Week 22

Part of being a working professional is staying current in industry trends and continuing your education.

I don’t necessarily mean taking college courses or earning degrees. For me, continuing my education happens by reading business books and blogs, watching webinars, taking free courses online, and following industry groups on LinkedIn.

One thing I became particularly interested in this week was certification courses that may help me not only further my education, but build my professional profile and portfolio.

My job has a subscription to the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and earlier this week I was browsing webinars, conferences and courses they offer. I stumbled upon a Content Marketing Certification course, originally $499, that I can access, take and complete for free. Why have I not been taking advantage of this? What other opportunities are out there?

When I’ve applied for jobs in the past, there was always a place to list any professional certifications I have. I’ve always left this blank and figured it didn’t apply to me. Well surprise – it  can and does apply to me! And it won’t cost me an arm and a leg. A quick Google search produced several marketing-related, free certifications I can take advantage of. (There are plenty more that have a cost, but I’ll be taking advantage of the free ones first!)

1. ANA – Content Marketing Certificate Program – free
2. Google Adwords Certification – free
3. Google Analytics Certification – free (I’ve actually already done this)
4. Digital Garage: Fundamentals of Digital Marketing – free
5. Hubspot Content Marketing Certification – free
6. YouTube Certification – free
7. Hubspot Email Marketing Certification – free
8. Hootsuite Social Media Marketing Certification – $199; $249; $999

I love learning and growing professionally. I’m looking forward to tackling each of these and becoming an expert! There are probably hundreds of hours of work in that list, but it’s worth it when I can use the certification as leverage to build my client book or secure new career positions in the future.

Do you have any marketing certifications? Which would you suggest?