When you’re walking through the job market, the best currency to have in your back pocket is skills. Money doesn’t open many doors, connections can only get you so far, and charisma won’t get the job done. No, it’s your abilities and talents that are valuable commodities in this domain.

With this in mind, it makes sense to expand your skillset as much – and as often – as you can. Whether you’re brand new to the workforce, looking to switch career paths, or just wanting to advance in your current role, upskilling can be an excellent path to success. This might mean taking an upskilling course or just self-directing your learning. However you choose to do it, here are five great reasons to invest in developing your skills.

1. Future Proof Your Career

There is only one word that describes the workforce accurately all the time: unpredictable. The truth is, no position, company, or even industry is ever 100% secure. Clever upskilling allows you to accumulate a variety of skills in different areas, which can ease the transition to a new job, a new company, or a new profession altogether.

2. Make Yourself More Valuable

At the end of the day, the best employees are the ones that create value for their companies. Workers who upskill are likely to exhibit stronger problem-solving abilities, a higher level of productivity, and better performance overall. Learning new skills also enables you to be useful to your business in a wide range of ways, making you a great candidate for promotions or switching smoothly to more comprehensive roles in your workplace.

3. Open Yourself to Opportunities

Particularly for those just leaving school or college, finding great opportunities is key to creating a promising career. Unfortunately, these chances rarely jump out at people who aren’t seeking them. Developing your skills in your chosen field is a great way to access mentors and other resources that can help you explore the opportunities that are potentially available to you.

4. Discover New Passions

Sometimes you just don’t realise you like (or love!) something until you give it a go. When you learn new skills and acquire new knowledge, you open yourself to uncovering passions for things you may not have ever expected to be interested in. In this way, upgrading your skills is great for more than career development; it can also help you develop generally as a person.

5. Meet Inspiring People

There are people – lots of people – who will tell you that it’s who you know, not what you know. In reality, it’s a combination of the two. And upskilling can help you with both! By taking educational courses (online or off), you put yourself into situations where you are likely to meet like-minded people who inspire you to progress further and aim higher. These might be mentors or simply co-learners; either way, your list of valuable contacts is sure to grow.