Celebrated on September 16, National Working Parents Day honors parents who work to provide for their families while managing childcare and other challenges.
Considering the average working parent's schedule, most don't have time to pursue an additional degree or attend lengthy onsite trainings while parenting and working full time.
However, keeping skills current is essential to gainful employment through the automation age. Let's have a look at six alternate ways working parents can upskill without drowning in additional commitments.
1. Read a book on your phone.
In my home office, I have a stack of business books I've been meaning to (at least) skim, but the idea of sitting down with 250 pages overwhelms me.
Instead, working parents should consider downloading a relevant professional development book onto their smartphones, and stealing a few minutes to read while waiting in line at the grocery store or sitting in the doctor's waiting room.
You'd be surprised how the time adds up! Employing this strategy, I went from reading a book a quarter to a book a month.
2. Listen to podcasts on your commute.
On a related point, commuting by car, train or foot involves at least an hour a day for most working parents. You can stay entertained and learning about your field by searching podcast directories, such as Apple's Podcast app, Google Play Music and Spotify, and choosing one that appeals to your sensibilities and development goals.
You can find mentors in the most unexpected places. So, the next time you schedule a playdate for your child, ask the other parent what they do for a living and perhaps invite them to have coffee when the kids get together.
Usually spanning 30 to 60 minutes, podcast episodes are the perfect size to consume while making your way to and from work.
3. Take an online course during lunch or after bedtime.
Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are free, short or long-form courses provided by established universities like Stanford and Yale, as well as specialized sites like Coursera, EdX and Udemy. These offerings include a mix of learning modalities including filmed lectures, readings, quizzes and online community interaction.
The good news is working parents can sign in whenever they have time. You might also consider standalone webinars from third-party associations or companies in your space. For example, I regularly attend webinars sponsored by the American Management Association and the Human Capital Institute. If I can't make the live events, I'll listen to the recordings after my kids are in bed.
4. Learn a new skill with your kids.
Working parents must maximize the time spent with their children, but often our default is to sit in the same room with our kids in front of individual screens.
If you have children curious about the world and you need to hone your professional development, why not satisfy both? This year I'm working on improving my critical thinking skills, which isn't a bad thing for my Generation Z son to do either. So, the two of us are taking an online course with real-world problem-solving components.
Not only is it fun and educational, but it's a novel chance to bond.
5. Reach out to other parents.
When working parents begrudgingly attend PTA meetings or curriculum nights, they often lose sight of the treasure trove of knowledge that exists in other parents' brains. Sure, it's a good networking strategy, but looking for parents in your industry who possess a skill set you lack is also a smart way to cement family relationships and further develop professionally.
You can find mentors in the most unexpected places. So, the next time you schedule a playdate for your child, ask the other parent what they do for a living and perhaps invite them to have coffee when the kids get together.
6. Volunteer at school.
Working parents don't have a lot of time to volunteer at school, and typically we feel guilty about that. But what if you could justify it by leveraging a volunteer role to procure new skills essential to your professional development?
In the career advice world, we refer to transferable skills as skills that are relevant across a wide variety of industries and roles, such as sales, marketing, finance and client relations. While working with your child on a school fundraiser, for example, you get the opportunity to spend time with him while mastering aspects of accounting (expense budgets, anyone?) and public outreach you might not encounter in your everyday work.
The life of a working parent isn't easy, and balance is key. This Working Parents Day and beyond, try mixing it up to benefit personally and professionally!
Read more articles on work-life balance.
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