Do you want to know about upskilling, why it can be incredibly useful, and what I’m doing to integrate it into my own professional development plan? Then you’ll want to keep reading this article.
What is upskilling?
Upskilling is exactly what it sounds like. Taking the time to add to your current set of skills, usually with the goal of filling gaps in your own personal toolkit or helping to fill gaps for your employer.
Examples of this might include improving your Excel or coding skills, cross training with another department, or focusing on a certification to expand your skillset.
What am I doing to upskill?
As you might have gathered, I love learning new things. My brain and mental health demand it, to be honest. And it’s usually something fairly spontaneous, with my podcast being a perfect example.
Because I’ve started up a podcast, I’ve learned:
~ The simple mechanics of setting up a podcast, from setting up a hosting site and pushing episodes to podcast channels
~ How to record and edit a podcast using two different apps
~ How to up my video editing skills to help prepare promo materials
~ How to build out a website using WordPress
~ How to use chatgpt to create supporting content using my podcast transcripts
There are still areas of improvement to focus on:
~ I want to spend more time with chatgpt, including SEO help
~ I want to play around with Midjourney
~ I need to be better at managing my schedule
What else am I doing to upskill?
But wait, there’s more! Knowing that the discussions around AI ethics is only going to continue and given my practical experience working with AI and machine learning, to me it makes sense to learn more about AI audits.
Because of that desire to learn more, I’ve started the ForHumanity Foundations of Independent Audit of AI Systems (IAAIS) certification course work. It’s a nice structured system of recorded lectures and quizzes with an exam at the end of a 5 week program.
I’ve also sat through some of the Google certifications related to machine learning and LLMs and plan to watch some that are available on LinkedIn when I find time.
Just don’t let upskilling stress you out
Upskilling is a great idea but don’t let it stress you out. Hustle culture can lead to burnout, so don’t feel like you have to learn all the things asap. Prioritize and remember to give yourself the rest you need.