Back to School Includes You, Too

Now that school has started for millions of children and young adults worldwide, is it also time to extend and enhance your own education?

Traditional schools are a familiar option.

In my area, 12 community colleges and universities can be reached by car in times between five minutes and one hour. But these schools aren’t always accessible, especially if you’re a busy entrepreneur. Thankfully, more options exist.

What business owners want to achieve today is concentrated learning to understand technology, increase their software knowledge, and expand skills specific to their industries.

This is also my focus. Frequent travel to speak in regions outside of my home state leaves me little time to sit in a classroom. Like many of you, I enjoy the face-to-face interaction as well as the networking opportunities with like-minded people before and after class. Time simply does not allow for the traditional environment.

Education centers that increase and expand your knowledge are available online, and most times, the courses are free of charge. Here’s where I find great classes.

Hewlett-Packard

HP offers eight learning categories, including home office, photography, Microsoft office products, and graphic arts.

These non-credit classes are led by an instructor but are self paced so that you can learn each lesson on your own schedule. There’s also a forum for each class where you can interact with other students.

Sony

Courses, videos, articles, and tutorials come together in Sony’s BackStage 101 Learning Center. Although the four categories listed focus on and around technology, you can apply desktop, video, and more courses to all areas of your life.

U.S. Small Business Administration

Here you’ll find 10 categories of business, marketing, finance, and other topics essential to your success. According to the site, each course requires registration (it makes sense that the SBA gathers statistics) and will only take 30 minutes of time to complete.

Now you know about three online portals where you’ll advance your skills and have no excuse to not go to school.

Conference, college, and company meeting planners frequently request my business and educational topics for their employees, students, and association members. Contact me through this form or call 973-279-2799 to schedule a seminar or workshop. It’ll be one of your easiest events and also one that the audience thanks you for making possible.