6 short-term courses for students & professionals | Save time, learn more!

You can start a job in any field you please by taking up short-term courses related to your desired field. Read on to know all about short-term courses and also how to best use them to your advantage!

To pursue a career of your liking, all you need is a will to learn. Money can occasionally be a hindrance, but there are many free courses available out there. 

You can switch your field even post your graduation. If you have been studying STEM, it’s not necessary to pursue a career in it if you don’t want to. You could pursue a one-year MBA or a career in Arts, instead. We live in a day and age where even if you have a hobby, you can turn it into a business.  

But before we tell you about some amazing short-term courses, let’s first understand what they are!

What are short-term courses?

A short-term course, as the name suggests, is a short course you take in your desired field. You stop growing when you stop learning and these short-term courses allow you to never stop learning no matter what age! 

If you’re a student, doing these types of courses will give you an edge over your peers. In fact, many people learn through these courses and excel in the field they are in. If you’re a working professional, you can use these courses to move up the corporate ladder or even switch fields!

Short-term courses give you the opportunity to learn about skills, tools, techniques, and languages needed to give you the upper hand. All this in a short span of time! 

Why take short-term courses? 

If you are not convinced about taking up a short-term course, don’t worry. Leave the reasoning up tp us- 

1. Budget friendly

Most courses are available for free whereas others will charge a bit. However, let’s not forget these courses will be a lot cheaper than full-time courses. Often, they have better quality training and allow you to learn more. 

Professionals working in the field who are passionate to teach offer various courses you can take. They give you a clear understanding of the field on a lower budget.

2. Learn anytime, anywhere

To get an edge over your competition, you need to be open to all sources of learning. Despite being a student or a working professional, short-term courses will expand your knowledge. And since these courses are flexible they do not disrupt your day-to-day routine. You can take them up at your own pace. 

3. Long-term edge 

We are often worried about the competition (which should be a healthy amount) but instead, we should be worried about not growing. No matter what your goals are, these courses will allow you to use your knowledge in different ways.

Since you can take them anytime, taking them at different stages in your life will show you how much you have grown. 

Short-term course, long-term benefits! 

Advantages of taking up short-term courses 

Here are some of the many advantages of taking up a short-term course-

1. Access to knowledge you can implement

As a student, you go through a lot books and material, however, sometimes you may wonder “when will I use this?” Sometimes you don’t get the practical knowledge you need through standard courses. Some of them may not even apply to the field you’re in. On the other hand, short-term courses are chosen by you, so you have the liberty to choose what knowledge you want to gain. 

To learn useful skills that are required in the job market, pick up a professional short-term course that will give you that knowledge. This will help you utilize your learnings in a real-world setting.

As you’ll put your knowledge to practice, you’ll find out what your strengths and weaknesses are and where you stand. Hence, you give yourself more room to grow. Morever, you’ll learn about the latest technologies used in the job market in your short-term courses. 

2. Better career opportunities

When you learn a new skill set and pursue a job in a field new to you, you open yourself up to newer opportunities. You may learn about things that you didn’t even know existed. 

For example, if you’re a STEM student, you may not know much about a career in liberal arts. However, when you take up a short-term course in something like design or writing, you may discover the creative side of yourself. This will open doors to new sectors and varied career possibilities. 

Also, if you want to switch careers or get into an exciting industry like AI, taking a foundational short-term course would be a good start!

3. Training for in-demand high-paying jobs

There are many high-paying jobs today, open for you if you have the required skill set. Every company wants talented individuals and most of these roles need skills that are not taught in a traditional degree course. 

Of course, this is where short-term courses come in. With a specific curriculum, they teach you the knowledge and skills that make you job-ready. So you can accordingly take up short-term courses to bag a higher salary. 

With a high-paying job, you can quickly achieve financial freedom and get the independence you need to reach your goals. 

Top short-term courses 

Here are the top 6 short-term courses you can consider taking up-

1. Web designing

In Web Design, you will learn how the website interface can better the user’s experience. Web Designing and Web Development are two very important areas of growth in the IT industry.  

Not just IT companies, but all companies have requirements of skilled IT professionals having knowledge in Web Designing and Web Development in their IT department.

Web Designing is one of the popular short-term courses chosen by students interested in Computer Programming. In fact, it is the best short-term course in computers. You will learn languages and concepts such as JAVA script, HTML, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Adobe Premiere, and web page designing by doing a short-term course in Web Designing.

2. Graphic designing

If you are good at presenting concepts and ideas in visual forms, a graphic designing course might be a good path for you. Graphic designers make the eye-catching images you see on social media, magazines, newspapers, and billboards.

For a highly skilled graphic designer, there is no dearth of work. A basic short-term graphic designing course covers software such as Photoshop, Indesign, and Coreldraw. As you excel, you have options to learn advanced courses in the field. 

Best of all, going forward in this field, you may become a Creative Director, Interface Designer, Logo Designer, Art Production Manager, Visual Image Developer, etc.

3. English writing and communication

There is a huge demand for English language speakers and writers in no matter where you go.

There are plenty of opportunities for writers in content writing, copywriting, creative writing, technical writing, etc.

Basic English speaking is a prerequisite for any job. However, for a writer, it’s important to understand the fundamentals of English. These short-term courses can teach you how to write emails, write blogs, newsletters, etc. 

Through these courses, you must learn how to adapt your language to the job you are in. It’s also important to understand how to separate formal and informal writing. 

For example, blogs may have an informal style of writing. Whereas emails will have a more formal style of writing. 

For all such jobs, you need great English language skills. Taking up short courses in English communication and writing must be at the top of your list.

 4. Certified Financial Planner

If you’re from the commerce field, the Certified Financial Planner course is one of the best courses for you. It is also one of the most respected courses. The course is designed for students who want to show their competence and commitment to ethical financial planning practice.

The Certified Financial Planner course certification is issued by the Financial Planning Standard Board (FPSB). The duration of the course is just around six weeks in which you will learn about planning methodologies like insurance planning, financial planning, investment planning, retirement planning, estate planning, tax preparation, etc.

5. Advertising and marketing communication

Another excellent short-term course is in advertising and marketing communications. This course imparts you with the theories, models, and knowledge of media communications. It teaches you how to create amazing advertising campaigns, understand the basics of colors and what colors work together, etc. It’s best for those who want to land a job in an advertising agency.

The marketing communication course teaches you the relation between advertising agencies and clients. Whether you want to pursue a career in media and advertising or get a corporate communication job, a marketing communication short-term course can set the stage for you.

6. Digital marketing

Digital marketing is getting more and more popular with the rise of social media. It is becoming an important aspect of the marketing plans of every business.

If you like the idea of how brands establish their presence online and form deep relations with their customers, this short-term course is ideal for you. A certification in digital marketing will help you get the required knowledge of market research, market evaluation, SEO, SEM, content marketing, branding, social media, marketing tools, etc.

In addition, the course will help you analyze and understand market trends and teach you how to execute brand management. So, if you want a promising career in the ever-growing digital marketing field, take up a short-term course in digital marketing.

How to choose the right course?

Even though the short-term courses will help you gain theoretical and practical knowledge, you must find a way to use what you’ve learned. You will improve anything you do the more you practice, as it becomes a part of your routine.

There are hundreds of other amazing short-term courses that teach you about new fields. Before selecting a short-term course-

1. Be sure about why you want to take up the course. This will give you clearer goals and allow you to make the best use of your time and energy.
2. See if you have basic, moderate, or advanced knowledge of the field.
3. Consider the costs of the course.
4. Look at the course curriculum and faculty.
5. Check if you’ll be given a certificate in the end.

These factors should help you decide which course to pursue. And if you are unsure of what course to take, feel free to connect with us and we will help you get started! 

WRITTEN BY

Aastha

Study Abroad Expert

Aastha Arya is a Senior Content Writer at iSchoolConnect who writes about topics covering study abroad trends, exclusive news updates and prolific college courses. She has a 4-year of experience in this field and also likes to keep tabs on recent events, visa policy changes, and many other concerns that affect international students.

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