Are you currently trying to carve out your career goals for 2024? 

With the end of the year nearly upon us, now is a great time to look ahead at what you want to achieve in the next 12 months – whether that’s pivoting roles, returning to work after a career break or even laying the groundwork to launch your own business.

As part of The Big Upskill – a campaign we launched with Google to equip more women with the skills needed to develop within high-growth sectors – we spoke to three women about their professional growth and how a Google Career Certificate is helping them recognise their potential now and in the future.

Here’s what they said…

Ceylan Kumbarji, 30, is a freelance social strategist and consultant. She also founded the self-care and lifestyle platform Taylor Magazine in 2015, and has recently founded Shared as a next step and evolution of this. Having recently returned from maternity leave, Kumbarji is now studying for a Google Career Certificate in Project Management to help structure her time more effectively and achieve her long-term career goals

“Since becoming a mother, achieving a good work/life balance has become my main focus,” says Kumbarji when asked about what’s important to her professionally. 

“In my first year of fully committing to freelance work, before I had my daughter, I was working 12-14 hours a day most days, including weekends. I became obsessed with work, to the stage where I’d become completely burnt out.” 

With a new business venture in the pipeline outside of her usual freelance contracts, Kumbarji realised that a new set of skills would be essential when helping her manage her workload now that she’s ready to re-enter the workforce. 

“I will be actively seeking projects that still allow me to be the best mum I can be. The thought of working until 1am or having work calls on a Sunday morning feels horrid, so I’m definitely re-evaluating my whole way of working so I can carve out a freelance business that works better for me,” she says.

Enroling on a Google Career Certificate in Project Management was the first step on this journey.

“Being organised has been so vital to my work, but project management would hugely elevate that. To be able to clearly map out projects, adapt, stay on top of various work streams and use tools/templates more effectively sounds like the perfect way to use my working hours in the best way I can,” she says.

Plus, the flexible nature of the Google Career Certificate has allowed Kumbarji to learn these new skills in a way that suits her schedule. 

“This course has been great because I can complete the modules in and around looking after my daughter,” she says. “It’s already helping me to prepare for the future by simply equipping me with the right tools to manage my time more effectively.”

Eileen Venner, 65, dreams of making her textiles brand Whiskey & Venner into a household name. After a career spent in education, Venner relocated to Bristol and now works as a part-time gallery assistant. With plans to relaunch Whiskey & Venner in 2024, she’s enrolled on a Google Career Certificate in Digital Marketing and E-commerce to help make the business a success

“Whiskey & Venner is a venture that’s been bubbling away for a long time now,” says Venner when asked about why she founded her small business. 

“I’ve always loved the vibrancy and heritage of African prints, so started making things like bags and homewares and selling them on Etsy,” she told us. “But I realise now that wasn’t the right time for me to launch a business. Juggling a full-time job with sewing, designing and childcare while selling my designs at markets on the weekends just wasn’t sustainable.”

Since taking a step back from full-time employment, Venner wants to relaunch her brand with the right skills to help make it successful. That’s why she’s studying for a Google Career Certificate in Digital Marketing and E-commerce.

“The certificate is already giving me the confidence and skills to engage with current digital marketing platforms,” says Venner. “It’s also assisting me in building my own online store, in order to promote and market my business more effectively.”

In terms of the future, 2024 is looking bright. According to Venner, she’s now hopeful that she’ll be able to put into practice everything she’s learned from the course and see positive results.

“I knew that I needed to upskill in order to move forward. This course has given me so much more confidence in how I approach everything to do with the business, from branding to social media platforms. I’m excited to see what happens next.”

Laurabeth Evans, 30, spends her nine to five as a marketing executive, specialising in online advertising. Outside of work, she dedicates her time to building the podcast she launched during lockdown, How To, on which she interviews female entrepreneurs. Having worked in marketing since 2018, Evans is keen to pivot careers and develop her skill set. She’s hoping a Google Career Certificate in UX Design will help her do just that

“As women, so much of our career success is determined by whether or not we feel confident in our chosen field,” says Evans when chatting about her career goals.

“This is something I’ve learned both in my current role, and from speaking to the guests on my podcast. And in order to feel confident about pivoting careers, I will need to equip myself with the necessary tools to make it happen.”

Not one to rest on her laurels, Evans is also keen to nurture female entrepreneurship in her rural Welsh community. She dreams of creating opportunities, such as networking events, in order to bring together and celebrate these voices. 

In the short term though, Evans wants the Google Career Certificate in UX Design to help her understand more about the user journey, so she can implement this in her daily job.

“So much of what I do is focused on understanding business requirements and user feedback,” she says. “I’m confident that this course will allow me to work with clients to help them understand how their audience interacts with their products, while also adapting to the changing marketing climate. 

“I’m looking to give myself that edge over others as there are so many wonderfully creative people out there in the same industry as myself wanting the same jobs as me,” she continues. “Every new skill I have learned has presented new opportunities. I’m hoping that through upskilling, a new door could open.” 

Offering flexible online training programmes to help more women learn job-ready skills in high-growth, high-demand careers, Google Career Certificates are ideal for those looking to upskill in their own time. Available via Coursera, as well as via free scholarships through selected partners, simply click here to find the right Google Career Certificate for you.