That’s the name of the certificate that I just achieved at Colorado Free University. To get it, I had to take at least 11 classes that related to either online marketing or social media. Often they covered both topics, as they are very interrelated.

The classes ranged from 2-4 hours in length, and I took a total of 30 hours of classes over a four-month period.

I figured out today that if I added in my driving time, that I just invested the equivalent of a 40-hour work week in developing myself professionally.

There are many ways that we can enhance our knowledge, expand our skill set, and develop our capacity to be of service to others. For me, classes are a great tool for all three, as I am so energized by both the instructor and my fellow classmates.

For example, in today’s class, Digital Marketing Strategy, we applied the concepts we had learned earlier about online marketing. We spent time identifying some of our business goals over the next year. Then we came up with marketing campaigns to help achieve those goals.

From there, we developed specific strategies and tactics for a particular campaign. Then we shared those ideas. The instructor and the other class members chimed in with feedback about the potential viability of those ideas.

The four hours of the class literally flew by, and each of us walked away with more tools in our marketing arsenal. I am very grateful to Jen Hilburn, class instructor, who is truly gifted in all matters related to marketing, especially digital marketing.

This seems like a good time to give a shout out to my awesome instructors, so here they are in alphabetical order, along with a link to their LinkedIn profiles:

Lindsey Day, Career Development Strategist, www.linkedin.com/in/lindseyannday

Liz Hamilton, Web Developer, www.linkedin.com/in/lizhamilton

Jen Hilburn, Digital Marketing Strategist and Trainer, www.linkedin.com/in/jenhilburn

Nazli Nomanbhoy, Web Designer, Trainer and Social Media Specialist, www.linkedin.com/pub/nazli-nomanbhoy/1/253/5a

Finally, special thanks to Helen Hand, President of Colorado Free University, for her dedication to making this lifelong learning center such an inviting and supportive place.

For more information on Colorado Free University, go to www.freeu.com

What kinds of strategies have you used to develop yourself professionally? Do you find classroom instruction to be helpful? Or maybe you prefer webinars. Maybe you like to read books or subscribe to blogs of thought leaders in your industry.

I always like to hear what works for you.

Joyce Feustel, Founder of Boomers’ Social Media Tutor, helps people relatively new to social media to become more effective and comfortable in their use of this medium. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com