Being an Ambassador for Projectmanagement.com and TheDigitalProjectManager, I’m often asked how people can develop their Project Management Skills when they may have a very limited budget /allowance from their organisation or are trying to fund their own development.

I wanted to spend some time during today’s Blog to discuss what you can do if you find yourself in this position and what you might need to consider for your longer term development.

1) Use your money wisely

If you have a limited allowance, then you need to look at where you’re spending the funds you do have. An example being: PMI Membership. With Membership, you’re given access to literally thousands of webinars, online conferences and opportunities to practice your skills. There is a massive volunteer opportunity with chapters where you can use your time to develop the skills that you need under guidance from more experienced Project Managers.

When I was in this position, I used professional memberships as an opportunity to increase my knowledge, skillset and networking within a very short period of time.

2) Utilise your network

There are some great opportunities that can exist within your network of colleagues and peers. This can give you some great opportunities to learn from others. You can also utilise this network to gain opportunities about new jobs as well as potential learning opportunities (e.g. coaching).

3) Hunt for new opportunities

Google for free webinars to learn skills, use libraries for borrowing text books, or simply blogs and websites for knowledge and information. I have learned so much from these that it’s really been a massive source of inspiration, knowledge and information.

Pluralsight often has “free” weekends where you can access their content for free for a short period of time. This can be a great way to do intensive learning.

If you are struggling to think of ways to increase your skillset, it’s time to start thinking out of the box. Look at what you’re trying to learn, how you can get that knowledge and what’s important for you to learn.

Share in the comments below, how you can learn with limited funds.