In the first post in this series, “New Year, New Skills,” we explored how marketers can further their careers through education. In this post, we’ll dive deeper into professional certificates.
In the first post in this series, “New Year, New Skills,” we explored how marketers can further their careers through education. We looked at three different options, including AMA certifications, professional certificates and graduate degrees. In this post, we’ll dive deeper into professional certificates.
Getting a marketing certificate could be a smart way to refresh your skills without spending hordes of money or tons of time. The certificates are carefully crafted to provide real-world experience in a schedule that’s manageable for full-time workers.
There are many programs that offer professional certificates, including the Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies, one of AMADC’s partners. They offer various certificates that can be completed in 6 months to 2 years at a cost of a few thousand dollars. The monetary commitment is much lower than for a graduate degree or MBA.
“We offer opportunities to really build your skills in a short amount of time. We frequently revise the curriculum so students are learning skills they can immediately take back and use on the job,” says Stacey Corcoran, Executive Director of Marketing at Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies.
Conveniently Learn Today’s Must-Have Skills
The certificates offer exposure to skills you may not be able to learn on your current job. “The message today in the world is that you need to be multi-skilled and you need to keep honing these skills and going and learning new things all the time,” says Shashi Bellamkonda, an instructor in Georgetown’s digital marketing certificate program.
To keep up with the ever-changing workplace, Georgetown brings in seasoned industry experts who bring their professional expertise directly to the classroom to teach students the latest skills.
“All of the faculty are practitioners in the field – working professionals in the DC area,” says Corcoran. “There’s also a great networking opportunity to connect with the breadth of faculty teaching in the program.” The marketing certificates also end with a capstone project that allows students to show mastery of the concepts taught and build their professional portfolio.
Find the Program That’s Right For You
Each certificate comes in at less than $6,000 and includes about 6 classes, which are offered to conveniently fit into busy professional schedules. Programs that are currently available include:
- Business Administration
- Budget and Finance
- Digital Marketing
- Social Impact Storytelling
- Social Media Management
To accommodate working professionals, courses are offered evenings, weekends and online.
Get More Information
Visit the Georgetown School of Continuing Education’s website for more information. It lists open-house events and upcoming webinars. It also features a Career Finder Tool that offers insights based on your interests and real-time data on industries, job growth and salaries.
They also have webinars planned for later this spring. Please check the website in the April-May timeframe for more information.
This is part 2 of our blog series on continuing education opportunities for marketers. If you missed part 1, check out the New Year, New Skills post to get an overview of several options, including graduate degrees and AMA certificates.