One of my mains goals for this blog is to help you develop your professional and technical self. I want you

Photo credit:Michael 1952

to be awesome at what you do. And if you’re already awesome, I want to help be even more awesome – as tough a task as that may be.  One of the best ways I’ve been able to develop my own skills throughout my career has been through continuing education. Today, I wanted to share why I think continuing education is critical to your career, and to share an amazing resource with you that I’ve used time and time again to brush up on my skills and learn new things called PDH Engineer.

Why is Continuing Education such a Big Deal?

Well, my friend, let me explain. Pursuing continuing education has some huge benefits for those who pursue it on a regular basis:

• You demonstrate to your employer a dedication to your profession
• You develop new skills
• You sharpen existing skills
• You put yourself in a position to advance in your current role
• You open up the possibility to move into a new and different role
• You meet the requirements needed to keep your professional designation (if applicable)
• You can earn new designations
• You can become a valuable resource at work (i.e. become the go-to person)
• You get to learn stuff!

This is all great! All too many engineers leave school and think to themselves “I’m free! I never have to learn again!” And while you may be able to get away with that, I wouldn’t recommend it. Not if you like having a job and a regular income. Job security isn’t guaranteed to any engineer, so being sharp and being diligent about developing your skills is an important thing to do. It makes you more valuable in your current role, and it makes it easier to find a new job if you need to.

PDH Engineer

One of my favourite continuing education providers out there is PDH Engineer. They’re an online provider of continuing ed. classes that cover a whole range of topics, so no matter what your discipline of engineering, or what your interests are, these guys have something. They also have a substantial business skills section that includes things like project management, leadership, and communications skills.

Main Benefits

What I like best about PDH Engineer is that you don’t have to pay to learn the material. All the course material can be downloaded for free – it’s just the test you have to pay for. So, if you just want to get a refresher on something for your own sake, head on over to their site to see if they have what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for continuing education hours or a certificate proving that you acquired the knowledge (for your P.E. or P.Eng. requirements or your resume), then you should pay for the test. Most tests are very reasonably priced – normally between $70 and $200.

One of the other main benefits is that you can learn at your own pace. You just download the material and study it at your leisure. You only pay when you’re ready to write the test.

Finally, they’re a provider that you can actually trust. They’ve got partnerships with both the National Society of Professional Engineers and the IEEE, as well as having a Better Business Bureau rating of A+. You can 100% trust these guys to provide quality instruction.

Call to Action

Head on over to PDH Engineer now to check it out. If you have any questions about what they do, just post it in the comments section below and I’ll definitely lend you a hand. If you try a course out, let us know through the comments section below what you thought of it.