If you’ve been looking for ways to become a better professional, chances are you’ve been searching for a method of career improvement that you can do comfortably from home. After all, many people simply don’t have the extra time or resources to devote to offline efforts while also fulfilling their existing obligations. Online career advancement opportunities allow you to squeeze progress into your schedule regardless of how busy you might be. With that said, here are four ways you can drive your career forward from anywhere there’s an internet connection:

1. Completing an Online Degree Program

There are literally thousands of online degree programs to choose from and most of them will equip you with a shiny credential to add to your resume upon graduation. Furthermore, some of the programs can be completed ins little as 6 months to two years, so it’s possible to obtain an additional degree in the same amount of time it would take to earn certain certifications offline. Furthermore, many accredited and reputable online universities provide web-based degree programs, such as the NEC online degrees that are available.

2. Taking an Online Training Course

If signing up for a degree program still seems like too much of a commitment, you could enroll for a few short courses instead and have something impressive to add to your resume within a few weeks to a few months. There are plenty of sites that offer entire databases of courses that you can use to expand your knowledge and expertise in literally every field. Plus, many times prospective employers or clients will view certification as having almost as much weight as an actual degree.

3. Starting a Freelance Business

If you don’t feel like you need to add any training or credentials to your list of achievements, you might just want to use the internet to find new customers or clients. If you’re already offering products or services offline, expanding into an online freelance business is a great way to increase revenue and reap the most benefit out of your skillset. Fortunately, almost every professional can boost their income by offering up freelance services on the side.

4. Promotional and Collaborative Efforts

Finally, one of the best ways to use the web to your advantage is to leverage advertising platforms, forums, and freelancing sites to launch promotional campaigns and collaborative projects. This would include starting a YouTube channel, using Google AdWords to create sponsored search results, and putting out project listings to find ideal partners and employees to help with projects.

Improving Personal Brand Image

Finally, once you’ve taken care of all of the above, you can still advance your career even further by using the web to enhance the way you’re perceived by the general public. This is a particularly important step to take if you have any pre-existing issues such as instances of slander or negative reviews already online. In fact, repairing such internet reputation problems should be one of the first steps you take in sending your career in the right direction.