Mastering more skills is helpful!

[Caroline]

Mastering more knowledge is becoming more and more important for us in our daily life and work. So I want to learn some other skills before I take any job and I think it maybe improve the work chance for me. But there are so many online courses and schools, that I don’t know which to choose the best one are. I have found some related site nursing school,career builder I wonder if you could give me some other suggestion or recommendation. Any help would be much appreciated!
Thanks in advance!

[Jack]

I've found throughout my varied work history over the last 30+ years, that the most important, the most valued (by an employer), skills are those applicable to almost any job you might have. And most of them can't be learned in a class, because they're too personal for that.

I'm talking about interpersonal skills, getting along well with others, listening instead of talking all the time, being polite and courteous, being able to gracefully accept correction and instruction, emulating the behaviors and practices of other successful people, working well as part of a team, learning how to please a customer whether or not you're able to satisfy their every demand. Those are skills that will serve you well no matter what you choose as an occupation.

Sure there are specific skills for specific jobs, and to pick those up for free or inexpensively, I'd suggest you look into a community college course you can audit without receiving credits, take an on-line course, borrow books from the library on a specific topic, ask your college student friends if they will let you sit in on their study groups, follow up on these ideas from my favorite blog, LifeHacker (http://www.tiny.cc/education). Obviously, specific skills cannot always be transferable from one job to the next.

The skills I first suggested will make you the type of employee any employer would love to have, and possessing those skills may make up for the lack of specific skills which can always be picked up on the job after you've been hired. I've often refused to hire a person who was very qualified in their skill-set but clearly would not fit in with the other employees or be easy to have working for me because of their personality. On the other hand, I've hired quite a few people who had never worked in a particular field before but show in the interview that they'll fit in easily and are open to learning what they'll need to know. It's often easier to train someone new to a field (you don't have to un-train bad habits or practices) than to deal with someone who has skills but thinks they already know it all.

[bishop]

i tend to consider myself to be a highly skilled generalist. i know a score of programming languages, but wouldn't consider myself a developer. i know, and have worked on, every different oracle application, but wouldn't consider myself a configuration expert. i have a master's in finance, but i'm not about to go and balance my company's books. i've done manual testing, automated testing - on applications as well as financial/accounting projects.

if i had to choose between mastering any of my skills or learning something new, i'd choose the latter. the only thing i would consider myself particularly good at is my ability to communicate (which is the most important for me as a program manager).

i'd never discount my education either. the critical thinking skills i gained during my undergrad and the financial/accounting skills i gained during my master's have proven invaluable for several reasons (not solely the huge increases in $$$ they've yielded).

[Scribbler1]

For starters, I'd advise you to not pay any attention to Television ads featuring come-ons for online "degrees" or training in video game development, computer programming and similar fields. Essentially these schools are scams and aren't worth your time and money.
I see a LOT of these on the G4 channel. It's basically for young men but they carry Star Trek so I get the privilege of seeing these ads.

A good way to tell if the school is a fraud is if you can't transfer credits. Or, to put it another way, a real college will look at your "credits, laugh at your gullibility and show you the door.

And no amount of education will open doors for you without a dazzling personality (read: ability to bullshit an interviewer). You have to take what you have and wrap it up in the prettiest package possible when selling yourself to a prospective employer.

[bishop]

hey now... i used education for my own advantage and it definitely gained me well over $30k on a new job.. plus, i didn't put on a spectacular show - i was hung over (slightly) and had severe "butterflies".

[Scribbler1]

Just going by my experience as an interviewer, I know that when you talk to 5 candidates for just one open position and they all have equally good credentials it all comes down to how you present yourself.

It's a matter of, "Okay, you have great references, but so do they. Make me want to hire YOU."

Of course there are exceptions.

[gallo]

Quote by: bishop i tend to consider myself to be a highly skilled generalist. i know a score of programming languages, but wouldn't consider myself a developer.

Wow! A score of programming languages. Much more impressive than my experience. I began with machine language, advanced to assembly, PASCAL, worked in COBAL and JCL, several versions of BASIC, Fortran, SQL, SQR, as well as being a certified DBA in several databases (PROGRESS, Oracle, PICK), and SQL being what it is, have worked competently in others, like Foxpro.

Quote by: bishop i know, and have worked on, every different oracle application, but wouldn't consider myself a configuration expert.

Again, Wow! I also worked on Oracle, but my experience was limited to PeopleSoft financials (AP, AR [developed a limited application], GL, Fixed Assets), with some very limited crossover into the HR side.

Quote by: bishop i have a master's in finance, but i'm not about to go and balance my company's books.

Then your financial qualifications are beyond mine. But on the other hand, I have experience since the early 80's in financial support programming. I developed accounting software.

Quote by: bishop i've done manual testing, automated testing - on applications as well as financial/accounting projects.

OK. So have I since testing is a part of software development.

Quote by: bishop if i had to choose between mastering any of my skills or learning something new, i'd choose the latter.

Quote by: bishop the only thing i would consider myself particularly good at is my ability to communicate (which is the most important for me as a program manager).

Would that any of my program managers were as enlightened as you. In over two decades in software development and support, I can think of only one manager who was actually competent as a communicator or programmer. As a senior systems analyst my "program manager" didn't have any concept of what I was doing. I reported to those above his head (vice president). I developed several "fixes" for program bugs that were proliferated through user groups for several years until software updates corrected the problems.

You must be quite unusual. Of course, the incompetent always believe that they are above average.

Quote by: bishop i'd never discount my education either. the critical thinking skills i gained during my undergrad and the financial/accounting skills i gained during my master's have proven invaluable for several reasons (not solely the huge increases in $$$ they've yielded).

Yah! Sure. It isn't the money. You did it because you wanted to learn! Good for you.

But then, I won't argue with you in matters of accounting and finance (even though I have a minor in accounting). How often will you argue with me in matters of science, since that is my primary field?

[Matt W]

It's spam, people...

[gallo]

Quote by: Matt W It's spam, people...

Or a couple of us trying to puff ourselves so that we can argue from authority. Of course, we want everyone to stand back and declare, "WOW!" at our accomplishments and skills. We are impressive! Of course, there is also the other side of the coin - according to several studies, the incompetent always believe that they are above average. I do not except myself. So I was either a competent programmer or I am incompetent (I make no claims that I was exceptional). You can probably guess my opinion. Of course, my ego wasn't injured by my office mate early in our careers, when he declared that I was the best technical programmer he had ever known. He is now the President and CEO of a multi-million dollar corporation. I'm not. But, of course, he was never asked to teach incoming hires (C.S. graduates) the specifics of the programming language in a fairly large shop. I was. We were 60% developmental programmers and 40% support.

I don't consider myself a highly skilled generalist. I know several programming languages from assembly to C, C++, COBOL, Pascal, and several versions of BASIC (Dartmouth, GWBASIC, Visual Basic, etc.). But I don't know a "score" of languages. I am impressed by anyone who is competent in a "score" of languages. However, I was a developer. I developed accounting and reporting software. I also developed a program generator - a program that generated program code according to specifications entered by the user.

I haven't worked on "every different oracle application." I worked on only one. But, being a certified DBA in three other databases, as well as being certified in both access languages that my company used, I wrote the SQL that the Oracle DBAs needed to execute. They did so without question and without error over several years without a single error.

I have 2 master's degrees, neither in finance. I do have a minor in accounting. I wouldn't have ventured to balance the books of my company since it is a top ten of the fortune 100 companies. But, of course, that wasn't my concern. The VPs explained what the wanted to see and I produced the reports. Balancing the books wasn't my concern.

Of course, programming requires testing, no matter what the application.

Many times I feel that I have done a less than adequate job of communicating. Sadly, others who claim competence in this skill, also seem to do a less than adequate job. In fact, they seem to take offense when their skills are recognized and respected merely because commensurate skills are claimed.

In fact, a moderator banned me because I offered respect for his accomplishments while puffing my own. He took offense and I was banned. Are moderators allowed to ban those with whom they disagree on this board? Are moderators allowed to moderate threads in which they participate? Can you say censorship?

[gallo]

Quote by: Matt W It's spam, people...

Yeah! Right. You don't ever use you position as moderator to censor discussion because you disagree? Tell me about the tooth fairy.

Do you ban people because expressed respect of your accomplishments are somehow deemed "unnecessary?" How ludicrous is that?

Of course it's span. Just look at who started it by puffing himself. How terribly sad that I was banned for calling him on the spam.

Well, that's the nature of this board. You have to be very careful about which moderators you disagree with. You are one.

[Scribbler1]

Quote by: gallo Or a couple of us trying to puff ourselves so that we can argue from authority.

Well, you've certainly done all the necessary puffing with this post. But you apparently don't understand that I, or anyone else here can claim the same credentials. And and since far too many people routinely DO "puff themselves up" in these forums, your resume doesn't quite have the "gee whiz" effect you obviously intended.

And the thread starter was obviously posting spam, or at least pushing these businesses, because she hasn't been back to discuss what responses "she" generated and she in fact hasn't posted anything else.

Looks like spam to me. It classic forum spam too. She asks a bunch of total strangers for "advice" on something and she conveniently HAS a couple of choices already. And I'm guessing these "schools" are not exactly Ivy League either.

[thx1138]

Hello Dear Friends,

My name is Nubaku Nirobii.
I am the son of a very important......, I have a problem....., I am willing to pay you 50,000 USD, all you have to do is send me you banking account number.....

That is my favorite type of spam.

[Athena]

Nice question. Here is part of what I got when googling best job skills.

Top Skills and Values Employers Seek from Job-SeekersWhat do employers really want? Read about the importance of the top employability skills and personal values employers seek from all job-seekers. Top Skills and Values Employers Seek from Job-Seekers - 26k - Cached - Similar pages Your Job Skills Portfolio: Gaining an Edge in Job-HuntingWhat is a job skills, job-search, or career portfolio? ... Read more in our article: The Keys to Choosing and Using the Best Job References in Your Job ... Your Job Skills Portfolio: Gaining an Edge in Job-Hunting - 22k - Cached - Similar pages [ More results from Quintessential Careers: College, Careers, and Jobs Guide ] Job skills informationOnline guide to job skills, job hunting and skills development. ... One strategy for performing your best during an interview is to know the rules of the ... Job skills information - 21k - Cached - Similar pages CNN - This summer's hottest job skills - June 22, 1999Want to give your career its best skills boost? ... (Computerworld) Hallelujahs and heartaches: Job satisfaction survey (Computerworld) ... CNN - This summer's hottest job skills - June 22, 1999 - 36k - Cached - Similar pages .Net may top list of job skills in demand | Tech News on ZDNetNet may top list of job skills in demand | .Net development has joined the list of core technical skills demanded by employers for 2003. news.zdnet.com/2100-3513_22-978922.html - 41k - Cached - Similar pages Career Skills - List of Career Skills - Top Career Skills for ...Career skills list. Best career skills in the market for software technology jobs. ... it helps to know what career skills are hot in the job market. ... jobsearchtech.about.com/od/techcareersskills/tp/TechSkills.htm - 29k - Cached - Similar pages

Where you want to live makes a big difference in your choice too. Where do you want to live?

[gallo]

Quote by: Scribbler1 Well, you've certainly done all the necessary puffing with this post.

Perhaps you didn't notice that it was a direct response to another puffer.

But you apparently don't understand that I, or anyone else here can claim the same credentials.

Sure you can. But would it be true? That just goes to show you how useless such puffing is. And that was the point I was trying to make. You seem to have missed the point. I guess it wasn't as clear as I thought.

And and since far too many people routinely DO "puff themselves up" in these forums, your resume doesn't quite have the "gee whiz" effect you obviously intended.

Again, perhaps you didn't notice that my puff piece was in direct response to another for the purpose of showing that such puffing is silly. It proves nothing.

And the thread starter was obviously posting spam, or at least pushing these businesses, because she hasn't been back to discuss what responses "she" generated and she in fact hasn't posted anything else.

Sure it was. But someone to whom I responded didn't seem to recognize that.