When you leave high school and college and go into the workforce, you may think that your learning period is over. Although you may receive training to help you do your job better, you may not consider taking classes. However, consistent, continued learning keeps your skills and knowledge fresh and helps you move into new, higher-level positions. These are tips for increasing your professional development.

Set Your Goals

Your first step should be to set goals. What types of skills do you want to learn? Is there knowledge you want to gain? Also, determine how these new skills and knowledge will help you in your current career or if you want to pursue something entirely different.

Spend some time testing out and learning about different fields, and prioritize learning the things that are the most interesting to you. Start with knowledge about the field in general before narrowing your focus to specialties within it. For example, if you are interested in programming, learn about the overall field before taking courses on a specific coding language and the type of programming you want to create.

You should also decide whether you want to take a few courses to learn some skills or if you want a certification or degree in the topic.

Explore Your Company’s Resources

Your company may also offer coursework or pay for training in various topics. Many companies are especially interested in courses that help you do your job better or allow you to help the company in some way. For example, you may take online marketing courses that you can directly apply to your marketing job. In these cases, your company may offer to pay for part or all of the training. However, be prepared with a full accounting of the funds you request. You also should be ready to fight for it, showing your passion and how it will help you and the company.

You may even receive rewards for pursuing additional training. Some companies monitor or provide incentives to move up to different levels of expertise in various skillsets. At times your employer may offer advanced training in-house or through a partner. Ask about these types of in-house opportunities.

Search for Local Courses or Conferences

Your next step should be finding classes or conferences that will help you achieve your professional development goals. Check online and local resources. You can also search for conferences across the country, but be prepared for the added travel and lodging costs.

To increase your value and challenge your brain, pursue continuous professional development.