Over the years of coaching executives in and outside of law, I’ve had numerous discussions regarding the increasing, but often overlooked, value of certificate programs and targeted online courses (beyond traditional CLEs). Certificate programs and online courses give you specialized training in subject matter without the long-term time or financial commitment of a degree. I’m a big advocate of pursuing certificate programs, online training, and additional coursework to highlight skills, particularly where your experience may fall short, or you want to get an edge on the competition to showcase your commitment to the subject area. Certificate programs and additional coursework are also fantastic to leverage in your resume or LinkedIn profile.
I’ve seen firsthand how valuable online courses can be — even if you’re not job searching. In 2016, I decided to take an online writing course. At the time, I had left the practice of law a year prior and already had a contributor column with the HuffPost. However, I wanted to deepen my exposure to opinion pieces and editorial writing. Through some research, I discovered that New York University had a professional studies program with a series of online courses across a wide range of areas. I came upon a course titled, “Writing Editorials, Commentary, and Opinion Blogs.” The course met every Saturday for a 6-week period, and I connected digitally with various writers and journalists around the globe.
Not only did the course provide a different perspective to writing and afford me the chance to learn from a former New York Times columnist, it also led to future writing opportunities, generated subsequent business clients, and fostered good networking. I even attended local NYU-sponsored events in South Florida following the end of the course, which further expanded my own digital footprint.
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Certificate Programs For Executive Leadership Training
High-level certificate and advanced study programs are popular for those pursuing executive leadership roles as they leverage continued growth, knowledge, and career advancement. My executive clients (C-suite in particular) have gained multiple benefits from these programs, which include access into prestigious alumni networks, value-add skills that show specialized knowledge in leadership methodologies, and a deep interest in professional advancement.
Whether you’re a lawyer on partnership track at a law firm or a rising corporate counsel who wants to gain more leadership training for a subsequent promotion or opportunity in another legal department, executive certificates are a terrific value-add to your powerful arsenal of skills. I encourage you to consider executive leadership training certificate programs and online courses offered by Stanford, Cornell, Wharton, Harvard, and Yale.
Traditional CLE Courses And Resources For Missing Practice Areas
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Certificate programs in conjunction with CLEs are a powerful weapon. If you’re looking to transition in-house for a publicly traded company and lack the requisite SEC experience, I recommend registering for securities courses from PLI. You can also broaden your horizons in governance and ESG strategy by looking into webinars, courses, and conferences offered by organizations such as NACD, which focus on ramping up skills for corporate directors and those pursuing corporate directorship. If you’re looking to embark on a paid board seat opportunity, NACD is a valuable organization to join.
Similarly, if you’re seeking to ramp up your data privacy knowledge, consider enrolling in a few CLEs on data privacy and registering for your data privacy certification through the International Association of Privacy Professionals. Even without the data privacy experience, you can showcase a commitment to the subject matter through coursework and certification. Don’t forget to tack the coursework or certificate programs onto your resume in the education section under a subheader called “Additional Training.” For certifications, I recommend a subheader called “Certifications.” This will help keep things organized and easy to distinguish.
Certificate Programs And Online Courses For Specialized Areas
If you’re looking to pivot into a specialized area such as blockchain or cryptocurrency, you may consider acquiring deeper technical training beyond CLE courses by registering for a six-week course offered by MIT that centers on AI, IoT, and blockchain. The benefit to this is gaining exposure to professionals outside the practice of law who are deeply immersed in technology. Perhaps that connection can lead to an inside career opportunity at their company or future business opportunity. Another terrific asset for advancing your knowledge in specialized and emerging areas is to attend relevant conferences and seminars. Simply run a Google search for “blockchain and cryptocurrency conferences,” and you will see multiple upcoming events — many of which offer virtual attendance from the comfort of your home computer.
With the digital world at our fingertips, don’t overlook the power of certificate programs and online courses in addition to CLEs. Let them be part of an icebreaker conversation in an informational interview or subsequent meeting.
Wendi Weiner is an attorney, career expert, and founder of The Writing Guru, an award-winning executive resume writing services company. Wendi creates powerful career and personal brands for attorneys, executives, and C-suite/Board leaders for their job search and digital footprint. She also writes for major publications about alternative careers for lawyers, personal branding, LinkedIn storytelling, career strategy, and the job search process. You can reach her by email at [email protected], connect with her on LinkedIn, and follow her on Twitter @thewritingguru.