That is why further education courses are so important

If you have completed initial training, you will be sure to know the feeling: The final exam has been passed, the Master's degree is in the bag, and now you can start your working life. Finally. Goodbye to revision and exam stress – something you hope to never experience again!

Recent graduates can rightfully enjoy the carefree phase in their first real job. However, those who are ambitious and do not want to stand still in their working life will soon be faced with the topic of further training and education. Only those who expand their skills and regularly update their expertise will remain happy in their jobs.

Further training can be undertaken on a full-time basis, a part-time basis, or side-by-side with your job. Flexible, modular systems in which specific modules can be attended are also becoming increasingly popular – at a rate that matches the individual possibilities.

But why should I make this investment at all? After all, good seminars and courses are not entirely cheap. We asked graduates why they decided to take part in a further education course (see video) and provided a summary of the main benefits in an article.

It's obvious: Those who can show in their CV that they have more than the basic education that they completed twenty years ago are more interesting for recruiters and employers – and thus increase their chances on the labor market.

Do you like your current employer and don't intend to take your new qualification and go knocking on a competitor's door? Asking for promotion during an appraisal meeting while demonstrating newly acquired skills and knowledge increases your chances of climbing up a level on the internal career ladder.

Further education does not just benefit you, but also your current employer. The knowledge you have acquired can be applied directly to your work, your team members also benefit from the improved expertise, and depending on the subject you studied, it may even relieve the stress on your boss in the medium term.

According to calculations carried out by the ZEW – Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research, further education can lead to an average wage increase of around five to six percent. It should be noted, however, that new skills and competencies do not usually instantly bring about a change in salary. Instead, an increase in salary is achieved in a roundabout way, by recommending your acquired expertise for more demanding positions, taking on management responsibility, or changing employers.

According to surveys, those who take part in a further education course in their professional area are more satisfied with their work. The reason for this is that further education courses allow people to improve their skills to the level required for their work. Those who are better prepared and feel more competent in their work also experience an increase in their self-confidence and enjoy their work more.

With a broader range of knowledge, the number of opportunities you will have to get involved with new challenges will also increase. Better qualified people have more choice when looking for a job. It is therefore easier to switch to a new position or another employer.