Moms and Dads

How Working Parents Can Upskill To Win In The Career Market

by Kevyn Gohu
June 14, 2023

Working parents need to upskill in order to stay ahead of the corporate game.

Not all of us are entrepreneurs and that leaves us stuck with a 9-to-5 job that can either drain us or make us famous. But unlike young professionals, working parents have little kids to feed and put through school. That thought alone serves as the driving force to make working parents realize that need to upskill. But the question is: how do you upskill? How do you make yourself better when you’re stuck in a 40-hour-a-week job?

1. Listen to podcasts

Some professionals share their secrets to success on podcasts, which are easily accessible via Spotify or YouTube. The best part is, you can listen to those as you drive in the car or fall asleep while also learning something new.

2. Get a hobby

It may sound counterintuitive but not with the premise, “everything is interdisciplinary.” Everything we do, whether it’s writing, cooking, designing, or whatnot, is bound to find an overlap with an existing subject somewhere. Art is mathematics-based, contrary to the popular yet unfortunately outdated Filipino belief. Cooking teaches science and fashion, especially when considering health, color, and human eating behaviors.

Tip: Make sure it’s completely UNRELATED to your work so you don’t feel burned out.

3. Enroll in online courses

Some websites like Coursera offer free online courses for you to learn something new. Udemy and Course Hero are also other websites that offer free courses and Harvard University opened up some online courses for free, too. Unfortunately, online courses come with a caveat: you need strict discipline to stick to it unlike the first two.

4. Help your kids with homework

You’d be surprised how some working parents find corporate solutions to their kids’ homework. As we grow older, we forget many of the basics. Some doctors even look through their kids’ Biology books when they forget some of the old theories. Lawyers ask a kid to judge their public speaking skills because if a kid can’t understand them, what more a judge who has no idea what the case is about?

When parents upskill, they can earn more money to afford a better future

Upskill is the new term now for professionals who want to stay ahead of the corporate game. When all sorts of employees want a raise, everyone is trying to find ways to make themselves indispensable. Especially working parents, who if they are the sole breadwinner of the family, will do everything they can. But the best part about upskilling is that even if you do leave your corporate job, you still come out on top with a new skill and maybe something you can offer to the freelance market!