Having faith in the security of your job is getting tougher as news of mass layoffs fills our feeds and, in worst-case scenarios, displaces us or our loved ones from their careers. So far in 2025, we’ve seen mass layoffs announced at Microsoft, Alaska Air, Walmart, NASA — and the list goes on. Even the job sites where we go to get back on our feet after we’re laid off are in peril; both Indeed and Glassdoor are laying off hundreds of employees this summer.
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Few jobs are 100% safe in times of economic turmoil and unthinkable breakthroughs in technology (artificial intelligence is driving some of these layoffs). So, it’s hardly paranoid to be worried about job loss. What can you do to ease your mind? Aside from being financially responsible and having a year’s worth of living expenses parked in a high-yield savings account (HYSA), you need to be proactive about your career. In a recent blog post on her website, financial guru Suze Orman talked about what is needed to make yourself stand out from the crowd.
Get Certified
Orman encouraged anyone who is at all concerned about job security (and honestly, that should be most employees right now) to remain valuable as an employee, and to do so by enrolling in a certificate program.
“Certificates are targeted courses of study that focus on specific skills, in just about every field, from technology and data science to bookkeeping, digital marketing and medical coding,” Orman wrote.
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Certificates Help in 2 Key Ways
Having a certificate benefits you in two ways.
- It can help you get a new job or pull off a pivot in a totally different role/career.
- It can get you a raise at your current job.
So, you don’t need to lose your job for a certificate to matter. Either way, it’s a very valuable asset. And it doesn’t matter how old you are or where you are in your career.
Getting a Certificate Can Be a Flexible, Fairly Quick and Inexpensive Process
Unlike a traditional college degree, you can get a certificate in as little as a few months. And, you can get one online, even while you’re working a full-time job (though nobody is saying that juggling both, along with any family obligations, will be easy).
Certificate programs are usually pretty affordable, at least when compared to the cost of college. “The cost can be $1,000 to $5,000 or more, depending on the certificate,” Orman wrote.
Your Employer May Help Pay For a Certificate
“If your employer offers an education benefit, check with HR to see if it covers certificates, and what specific certificates it will help pay for,” Orman wrote.
Here’s Where To Begin
Curious about embarking on a certificate program. Great! Orman recommended checking out the following places to get started.
- A nearby community college
- An online education site such as Coursera or EdX
A certification might not guarantee job security, but it always helps to be more valuable.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Suze Orman Says If You’re Worried About Job Loss, There’s 1 Smart Thing You Should Do
