Invest In Yourself

Evolving industry trends, career engagement, enhanced efficiency and productivity, mastery of in-demand and leadership skills—all reasons why taking a single course or a full certificate to upskill or reskill is a worthwhile investment in your career.

Per a post on SkillsWave, $5,000 is “the average amount more that certificate holders earn per year compared to those without, according to the Association for Talent Development.” And when you invest in your professional development to enhance your career path, that can lead to a 140-percent jump, “the relative increase in salary received by those who return to higher education compared to those who don’t return, according to Lightcast.”

Not to mention, “80 percent of employers surveyed said they had a hard time filling open positions because of skills gaps. That’s according to Monster.”

You might be thinking: How do I know if my employer even offers professional development as a benefit?

Professional development—such as offering external education and training benefits—is something that many organizations will sponsor in order to retain great talent. In some cases, your courses could be fully or partially reimbursed.

But before you approach your manager or the company’s human resources department to discuss funding your career ambitions, dig into the company’s policies. Does your organization value continued or professional education? Have other colleagues pursued advanced education with the full support—financial or otherwise—of their managers? You’ll want to know what types of education-funding programs they offer, including the types of reimbursement plans.

To help ensure your proposal is a success whether in or out of a challenging economic climate, be prepared to present the return on investment (ROI) and business value you will bring to your work because of what you learned. For guidance, consider these five compelling ways to show why the organization should invest in you and your professional development.
 

1. Directly align your goals with business priorities.

Don't focus everything on what you will personally learn; focus on what problem you will solve or the opportunity you will seize for the organization.

Does completing courses or a program allow your company to reduce costs, drive critical revenue or increase efficiency? Outline what skills you’ll be learning over the duration of a certificate and how you’ll transfer them to your job. Is it the timeline or timeframe of your proposed education that is a cause of concern for your employer? Try offering these solutions that might minimize the time or cost impact of your development:

• Propose less-expensive or less time-intensive options that show flexibility regarding your work schedule.
• Research options that compare an online course or program versus an in-person conference.
• State how you'll manage your workload during your professional development, including how to minimize time away from your desk or your willingness to cover a percentage of the cost to demonstrate your personal investment in your career.

“Whether it was rethinking production planning, evaluating margins more rigorously or approaching leadership conversations with more structure, the coursework consistently translated into real decisions I was making at work.”
—Adam Abughosh, Certificate Program in Business Administration graduate

Share the course descriptions from our website for each class you want to take. Highlight or otherwise showcase how certain topics and/or skills are directly applicable to your current work or that promotion you have your eye on. Showing your manager examples of the skills you’ll be learning is akin to presenting the “cold hard facts.”

2. Quantify the return on investment (ROI) you will bring.

The single most powerful argument is a clear, quantifiable financial benefit that outweighs the cost of the training, shifting professional development from a cost to a strategic capital investment.

“I started an online campaign program for my current nonprofit, which by its third year had annually raised more than half-a-million dollars for the organization. It now equals or surpasses our direct-mail program. I use my marketing certificate daily in figuring out what makes a donor passionate about our cause and how we can partner together to support our community.”
—Alexis Barbalace, Certificate Program in Marketing graduate

Recruiting, hiring, onboarding and training new employees can be costly and outweigh the cost of the education itself. A recent Gallup poll (updated February 16, 2026) suggests that “half of U.S. employees (51%) are watching or actively seeking a new job, and that the replacement of leaders and managers costs around 200% of their salary, the replacement of professionals in technical roles is 80% of their salary and frontline employees 40% of their salary.” That can add up to be a lot of money.
 

 Investing in quality workers who can and want to learn new skills for a job they already have is cost-effective, especially in the long term for employers. 

By offering career-enhancement assistance, employers make their employees feel valued and invested in, which increases their job satisfaction and loyalty. Studies show that they are more likely to stay with an employer that provides professional development, leading to reduced turnover cost for the company.

Be prepared to stay at that company for a while after you complete your studies. Most companies require that an employee stay with the organization for a set period of time after the education has been completed. Why would a company pay for you to receive additional education if you’re going to employ those new skills at a different organization? So think about how long you want to stay with your present employer before going down this road.

3. Showcase that value to the organization.

Completing a course or a certificate will benefit you and, in turn, the company. Because of your new studies, you’ll be able to show:

• Increased loyalty to the company, which reduces employee churn.
• Increased productivity and the ability to successfully tackle projects you wouldn’t have been able to do before because you’ll have learned the latest skills. New projects = additional revenue.
• Development of leadership skills.
• Ability to mentor new employees.

As is the case with Yvette Vranik. Rather than pivoting careers entirely, she saw the Professional Program in Data Analysis as a way to refresh and formalize her data expertise and a powerful signal of her commitment to continuous professional development.

“Being able to take UC Berkeley Extension classes as part of my benefits has been a wonderful opportunity to enhance my professional skills,” Yvette says.

Certificate Program in Marketing graduate Erick Portillo agrees. “Career pivots are normal. I began in content creation and eventually moved into a role where I oversee web development, automation and data analytics—and I’m happier than ever,” he says. “If you're on the fence, take that first step. You might be inches away from the career that gives you fulfillment and stability.”
Highlight that investing in your—as well as that of your colleagues—career retains high-performing talent and it is beneficial to upskill existing staff for work they want to learn to do and the organization needs done.

4. Remember that your knowledge can be passed along.

One way to frame an educational or a professional development benefit to HR is that you can "pay it forward." Offer to share your new knowledge via a post-training brown-bag session, in a training manual or by mentoring junior colleagues.

For example, in the years leading up to being in full-time management, Certificate Program in Business Administration graduate Mark Freeman knew he needed to learn to think more strategically in order to succeed in his business-side career goals. The supervisor who hired him for leadership and who had completed his M.B.A. at UC Berkeley suggested Mark take some business classes and highly recommended our certificate program.

If you are the employer or head of an organization, another way to invest in your workers is to collaborate on a plan for career development and advancement to show your employees they have a bright future to work toward. “Clearly outlining an individual development plan increases employee engagement and addresses one of the main reasons employees leave. This type of plan also directly affects compensation, as the largest pay raises often result from job promotions,” according to the Gallup poll findings.

Employers want to close critical skill gaps accelerated by industry trends, and workers gain proficiency in in-demand skills—whether it's levelling up analytics to data science, using AI for a business edge or encouraging innovative leadership competencies—that they can immediately apply to their jobs, leading to fewer errors, higher-quality work and greater job satisfaction. Those things translate to improved key performance indicators (KPIs) such as customer satisfaction or sales figures and affect your bottom line and company success.

With educational benefits being a differentiator in a total compensation package, companies known for investing in their people's growth attract candidates, particularly those who may prioritize continuous learning. 

This also helps create an internal talent succession plan for when you do decide it is time to move on. Current employees mentoring other high-potential candidates for future management and leadership roles becomes a ready source of those who already understand the company culture and operations. Win-win.

5. But if you still hear “No,” be prepared to negotiate.

You may not get a “yes” right out of the gate—no matter how much information you’ve provided. For example, the company may not be in a financial state to offer assistance for an organizationwide professional development program. If that’s the case, perhaps your employer would pay for your studies in lieu of another benefit, such as a raise.

Ask your boss the reasons why the company is unable to fund your studies so you can realign your request around those concerns. Use your annual performance review to reiterate the need for additional education to better perform your work. And then use those moments to ask again!