Level Up on Their Dime: How to Use Your Job to Prepare for Your Next Career Move

There is more than one way to get a raise.

Sometimes the raise comes in your paycheck. Sometimes it comes in the form of a certification you didn’t have to pay for, a conference that expands your professional network, a degree your employer helped fund, new software skills, leadership training, or experience that makes you more competitive for the next position.

Women are often so focused on doing the job that we forget to examine everything the job can do for us.

We come to work. We meet deadlines. We solve problems. We train people. We take on additional responsibilities. We sit through meetings that could have been emails. We help keep departments functioning when they’re short-staffed. Then we go home exhausted and repeat the entire process tomorrow.

Meanwhile, there may be thousands of dollars’ worth of professional development benefits sitting untouched.

Tuition assistance.

Certification reimbursement.

Conferences.

Leadership development programs.

Professional memberships.

Mentorship programs.

Cross-training.

Internal workshops.

Technology training.

Temporary assignments.

Employee development funds.

Continuing education.

The opportunities vary by employer, but the principle is the same:

Your salary is not necessarily the only compensation your job has to offer.

If your employer is willing to invest in your professional development, start thinking strategically about how you can turn today’s employee benefits into tomorrow’s career opportunities.

And yes, that includes opportunities somewhere else.

Stop Thinking Only About Your Current Position

One of the biggest career mistakes you can make is developing yourself exclusively for the job you already have.

You should certainly become proficient in your current position. But your professional development should also answer a bigger question:

What do I want to be qualified to do next?

That “next” could mean a promotion.

It could mean management.

It could mean moving into another department.

It could mean changing industries.

It could mean qualifying for a federal, state, corporate, nonprofit, academic, healthcare, technology, or remote position.

It could mean leaving your current employer entirely.

You don’t have to know exactly where you’re going to begin preparing yourself for more.

Pull up job postings for positions that interest you—even if you’re not ready to apply.

Don’t look at them simply as job advertisements. Look at them as career road maps.

What certifications keep appearing?

What software are employers requesting?

What educational requirements are common?

What leadership experience do they want?

What technical skills appear repeatedly?

What professional organizations are mentioned?

What qualifications separate the $55,000 position from the $75,000 position?

Now compare those requirements with what you currently possess.

That gap is your professional development plan.

Find Out What Your Employer Will Actually Pay For

Before you spend hundreds or thousands of dollars out of your own pocket, investigate your employee benefits.

And don’t assume you know what is available simply because nobody has mentioned it.

Many organizations have career development programs that employees barely use because the information is buried on an internal website, mentioned briefly during onboarding, or tucked inside an employee handbook nobody has opened since their first week.

Search your company’s intranet. Review HR resources. Ask about learning and development benefits. Check your union or professional association benefits if applicable. Read your employee handbook.

Specifically investigate whether your employer offers reimbursement or funding for college tuition, certifications, certification exams, continuing education units, conferences, professional memberships, workshops, leadership programs, online courses, software training, licensing, seminars or industry-specific education.

Then learn the rules.

Some programs require approval before you enroll or pay. Others require the training to relate directly to your current position. Some may require you to remain employed for a certain period after completing employer-funded education. There may be annual funding limits, grade requirements, approved schools or reimbursement deadlines.

Know those details before spending money.

The goal isn’t simply to find professional development.

The goal is to maximize professional development without unnecessarily financing all of it yourself.

Certifications Can Become Career Currency

A certification isn’t valuable merely because you can add letters after your name.

The right certification can provide independent proof that you understand a particular discipline, technology, methodology or professional standard.

But don’t collect certifications just to collect them.

Be strategic.

Before pursuing one, ask yourself:

Does this certification regularly appear in job descriptions for positions I want?

If the answer is yes, investigate further.

Imagine you’re interested in project management and repeatedly see a certain project management credential listed as preferred.

That’s useful information.

Maybe you’re interested in cybersecurity and discover that several positions require or prefer a particular security certification.

That’s useful information.

Perhaps you’re trying to move into human resources, healthcare administration, data analytics, IT, finance, communications, marketing or another specialized field.

Research the credentials employers actually recognize.

Then check whether your current employer will pay for the course, exam, study materials or some combination of them.

You could potentially walk into your next interview with a credential your current employer financed.

That isn’t disloyal.

That’s professional development.

Conferences Are More Than Expensive Work Trips

If your organization pays for employees to attend professional conferences, stop thinking of conferences as simply three days away from the office with a hotel breakfast.

A good industry conference can provide education, exposure and something equally important:

Access.

Access to people.

Access to organizations.

Access to trends.

Access to conversations happening beyond the walls of your workplace.

If you’re attending a conference, research it before you arrive.

Look at the speaker list.

Review the participating companies.

Study the sessions.

Identify professionals you’d genuinely like to meet.

Update your LinkedIn profile.

Prepare a short introduction about who you are and what you do.

And then—this part matters—talk to people.

You don’t have to walk around aggressively announcing that you’re looking for another job.

Networking doesn’t have to feel transactional.

You can simply say:

“Hi, I’m Angela. I work in healthcare administration and I’m particularly interested in process improvement and employee development. I really enjoyed your session.”

That’s networking.

Exchange information.

Connect professionally afterward.

Comment on their work.

Keep in touch.

Six months later, that person might share a position.

A year later, they might work for an organization you’re applying to.

Three years later, they might remember you when their department is hiring.

Professional relationships compound over time.

Tuition Reimbursement May Be One of Your Most Valuable Benefits

College is expensive.

If your employer offers tuition assistance or reimbursement and higher education aligns with your career goals, investigate that benefit carefully.

You may be able to complete a certificate program, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or specialized coursework with your employer paying some or all of the eligible costs.

That can potentially save you thousands of dollars.

But again, strategy matters.

Don’t enroll in a program simply because your employer will pay for it.

Ask:

What career doors will this education potentially open?

Research positions you’d like to pursue.

Look at educational requirements.

Compare salaries.

Examine advancement opportunities.

Consider whether the degree is required, preferred or unnecessary.

Then make your decision.

The objective isn’t to become professionally overeducated and financially underprepared.

The objective is to obtain education that strengthens your options.

Volunteer for the Experience That Belongs on Your Résumé

Not every career-enhancing opportunity comes with a certificate.

Sometimes it comes disguised as:

“Would anyone like to help with this project?”

Pay attention.

This doesn’t mean volunteering for every unpaid responsibility until you’re doing three people’s jobs.

Absolutely not.

We’re being strategic.

If you’re interested in management and there’s an opportunity to lead a project, that could provide valuable leadership experience.

If you want to move into training, volunteer to help develop or facilitate training.

If you’re interested in communications, perhaps you can contribute to an internal newsletter or communications initiative.

If project management interests you, look for opportunities involving timelines, stakeholders, deliverables and implementation.

If data interests you, volunteer for projects involving reporting, dashboards or analysis.

Think about the résumé bullet before saying yes.

Ask yourself:

Will doing this teach me something, increase my visibility, expand my network or give me experience that qualifies me for something better?

If the answer is no, it might just be more work.

If the answer is yes, it could be a strategic assignment.

There’s a difference.

Cross-Training Can Quietly Expand Your Options

Cross-training is one of the most underrated professional development opportunities inside an organization.

Learning another function can help you understand how departments interact while giving you skills beyond your official job description.

You may discover an entirely different career path without leaving your employer.

Ask whether you can shadow another department.

Participate in temporary assignments.

Learn another system.

Join an interdepartmental project.

Attend optional trainings outside your immediate specialty when permitted.

The woman who understands only her job may be qualified for one position.

The woman who understands operations, reporting, training, customer service, technology and project coordination suddenly has considerably more options.

You’re building range.

Don’t Ignore Free Internal Training Because It Looks “Basic”

Sometimes employees skip internal courses because they don’t seem impressive enough.

Take another look.

Excel.

PowerPoint.

Data visualization.

AI tools.

Public speaking.

Conflict resolution.

Leadership.

Project management.

Business writing.

Presentation skills.

Cybersecurity.

Customer experience.

Supervisory development.

Change management.

Time management.

Process improvement.

Some of these skills are transferable across almost every industry.

And here’s something people sometimes forget:

You don’t have to list every training course on your résumé for the training to be valuable.

The skill itself may improve your performance.

You might learn Excel well enough to automate something you’ve been manually doing for two years.

You might become a stronger presenter.

You might learn how to analyze data.

You might become comfortable using software that appears in job postings.

Professional development doesn’t always need to produce another line under “Certifications.”

Sometimes it produces competence.

And competence travels with you.

Build Your Network Inside Your Organization Too

We hear so much about external networking that internal networking gets overlooked.

The people who work in other departments may know about opportunities before they’re posted.

Attend employee events.

Participate in professional groups.

Introduce yourself to people outside your immediate team.

Join committees that genuinely interest you.

Attend town halls.

Connect with managers whose departments interest you.

Ask thoughtful questions about what their teams do.

Your next opportunity may be 200 miles away.

Or it may be three departments away.

Keep Your Own Career Development File

Your employer keeps records about you.

You should keep records about yourself.

Create a personal career portfolio documenting your accomplishments and professional development.

Track certifications, courses, conferences, presentations, awards, projects, committees, leadership responsibilities, software learned, performance achievements, measurable results, positive feedback and new skills.

Save copies of certificates and relevant documentation where permitted, using your personal storage rather than relying solely on employer systems.

Update your résumé regularly.

Don’t wait until you’re angry at work at 11:47 p.m. applying for jobs to remember everything you’ve accomplished since 2022.

You won’t.

Document it as you go.

Think in Terms of Portable Skills

Your employer owns the equipment.

They own the software licenses.

They own the building.

They may own the work product you create as part of your job.

But the knowledge, experience and professional growth you gain can become part of your career capital.

That distinction matters.

A company may restructure.

Leadership may change.

Your department may be downsized.

A promotion may never materialize.

A manager may leave.

Your personal circumstances may change.

You might simply wake up one morning and realize you’ve outgrown the position.

When that happens, the goal is not to begin preparing.

The goal is to already be prepared.

Stop Waiting Until You Hate Your Job to Prepare to Leave It

Many people begin career development when something goes wrong.

They get passed over for a promotion.

A new manager arrives.

Their workload doubles.

Their department reorganizes.

They experience burnout.

Then suddenly they’re updating a résumé they haven’t touched in six years.

Career preparation works better when you’re not desperate.

Even if you like your job, prepare.

Even if you love your manager, prepare.

Even if your organization seems stable, prepare.

Even if you have no intention of leaving this year, prepare.

Because professional development isn’t necessarily an exit strategy.

It’s an options strategy.

And options give you power.

Make a 12-Month “Level Up” Plan

Instead of vaguely promising yourself that you’re going to “work on your career,” create a concrete professional development plan.

Over the next 12 months, challenge yourself to accomplish a few meaningful goals:

Earn one marketable credential. Choose something connected to where you want to go—not simply what you’re already doing.

Attend at least one professional conference, workshop or networking event. If your employer offers funding, find out how to access it.

Learn one transferable technical skill. Excel, analytics, AI, project management software, design tools, CRM systems, reporting platforms—whatever aligns with your career direction.

Expand your professional network. Connect intentionally with people inside and outside your organization.

Complete one stretch assignment. Choose something that gives you demonstrable experience rather than simply additional busywork.

Research tuition benefits. Even if you aren’t ready to return to school, understand what is available.

Update your résumé and LinkedIn profile. Add your new accomplishments while they’re fresh.

Review job postings quarterly. Not because you’re necessarily leaving, but because the market will tell you which skills are becoming valuable.

At the end of those 12 months, you should be able to look at your professional profile and see a stronger candidate than the woman who started the year.

Your Current Job Can Help Finance Your Next Chapter

Women sometimes feel guilty thinking about their next move while they’re still employed.

Don’t.

Your employer hired you because your work provides value to the organization.

You receive compensation and benefits in exchange for that value.

Professional development benefits are part of that exchange.

Use them.

You don’t have to announce that you’re preparing for bigger opportunities.

You don’t need to know whether your next chapter will happen within your current company or somewhere completely different.

Just keep building.

Learn.

Earn credentials.

Attend the conference.

Ask about tuition reimbursement.

Take the class.

Meet people.

Volunteer strategically.

Cross-train.

Document your accomplishments.

Update your résumé.

Watch the job market.

And while you’re doing all of that, remember something important:

You are not just working your current job. You are building your career.

There is a difference.

A job is the position you’re being paid to perform today.

Your career is the collection of skills, experiences, relationships, credentials and accomplishments that you carry into tomorrow.

So before you spend another year simply clocking in and clocking out, investigate what’s available to you.

There may be opportunities sitting right inside your employee portal that you’ve never explored.

Your next certification might be funded.

Your next professional connection might be waiting at a conference.

Your next degree might be partially paid for.

Your next skill might come from an internal training program.

Your next résumé bullet might come from a project you haven’t volunteered for yet.

And your next job may ultimately become possible because you were smart enough to use the resources available at your current one.

The Career Level-Up Challenge

Before this week ends, log into your employee portal or contact the appropriate HR or learning-and-development resource and find out exactly what professional growth benefits are available to you.

Then choose one.

Not ten. One.

One certification to research.

One course to take.

One conference to attend.

One tuition benefit to investigate.

One internal program to apply for.

One skill to develop.

Start there.

Because leveling up doesn’t always begin with submitting another job application.

Sometimes it begins by looking around your current workplace and asking:

“What resources are already available here that can help prepare me for where I’m going next?”

Then use them.

Your employer may be paying the bill, but the career you’re building belongs to you.

Join the conversation: What professional development opportunities does your employer offer—and are you actually using them? Have a certification, conference, tuition program, mentorship opportunity or internal training course helped you move forward in your career? Share your experience in the comments. Your suggestion might help another woman discover an opportunity she’s been overlooking.