Have you been itching to follow a specific course but just could not find the time in your already overloaded schedule? Many individuals tend to postpone updating their skills on the account of “being too busy”. Well, perhaps now that you are temporarily working from home is your time to check that course off your to-do list. 

If you think that, in these uncertain times, it’s best to stay put and postpone your professional training once again, think again! Here are 4 good reasons to sign-up for that coveted course today!  

1. Time Saved on Commuting to and From Work Can Be Put Toward Learning

According to Statistics Canada, the average Canadian spends 1 to 1.5 hours commuting to and from work every day, depending on their mode of commuting (car or public transit). The time spent commuting can increase drastically for people living in areas further away from the city centers. 

As most professionals are currently working from home, why not use the saved travel time  toward remote learning? Most courses will only require an investment of a few hours per week.

So, why not invest that precious time toward your future?

2. Courses Usually Offered in-Person Are Now Offered Online

Have you wanted to attend a course that just did not fit with your schedule? Maybe the course was only available during the day and you did not want to take time away from work to attend. Or maybe the course was available at an odd time during the evening that did not coincide with your train schedule? 

No matter what was the reason stopping you from attending, virtual learning now makes fitting a class into your schedule a heck of a lot easier. Without having to worry about transit times and traffic, it suddenly has become a lot easier to commit to attending that course. 

3. Employers Are More Open to Flexible Work Schedules

With remote work being the new normal, many employers have had to learn to be much more flexible with their employees’ schedules. So if the desired course is only offered at an hour that was once impossible to accommodate, it is now much more feasible to temporarily rearrange your work schedule to fit with the course timetable; especially if the course will be beneficial to your current tasks.

4. In Times of Uncertainty, Keeping Busy Is a Good Thing

During the last year, we have had to learn how to cope with financial uncertainty, potential job losses, disrupted routines, isolation and, in some unfortunate cases, much worse. However, it has been proven that keeping busy is a very valid tool to help cope with it all. Several mental health experts actually encourage online learning as a way to keep healthy and find a source of relief in stressful times.