Question: How can RPL help my career?
Answer: It can help you move when you need to (whether that’s upwards or sideways, or even make sure you stay where you are!)
Let us explain:
It’s funny, looking back on things we regret about our career, many of them are due to inaction, rather than action. If only I’d done X or taken the X opportunity, I’d have been much happier or more successful.
A few months ago, over at Harvard Business Review, Daniel Gulati shared his research into people’s biggest regrets about their career.
He had spoken to people ranging in age and representing a range of different careers but these ideas came up again and again:
- regrets about taking a job just for the money even though they didn’t like it
- staying too long in a job they didn’t like
- wishing they had taken a leap of faith to start their own business
- not having really focused on improving their education
- following their gut instinct in their career path
Of course, all the things people he interviewed mention take courage, but, in retrospect, would have made them far happier if they had just taken the plunge and done them!
It is interesting because of these regrets, the easiest to fix for everyone of us would be focusing on improving our education.
You see, each day when you do your work you are growing in skills and knowledge (and if you are not growing, then it is definitely time to get out of your comfort zone and put your hand up to learn something new). That knowledge that is being built, it is all essentially an exam in real life. And when you sit an exam, you deserve recognition for the answers you have submitted.
This is where Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) can help. It is a recognised method in Australia of acknowledging your skills and knowledge that you build up in real life and turning it into qualifications that you can use in your career. Instead of sitting a classroom exam or enrolling to pick up text books, you can have your experience assessed against the standards of qualifications. Most people are very surprised by how extensive their skills and knowledge are, and how much they are worth against the measuring stick of qualifications. Formalising your previous experience into qualifications not only gives that extra confidence boost you may need, but also can help cement your next position. Qualifications can be the selling point you need to move into an alternative role or career.
So, if you’re interested in which qualifications your previous life and career experience may gain you, simply give us a call on 1300 793 002 and we can conduct a review and let you know what you may be looking at straight away! You could have new qualifications and the boost you need within 28 days!
