A client recently scheduled a session to strategize on how they can develop their skills at work.

At the beginning of the conversation, they were thinking small—constrained by working within the limited funds available for professional development at their organization.

Unfortunately, a lot of organizations offer limited (if any) financial support for professional development. But don't let that be the deciding factor on how or if you grow.

There are more resources and opportunities for professional development than ever before.

Get in the driver's seat of your own professional growth by exploring these creative ways to develop your skills (many of which cost $0)…

When I was in my early twenties, I watched a lot of my peers go to graduate school.

It mystified me because I always believed that investing time and money in an advanced degree meant knowing for sure that this right here is my specific thing, having a clear sense of direction.

I sure didn’t have that. And I didn’t know how others my age did.

More often than not, I suspected that my friends went to grad school not out of clarity of purpose but rather out of fear.

Education can enrich us—it can be a catalyst that propels us.

But it can also hold us back—it can be a place to retreat to out of fear.

Here are five types of fear that drive us to learn…