11 minute read
Learning Educational Opportunities Increase Employability
Educational Opportunities Increase Employability
Mahatma Gandhi and Henry Ford didn’t have much in common, but they both knew the value of being a lifelong learner. When you gain knowledge or experience, you become more productive. Greater productivity not only means a greater level of efficiency, you also become more valuable to not only your employer, but every other employer as well. BY KRIS HAUGE
Advertisement
AVAILABILITY
The knowledge within every industry doubles approximately every two or three years; however, with technology, the timeframe is much shorter. So if you aren’t keeping up, you’re becoming obsolete. Scary, right? The good news is the availability of learning opportunities online, in the classroom and from local experts is growing just as fast – especially in the Fargo-Moorhead area.
From formal educational opportunities to informal meetups and interest groups, you’re sure to find like-minded individuals in the community. The many startups and entrepreneurs combined with multiple colleges and universities ensures a diversity of interests as well as a depth of interaction and knowledge to be gained.
The economic advantages of improving your mind are reason enough to pursue additional education, but the benefits to your overall health have also been widely documented. According to John Coleman in his article “Lifelong Learning is Good for Your Health, Your Wallet and Your Social Life” in Harvard Business Review, lifelong learners increase earnings, reduce their stress levels, neutralize cognitive decline, improve memory function and expand social engagement.
Live in a Valley Rental Community.
Calico
4422-4450 30th Ave S Fargo Central Park 5101-5351 Amber Valley Pkwy S Fargo Country Meadows 5001-5055 Amber Valley Pkwy S Fargo Hidden Pointe 4045-4095 34th Ave S Fargo Summers at Osgood 4452-4550 47th St S Fargo Urban Meadows 4610-4670 33rd Ave S Fargo Maple Point 1121-1515 14th Ave E & 1401 12th St E West Fargo
Wheatland Place
3302-3342 31st Ave SW 3501-3531 30th Ave SW 3063 34th St SW Fargo Westlake Townhomes 3120-3170 32nd St SW Fargo Wheatland Townhomes 3301-3337 31st Ave SW 3040-3078 34th St SW 3502-3534 30th Ave SW 3010-3020 36th St SW Fargo Cooperative Living Center (55+ Community) 1321 14th Ave E West Fargo
Conveniently located near new Sanford hospital.
*Pets welcome in select buildings.
“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. ” -Henry Ford
That’s great! But where do you start in the today’s vast educational market? Here are some ways to find what you need most regarding professional and personal development.
PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
• Get honest feedback from your manager and co-workers for improvement areas. • Discuss opportunities with teammates. • Review classes and speakers at local colleges. • Research professional organizations for leadership and business training offerings.
PERSONAL GROWTH
• Ask friends and family for ideas and feedback. • Find opportunities that fit existing hobbies. • Explore a new hobby or interest. • Review local meetups, book clubs, hobby groups and outings.
Remember that the most important thing about choosing an educational opportunity is to find something that interests you – even if it’s outside your industry or personal comfort level. This will not only keep you engaged, but ensures you will gain the most benefit.
GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES
Fargo-Moorhead is a community dedicated to formal education with a multitude of universities and colleges; however, there are many less formal opportunities to expand your mind as well. So expand your horizons and potentially gain some profits in addition to emotional and social benefits at the same time.
FORMAL
• North Dakota State University
• Minnesota State University Moorhead
• Concordia College
• University of Mary
• University of Jamestown
• North Dakota State College of Science
• Rasmussen College
SEMI-FORMAL
• Dale Carnegie Training of North Dakota
• TEDxFargo
• Fargo Flight School
• United Way of Cass Clay 35 Under 35 Women’s Leadership
• FMWF Chamber of Commerce Business Training
• FM Chamber Leadership
Program • Moorhead Community
Education
INFORMAL
• GroupThink
• FMWF Chamber of Commerce Women Connect
• FMWF Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Network
• Girl Develop It
• Nerd Nite
• Fargo 3D Printing Meetup • Fargo-Moorhead Content
Strategy Meetup
The United Way’s 35 Under 35 Women’s Leadership Program offers 35 women professional and personal development opportunities. David Samson / The Forum
Sandi Piatz
Site Leader, Microsoft
Residing along Interstate 29 on the south side of Fargo is Microsoft’s second largest field campus. To some this comes as a surprise, but not to those who know the technology hub the Fargo-Moorhead region has become. Microsoft’s roots in the area date back to 1983 when North Dakota native and current North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum invested in a small company called Great Plains Software. He later became CEO and grew the company to 2,000 employees globally. Great Plains Software went public in 1997 and was then sold to Microsoft for $1.1 billion in 2001. This gave Microsoft its first office in Fargo. Today, Microsoft’s campus in Fargo is one of the top 15 employers in the region with about 1,700 team members.
Microsoft is just one of many software technology firms that has made its home in Fargo-Moorhead. The access to talent from major universities, support from the Greater Fargo-Moorhead Economic Development Corporation and the state, as well as the local entrepreneurial spirit has fostered an incubator for technology companies in the region that offer career opportunities, innovation and collaboration.
There is an ethos of gratitude, customer service, hard work ethic, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit in the Fargo-Moorhead area talent. Add in the great partnerships with the many universities in the region, and you find the quality of talent and strong collaboration that has allowed the technology industry and companies like Microsoft to prosper. Even with the low unemployment rate in FargoMoorhead, Microsoft continues to find and recruit strong talent.
Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. It is with great talent that we can achieve this mission. On the Fargo campus, Microsoft has experts in a variety of areas such as customer service and support, software engineering, sales, marketing and accounting resources. We are a global company, united by a single mission of working together to bring the best of Microsoft to our customers, which is made possible in part by our dedicated Fargo-based team.
At Microsoft, we value diverse differences and career growth opportunities. We believe career and professional development is a partnership between our team members and managers, which is reinforced by many different resources. Through career development plans, continuous career connects, coaching, training, tuition reimbursement programs, leadership development opportunities and many other means, our team members are empowered to grow their careers and professional development at Microsoft. While living in Fargo and working for Microsoft, your career will never stand still.
Great talent is essential to fueling innovation. It drives curiosity, challenges us to look at problems from another perspective, ask questions and think differently. Great talent has helped Microsoft innovate while also fueling entrepreneurism in the Fargo-Moorhead area.
The F-M area has seen new technology innovation in unmanned aerial space, software development startups, incubation centers, meet-ups, technology consulting firms and Software as a Service (SaaS) technology companies, which all continue to grow and prosper. Conferences and educational events continue to support innovation and the industry with the State of Technology, Drone Focus, TedXFargo and One Million Cups.
These events and community collaboration create partnerships that Microsoft believes are essential to driving change in the world. Microsoft’s Employee Giving Program also provides a way for our corporation to partner with and support local and national nonprofits performing invaluable work to support our community every day. By matching every employee’s monetary gift up to a set amount and their volunteer hours of service toward approved 501c3 organizations, Microsoft’s Employee Giving Program supports those nonprofits and the passions and interests of our employees. Microsoft has specifically partnered with many nonprofits and local community groups to support STEM events in the community to continue expanding this education for youth including Junior Achievement, Educators in Industry, many robotics clubs and MarketPlace for Kids. Microsoft also provides a technology camp for young women called DigiGirlz as well as TEALs - a partnership to provide Computer Science advanced placement courses in high schools.
Microsoft is just one of many organizations in the Fargo-Moorhead area investing in STEM education and give-back programs. In fact, the F-M community has a strong reputation for supporting its nonprofits and building a solid foundation for STEM education within our school systems. As Great Plains Software was a strong community collaborator, Microsoft has continued to stand true to this heritage as we continue to invest and grow in the Fargo campus. Microsoft, along with many other organizations, believes in building the foundation for our future in this area.
Betcha didn’t know Fargo-Moorhead is... Part of the Silicon Prairie with a variety of local, hi-tech startups.
The Greater Fargo/Moorhead Economic Development Corporation and The Forum would like to thank the following advertisers that helped bring you
American Crystal Sugar ...............................................................78 BCBSND ...............................................................................................53 Bell Bank ..............................................................................................13 Bobcat Company .............................................................................19 Border States Electric Supply ....................................................55 Border Trucking, LLC. ....................................................................31 Boulger Funeral Home ..................................................................53 Cargill, Inc. .........................................................................................30 Cass County Electric Cooperative ...........................................41 CHI Riverview ...................................................................................30 City of Fargo .....................................................................................69 City of West Fargo .........................................................................67 Comstock Land Company ..........................................................30 Concordia College ..........................................................................95 Eide Bailey .............................................................................................7 EPIC Management ...........................................................................21 Essentia Health .................................................................................15 Ethos Home Care ............................................................................51 Eventide ..............................................................................................97 Fargo Jet Center .............................................................................34 Fargo Metro Area Transit ............................................................28 Fargo Public Schools .....................................................................49 Forum Communications Printing............................................69 First International Bank & Trust ..................................................6 Fargo-Moorhead Convention & Visitors Bureau .............43 Gate City Bank ..................................................................................59 Greater Fargo-Moorhead EDC ..................................................99 Hannaher’s .........................................................................................49 Hanson Runsvold Funeral Home ..............................................57 Hector International Airport .....................................................45 Home Builders Association of Fargo-Moorhead ................9 Jim Carlisto, RE/MAX Alliance Group ....................................28 John Deere Electronic Solutions..............................................77 Johnson Auction and Realty ......................................................66 Kennelly Business Law ...................................................................81 Korsmo Funeral Service ...............................................................81 Luther Family Buick GMC ..............................................................3 MDU Resources Group .................................................................25 Microsoft Corporation .................................................................79 Minnkota Power Cooperative, Inc. ..........................................37 Moore Engineering, Inc. ..................................................................5 Moorhead Public Schools ........................................................... 85 MSUM ....................................................................................................11 NDSCS ....................................................................................................2 NDSU ....................................................................................................39 Noridian Health Services ............................................................ 85 Oak Grove Lutheran School ......................................................20 Property Resources Group ........................................................87 Sanford Health ...............................................................................100 Spicy Pie ...............................................................................................61 The Clinic Family Health & Sports Chiropractic ..............45 Thrifty White Pharmacy ...............................................................17 Tuff y Auto Service Centers ........................................................93 United Savings Credit Union ......................................................75 United Way of Cass Clay ..............................................................17 Valley Rental Service .....................................................................92 West Fargo Public Schools.........................................................30 West Fargo VFW ..............................................................................73 Wright Funeral Home ...................................................................87
INDEX
