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Returning to school when you haven’t been in the educational environment for years can be daunting for many past, present, and future students. Life can take us away from education because of family, work, or other circumstances. Sometimes the timing just wasn’t right for you then, but now it is.  Nothing should stop people who want to pursue their education. In fact, those, many of those who return to the classroom after several years away, tend to do better and have a better context to the work they are studying. Even if you were only away from school for a year or two, if it was because of traumatic experiences or personal struggles, it can be hard to want to go back. While you are beginning your plan to return back to school, keep these things in mind.

Focus on the Benefits

Think about how much of a difference it will make to earn your degree. The benefits of having a college degree are immense. Graduating college can add as much as 10 years to your lifespan. It can also help you to meet new people and find better career opportunities. While there are challenges along the way to getting your degree, they should be outweighed by all the positives.

Socialize

A thorough social life in college can help you to enjoy your experience much more. When you aren’t constantly worried about classes and grades, you can end up clearing your mind and performing better as a result. You need to be careful to ensure that you aren’t neglecting class time to party. If your social life is lacking, look for clubs on campus that you believe you would fit in well. Your college experience should be one of joy, not stress.

Improve Your Time Management

Feeling anxious about going back to school can come from feeling like you won’t have the time to get everything done. The reason students can succeed with a full course load is that they know how to manage their time. Having time management skills means starting on assignments right away and following a proper sleep schedule. It takes time for these to pay off, but when they do, you can feel like there’s no stopping you.

Consider Therapy

No problem is too small for therapy. If going back to school has you especially worked up, you need to find help. Psychotherapy has a host of benefits for students, including reducing and managing destructive behaviors, learning healthy coping mechanisms to help you through emotionally tough times, an increase in focus, attention, organization, and time management, and much more. Talking to a qualified psychotherapist is more than worth your time.

No matter your original reason for being away from school, when you go back, and set yourself on a path of success, you have nothing to fear. It may be challenging, but as you focus on the good, reach out to others, improve your time management skills, and seek help when necessary, you will be able to astound even yourself with the results. Some of the best students are those with experiences outside the school environment. Remember that you are not alone in this exciting educational journey!

For help in figuring out your transitions, professionally or personally, from your workplace to dating and socializing and more, let the Mentor SF’s Explorers Program (EP) help!

When you hire people who are driven, they always try to grow their understanding, skills and responsibilities because they know that this sort of endeavor leads to more opportunities and higher salaries. A business benefits from the growth of its leaders, and in turn, they motivate younger employees who want to eventually attain leadership positions of their own. It’s your responsibility to furnish your employees with these growth opportunities. Here are some tips that can help.

Make Them Part of a Team

A business is only successful when everyone has a purpose, and the easiest way to let your employees know that they have an important role is by creating teams. According to SHRM, “Teams can execute more quickly, make better decisions, solve more complex problems, and do more to enhance creativity and build skills than an individual can.” During the early phases, you should keep your teams small because this tactic reduces costly inefficiencies. On a team, there should be one leader and several talented employees who fully understand how to tackle specific objectives. If the leader gives each individual one significant job, every team member will feel important throughout the project. This strategy also gives each employee a major responsibility.

In order to develop young team members into major players, you’ll need to give them more opportunities immediately after they produce solid results. By keeping your teams busy, everyone will constantly grow and develop new skills that could benefit the company.

Provide Peer-to-Peer Learning

Peer-to-peer learning is a process that can enhance how efficiently everyone tackles projects together as a team. According to Instructure, “When people want to learn new skills at work, most start by asking their bosses to help them — but the second most common way employees learn is from their peers.” If your business has seasoned employees and young employees, you should put these people on strategic teams together so that they can learn from each other. Your veteran employees can teach newer individuals about the importance of marketing using print materials. Whenever you run a digital campaign, the newer employees can work strategically with older employees in order to explain effective social media tactics.

Utilize Training Programs

Training programs can help employees grow by giving them opportunities to learn new skills. Some programs also help employees consistently maintain certain skills during periods of growth.

When designing training programs, according to eLearning Industry, “take time to define the parameters that will act as the foundation of your program — defining learner personas, goals, and success metrics.” For example, if you want to boost customer services by reducing disputes, design a workshop that covers the best ways to communicate with customers during various situations. This type of workshop should cater to employees who want a higher position in the customer service department.

Because business is driven by communication and teamwork, everyone must grow together. If you use these tips, you’ll scale your company and promote many employees along the way. For more help to create unity in a new team or for help mentoring an existing team in your business, contact me to schedule a session today!

As you master your field over time, you can feel something like an identity crisis coming. What do you do next? Plenty of possibilities and opportunities are perfect for a veteran in the industry to take on. You can put forward your best self as you get older by giving speeches, growing your confidence, and embracing your role as a veteran in the workplace.

Begin Giving Professional Speaking Classes

As you get older, your insights become valued and respected in your field because you have experience. Public speaking is a way to maximize this and earn a side income from sharing what you know with others. Before venturing into giving speeches, take a professional speaking class, even if you feel like you’re already good at giving speeches. Or take an online course for preparing and teaching others. You’re guaranteed to learn something new that helps you give inspiring speeches. Being a good public speaker provides many great benefits, including career advancement, new social connections, increased confidence and personal satisfaction.

Look Your Sharpest to Establish Confidence

Appearance isn’t a marginal issue; you need to look the part if you’re going to play it on the professional stage. If your skin is starting to sag or your face isn’t looking quite as energetic as you’d prefer it, there are plenty of options for treating this situation. Feeling satisfied with your personal appearance helps you feel confident. Confidence is important in the professional world because it leads to accomplishing more, advancing your career and communicating more effectively. Even if you already have great achievements in your field, there is always more to reach for, and confidence helps push you.

Step into Your Role as Veteran of Your Field

It’s time to share the insights that you’ve gained throughout your career. Your work experience has helped you develop soft skills. You may have become better at teamwork and time management through experience. And you can share the tips and tricks you’ve discovered with those younger than you. Your expert guidance can help the team perform better and generate greater results.

Mentorship not only benefits the mentee, but it benefits the mentor, too. You may decide to closely mentor someone whom you see potential in, which can be a fulfilling, rewarding experience. Proven experts also have additional opportunities available to them if they’re interested in climbing up the ladder. You could even start your own business if that has been a dream of yours.

Getting older comes with advantages. Focus on the benefits of age and experience so that you can put forward your best self. Your industry record makes you a respected veteran in your field, and your growth isn’t finished yet. Push yourself to greater heights by developing public speaking skills, nurturing confidence and sharing your insights with others.