in professional studies degree with focus options in journalism, public relations, or corporate communications. The tuition is slashed to almost half of the fee for a one-year master’s degree in journalism in most schools. If you are thinking of an MBA from Harvard Business School, you would be preparing to spend almost $100,000 but Harvard University launched a cheaper Master of Liberal Arts in Management through its extension school for about a fifth of the fee for MBAs at Harvard Business School. You can go for this course and still get a very good certificate.

Take up some volunteering jobs

If you do not want to spend too much on getting new skills, then this tip should appeal to you. You can take volunteering roles in some organizations to learn new skills and boost your chance of advancing your career. Volunteering for organizations that are into web designs, public speaking, marketing, business development, and the like will be very useful. This is because these skills are in high demand these days and the skills you get through this method will not be paid for.

Final word

When you continually learn new skills and enhance the ones you already have, you are preparing yourself for an uplift in your career journey. It is an investment of time and energy and you have to know that you may not get financial support from your company all the time, especially in tough economic situations. Learning or getting new skills to advance your career isn’t limited to semester-long and costly classes. You can embark on some free or inexpensive ways to sharpen your skills and advance your career. If you want to start now, consider some of these tips and you will be glad you did.