Thrift has its limits. It can help you have a richer, less-stressful life by making your money go further, but you still have to have enough money to pay your rent and buy your groceries. If you income isn’t going far enough, you may need to look for ways to make more money.
Investments in human capital pay off big. And here’s the best part: you can find a lot of educational resources for free, online. These can improve your skills to better position your for a promotion or a new job.
Language skills: Many employers want people who have foreign language skills. LiveMocha offers free language programs to get you started. The BBC has language-learning resources and newscasts in 27 different tongues. And, thanks to YouTube, you can listen to native speakers no matter where you are.
Math: I’ll spare you my soapbox about math education in America, but for all sorts of reasons, many people do not feel comfortable learning math. That’s terrible, and one way to remedy it is to check out the videos at Khan Academy. The different presentations can help you master topics that may have been elusive, improving your performance on the job.
College courses: If you want to go beyond brushing up skills, consider the many free courses available through Coursera. You can take actual college level courses as taught at many of the world’s top universities. Even if you don’t want credit, completing a course may help you understand finance better, master computer programming, or learn more about the culture of your customer base. That can come in handy at work; if you are unemployed, it is a signal to a prospective employer that you did something to improve your skills while you were off work.
Writing: Writing comes easily to me, but not to everyone. Purdue University’s online writing lab has some great resources and exercises to help you write better.
March 8 – March 13 is Women’s Money Week 2013, and every day, a bunch of bloggers – including me – are writing about different issues affecting women and their money. I’m cross-posting this on Chicago on the Cheap as well.
