Using community education courses for job search, careers

If you haven’t experienced community education yet, or have been living in an area where it’s called something a little different, this is the slate of courses offered at low cost to the community, taught by other members of the community.

The classes tend to be short, with many lasting only an hour or two, and can run as little as $12. They might be sponsored through the local school district, but similar class offerings usually can be found in a variety of settings.

When you see a catalog, you’ll notice that many of the sessions are taught by experts in their fields, while other instructors hold few formal credentials. Still, when the cost is so low, how can you go wrong?

Over the years, I’ve taken classes ranging from Spanish to swimming to lessons on using my digital camera. Whenever I receive a course listing of community education courses, I start bending the pages as if I were a kid in the 1950s holding a Sears catalog.

Because this is a careers column, I’ll give a few pointers on how a job seeker or career explorer could use this wonderful resource.

• Take classes in job search. No point in ignoring the obvious. Over the years, I've seen courses ranging from career exploration to resume writing and interviewing practice. These days, there's almost always an offering on using LinkedIn, which can be handy for job seekers.

• Take classes to build skills. I'll break this into a couple of categories, since there's so much to choose from in the skill-building arena. First, think about work skills you can use right away, but which don't require an in-depth training process. For example, if you need to write better, put together a PowerPoint presentation, understand the fundamentals of selling, or dive into building a website, then community ed is an excellent place to turn.

The second way to think about skills is as an exploration. Suppose you’re considering being a trainer for a gym but you’re not sure which discipline you’re drawn to. In this case, you might fill your evenings with a selection of yoga, Pilates, weight training and martial arts, just to see what appeals to you.

• Take classes to network. No matter which class you take, you will be rubbing shoulders with new people. Of course, this can be like the networking version of a potluck dinner, in that you can't predict whether you'll meet folks in particular lines of work -- it could be the equivalent of a church buffet overrun with Jell-O salads.

One way to improve your odds is to choose classes whose teachers interest you. In any case, your main policy should be one of open curiosity. Go with the intention of learning about others. If actual networking results, so much the better; if not, you will have spent an enjoyable session nonetheless.

• Take classes to stay active. Whether for fun or knowledge, there's no way around it: Being in a classroom is better for you than almost anything you could be doing at home. If you're currently unemployed, just getting out of the house is a good antidote to the isolation you might be experiencing.

• Teach a class and build your resume. Teaching something in your line of work can add to your credibility in your field. But even if you're an accountant teaching bicycle repair, you will still be demonstrating skills in working with people, organizing information and giving presentations. In all cases, be sure to include the information on your resume.