Improving your skills to increase the chances of employment often requires additional training. But formal training will always require money as you have to pay the trainers and the educational institution for the services.

But not every education should be expensive. In fact, there are ways that you can learn a lot more compared to formal training programs.

Online Classes

There are classes online that are are not just offered by someone who wants to share their knowledge online. Some online classes are actually conducted by well known universities in the country. They are usually modular but their training techniques are very academic and intensive. Many are actually offered along with actual school dates.

There are also modular classes that you can take online that are offered by private individuals. This is very helpful in basic programming skills and other basic online knowledge.

Public Library

The library is home to vast information that includes training on various skills that you want to learn and improve. The "Dummies" and "Idiots" series are only some of the educational books that you can borrow and learn.

Aside from impressive collections of educational books, other multi-media tools that can teach you a thing or two about a specific skill are also available. Think of your public library as your informal school where everything you need to learn is there – without any teachers.

Podcasts

Podcasts are growing in popularity not only because of the free music that you can get from the podcasts but also for trainings. There are podcasts dedicated to a specific industry that offers basic instructions on specific skills. You can download the podcasts and listen to the podcasts in your MP3. That means you’ll be learning while commuting. Just make sure that you listen to podcasts from a trusted source so that you’ll have the right information.

Volunteer

One of the best things about volunteering is that you’ll be able to help others while learning something. Volunteering will also open a lot of doors to your chosen career. Volunteering can give the employers an impression that you are willing to use your skills without asking for any money.

But aside from networking opportunities, volunteering is great for improving your skills since this will allow you to practice your skills on more drastic situations. There are situations that you might never encounter as a paid professional simply because some are not able to afford the services they need. By working on difficult situations, you’ll be able to apply what you learn and slowly improve.

Dedication Required

Learning a new skill or improving a specific skill is only possible when there is dedication. You have to be convinced that you need to learn something new or improve what you already know to ensure learning.

Training without any trainers can be difficult and frustrating especially if you don’t see any considerable results. But with dedication, you should be able to learn the skill after learning from various sources. Grab every piece of information you can get so that you should be able to learn more about the skill you want to improve.