The average adult professional will spend their entire life growing and advancing their career. Sometimes our career paths lead us smoothly through a chosen industry, and other times, they change along the way as we find new passions and explore new opportunities. Whether you are looking to improve your current career or you want to break into something new, gaining valuable knowledge and skills is critical for making it happen.

Today’s professionals gain new knowledge and skills on a daily basis, but it isn’t always easy to demonstrate that ability. An online certificate program is a perfect opportunity to learn from professionals, gain relevant skills, advance your career, or kickstart a new one.

Let’s explore what role online certificate programs play for professionals in every industry!

Online certificate programs as a tool for professional growth

There are many reasons you might sign up for an online certificate program. Some people sign up to learn something new, but most people are looking to turn a certificate into a tool for professional growth or career advancement.

To better understand how online certificate programs help everyday professionals grow their careers, you will want to explore what these programs are and what you have to gain from them.

What is an Online Certificate Program?

There are many forms of education that can support career advancement for professionals, whether you are entering the workforce for the first time or you have several years of experience on your current resume. Traditional forms of education, like college or trade schools, have always been popular, but online certification programs are gaining more traction as at-home learning becomes more popular and professionals seek to gain new, specific skill sets.

An online certificate program gives you the opportunity to gain valuable knowledge and skills from the comfort of your home–or any other location of your choosing. Programs may have a set pace and schedule, or they may be self-paced, allowing you to fit them into your own schedule.

Learning from home makes education more accessible, allowing you to gain new skills whether you have children at home or you are traveling for work. The program you choose will have a specific focus. Upon completion, you will receive a certificate to demonstrate your competency in the chosen specialization.

What fields do Online Certificate Programs apply to?

The professional world is growing, and the need for trained experts is increasing alongside it. When considering whether or not an online certificate program is right for you, you will want to begin by taking time to consider what fields these programs align with.

Don’t worry, there is good news–online certificate programs can provide support for a wide range of professional fields. Most modern fields have certificates to match, letting you pursue your chosen field of interest and gain qualifications that will make you a good candidate for positions in that field.

The fields that are supported by online certificate programs will really depend on the school that is offering the program. Every school will offer different programs based on what businesses are actively seeking, as well as what their educators have to offer.

At MSU Denver, we offer several programs in top fields, including:

• Additive Manufacturing Engineering
• Business Analytics
• Culinary Nutrition
• Digital Marketing
• Cyber Defense

How do Online Certificate Programs support career growth?

Education is always an opportunity, but you may want to better understand how you can turn a certificate program into dedicated career growth. Regardless of which program you sign up for, there are several key benefits that you are likely to gain from obtaining a certificate.

These are some of the ways that online certificate programs can support your career growth.

1. Improve general knowledge

The key to career advancement has always been and will always be knowledge. When you pursue a certificate, you are making a commitment to gain new knowledge and learn valuable industry-relevant skills. Any time you commit to learning something new, you gain the benefits that come with it. You will learn more about something you are interested in, and by enhancing your general knowledge, you make yourself a more capable professional. Many of the things you will learn in a certificate program will help you to better understand key fields, all while helping you to improve important skills, like problem-solving, critical thinking, and information retention.

     2. Gain a new specialization

Today’s industries are broad, and it takes a collection of talented people with a wide range of skills to bring them to life. Within every field, there are select specializations that go with the key roles that make these industries what they are today. In most cases, a certificate program is built around certain specializations for a specific industry. This means that you will learn how to prepare for more specific roles within a field of interest, whether it means enhancing your understanding of materials as an engineer or gaining key skills to be a successful manager in the airline industry. These areas of focus help you turn knowledge into career opportunities.

     3. Create your own career growth

Whether you are new to the professional world or you are just feeling idle in your current career, finding visible demonstrations of career growth is not always easy. If you are new to the professional world, you may struggle to have clear career growth because your career is just getting started. Likewise, if you are in a position where opportunities for advancement are hard to come by, you may struggle to show growth and demonstrate your capabilities. Fortunately, a certificate is an exceptional and achievable way to show your career growth in the industry you want to support, and it is something you can choose to do all on your own.

     4. Demonstrate improvement and drive to employers

Growth in a specific direction is great for securing a coveted position in your industry. However, it is also important to consider the general benefits of showing growth. When employers see that you are motivated and driven to improve on your own, they will see a potential employee who can help them elevate their teams and advance their practices. The skills you gain are a wonderful bonus, but showing that interest in growth and improvement is a green checkmark for employers in any industry, making you a highly appealing candidate. Employers are looking for self-driven employees, and having a clear track record of self-improvement is a great way to catch their attention.

Supporting new opportunities and advancement

An online certificate program is an opportunity for improvement and advancement. When you put in the effort to obtain a certificate, you empower yourself to reach new heights in your professional career by demonstrating a proven set of competencies based on the program.

Obtaining a new certificate is an opportunity to improve in your current career if the certificate aligns with your current industry. You can reference a certificate to gain a salary increase, negotiate for better bonuses, and show your employer that you are committed to improvement. These benefits can help you to improve your current standing at work and can help you to gain standard career advancements more readily when these decisions are being made.

Although a certificate can help you to gain more where you are, it can also help you to obtain a new position in your current company if it applies. By gaining a new specialization, you may be able to turn your knowledge into an entirely new position at work, allowing you to advance in a new direction in your career. A certificate is a great way to advocate for yourself professionally, allowing you to enter roles you may not otherwise have been considered for internally.

Certificates can certainly be an effective way to grow within your current company, but they can also help you explore career changes. Many professionals use certificates to enter new professions and industries. A certificate can be used in combination with prior work history to show a new interest or specialization, or it can act as an effective professional and educational credential to enter a field if you are new to the workforce.

Improve your knowledge and your career with Online Certificate Programs at MSU Denver!

Moving forward as a professional means maintaining a constant commitment to self-improvement, and online certificate programs are an excellent place to start. At MSU Denver, we empower professionals at every stage of their professional journey to learn new information, gain modern industry skills, and show employers that they are committed to growth and change.

To learn more about how we can help you to kickstart the next phase of your career, explore our programs today. We pair you directly with industry experts who know what it takes to excel in various career paths, allowing you to empower yourself and build confidence one course at a time!