In juggling work, family, friends and personal activities, some people find it difficult, if not impossible, to carve out free time. Others fall on the opposite end of the spectrum—those who have more free time on their hands than they know what to do with—and the rest fall somewhere in the middle. If you are one of those who is fortunate enough to have free time in your life, and you are considering how you should spend it, continuing education could be the answer.
At The University of West Alabama Online, our Continuing Education eLearning courses are flexible enough to fit into a range of schedules—from the people with the most time to fill, to those with the least. If you have free time on your hands, here are 10 reasons why you should spend it on continuing education.
- To enhance your job skills. Pursuing continuing education online can be a productive and fun way to strengthen your knowledge about the skill sets you already use every day in your career. Feel more confident in the position you hold at work by arming yourself with the latest knowledge about a relevant topic.
- To step forward in your career. Going along with number one, continuing education can be the impetus you need to advance to the next level in your career. The more specialized skill sets you have, the likelier you will be to get a promotion or surpass the competition.
- To fill job requirements. If your job requires that you complete continuing education credits on a regular basis, completing them online through UWA Online can make your life easier. Our courses are accessible from the comfort of your own computer, anywhere you have an internet connection.
- To prep for a test. Make sure you ace your upcoming exam by taking online test prep courses. UWA Online Continuing Education eLearning offers prep courses for exams like the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) exam, for example.
- To learn a new skill. Dive into something completely new by taking an online continuing education course. Want to learn how to expertly decorate a cake or self-publish an eBook? Continuing education can show you how.
- To pick up a hobby. Along the same lines, you could pick up an entire hobby based on the new skill you learn via continuing education. Become a wine pairing connoisseur, a substitute teacher or a professional podcaster after succeeding in a UWA Online course.
- To stay on top of technology. Keeping up with the latest programs and applications can benefit you both in your career field and your everyday life. Technology is constantly-evolving, but taking a continuing education course that focuses on a specific program or application can help you stay up to speed.
- To become financially savvy. Among the life skills-themed continuing education eLearning courses we offer at UWA Online are a selection of classes focused on financial education, including “Accounting and Finance for Non-Financial Managers,” “Retire Rich” and more.
- To spend your time productively. Tired of binging on Netflix or scrolling Facebook? Spend your free time productively by signing up for a continuing education eLearning course. If you are going to spend your time staring at a screen, it can at least help if you are learning in the process.
- To keep your mind sharp. Taking personal learning courses can help stimulate our minds as we age. Activities like continuing education have been proven to help seniors’ emotional, mental and physical well-beings.
With courses being offered online, it is easy to assimilate a continuing education course into your schedule and to complete it at your own pace. Find some free time for continuing education this summer!
To learn more about our course offerings, or to register for courses, visit www.uwa.edu/ce!