Why Continuing Education Is A Must

Many of us close the book on traditional learning once we've received the adequate training or education to become employable in our preferred field. In fact, if we're like some people (NOT NAMING NAMES), we even looked forward to gaining that certificate or that walk down the aisle at college graduation as the END OF STUDYING AND TEST TAKING. Then, once we're settled nicely into our careers we discover that there is always more to discover. And that's a good thing, it's just that some of us may need some coaxing.

At Insurance Soup, we offer Career Agent Concepts to insurance agents looking to learn how to grow their business by learning how to market themselves online, but opportunities like this aren't limited to one field or another. If your profession offers any kind of continuing education (some companies will even *GASP* will pay for you to get it!) you can't pass it up. We know that time, money and patience are REAL short these days, but the pros are far sexier than the cons. Check it out.

1. MO' MONEY
We mean, we feel like we don't have to explain why this is the number one reason to go "back to school" and get your extended learn on. The truth is, the more you know, the more you're worth to your employer and/or your clients. It's science.

2. WORK THAT NETWORK
You're going to meet other people who do what you do. Plain and simple. It's like a networking free-for-all in a continuing education setting. Whether you're learning online or in an actual classroom environment, get to know the people you're learning with. You're going to have a lot of potentially lucrative things in common.

3. DON'T BE THAT GUY
You want to stay on top of what's new, what's available and what's changing in any given field. You don't want to be the door-to-door encyclopedia salesman while people are getting all their information from Google. It's vital to your career that you stay sharp and relevant. Be the guy who's at the top of his game.

4. YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED
Stepping away from what you're used to and into developing trends in your field could lead to a whole new path for you. Technology is changing the face of almost every industry and constantly adding new opportunities, opportunities you may not have discovered without continuing education.

5. BE THE BOSS
Gaining new experience is only going to propel you up the ladder if you so choose for it to. Think about it. If you're being proactive in learning more about what's getting done in your industry, more proactive than others in your company, you're showing off in the best possible way. Injecting new skills into your portfolio of abilities is only going to get your farther in your career, or even outside of your career if you like. 

​Whether you're learning new programs, new practices or meeting new people who can propel your career to the next level, you shouldn't deny yourself a chance at advancement on any level. Often times the cost and time spent taking these steps toward advancement may seem like cons, but they can't compare to what you'll gain on the other side. When it comes down to it, it's an investment in your future, and nothing is more valuable than that.