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July 12, 2011
Learning and Leading
 It’s no secret – today’s tight job market has us riddled with fear. Many are afraid to ask the boss for an extended lunch, let alone funding for educational and career advancement!
Yet, according to former Director for Babson College’s Center for Women’s Leadership Jan Shubert, employers may be more willing than we think to foot the bill for that conference (like PINK events!) or master’s degree – and women especially are benefitting.
What’s the first step to getting them to pick up the tab?
“You have to ask,” says Shubert. If dough is low in your company’s piggy bank, there still may be advancement opportunities. “When there was more in the budget available, HR advertised opportunities to employees. Now,
they tend to wait for employees to come to them.”
Shubert says ditching fear and making employers see that investing in you is good for them can help your case.
“They want to know if you getting that degree or going to that conference is going to be of value to them. Explain[ing] how it will be of further benefit to the company,” will show that the opportunity is win-win.
Find College Cards lists companies that will pay for you to go back to school – from Disney and Google to Ernst & Young.
In the end, whether your boss yays or nays your request, Shubert says having asked sends an important message. It shows “you take yourself seriously as a professional, that you’re a learner and open to new ways of growing.”
Bonus PINK Link: Now that you can score employer-funded advancement, here’s how to land a company-paid vacation.
By Holly Clay
"Anything I've done that ultimately was
worthwhile initially scared me to death." Betty Bender
 
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