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Advice / Career Paths / Training & Development

How to Find Great Professional Development Classes (for Less!)

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Note: This article’s a Muse original. That’s a nice way of saying that it might be a little bit out-of-date. However, we do have more recent articles on taking classes right here and here. Oh! We also offer courses! If you still don’t see what you’re looking for, send us a note and we’ll do our best to help you out.



If you’re anything like us, your inbox and work mailbox is blowing up with invites to professional development seminars, classes, and educational events. It’s conference season, and it seems like every industry organization out there is holding something.

But how do you know which ones will be worth your time and money? Will you sit through 12 hours of panels or lectures hearing about stuff you already know, or will you actually gain some tangible skills to take back to the office?

Well, toss out those mailers and hop over to MasterStreet, our favorite place to search for professional development classes and conferences. The site lets you easily sort through more than 15,000 business, tech, and design courses and educational events to find one that fits your schedule, budget, and learning style.

In fact, you might want to find more than one: With MasterStreet’s new Master Pass, you can earn 25% cash back on any class, conference, or professional event (including trade shows, hackathons, and seminars). It’s just $9 a month, which can pay for itself after just two events. Plus, as a Muse reader, you’ll get $25 off your first class or conference with code THEMUSE25.

So, whether you’ve been wanting to try your hand at design (and maybe pick up a few freelance clients), boost your public speaking skills (and land that promotion), or finally master Excel (to make your work life way, way easier), there’s no better time than now to focus on professional development.