Education is the golden key to success. Technology, products, and services are constantly changing in our industry. How are you ensuring that you are up-to-date with these changes? Whether you are a business owner, a new graduate, or a veteran in the field, continuing education is an important part of staying knowledgeable about what is currently trending. Keeping track of advancements in the industry is extremely important to ensure increased return on your investment. Not to mention, it is important that we meet our continuing education state requirements for our licenses. Not enough skin care professionals engage in continuing education topics that are going to be beneficial long-term for their businesses and careers. Instead, they tend to focus more on basic website training provided by state entities that offer no benefit to increasing revenue for their businesses. When you are looking for topics, follow your passion. Ask yourself where your career is taking you. Have you pivoted and changed from your original field of study and moved into other branches in the industry? Growing and expanding our field of expertise is the natural growth process in the aesthetic industry. What is not natural is when you start to acquire new treatments and services without the proper education and training to provide safe, effective, and goal-oriented treatments. It is imperative for your continuing education and to assist in your growth process, to truly understand the new skills that are available to learn and not only what we were originally taught. I find too often, for those of us that have been in the industry for over a decade, that we are beginning to rely on our past. There are so many new techniques, treatments, and providers that have transformed our industry into such a broad scope. With our aesthetic spectrum growing so quickly, it is time to get creative with your continuing education: broaden your service scope, increase your menu list, and get your staff members certified for new treatments. Take the initiative to increase revenue in your practice. We not only look at gaining education as a have-to for legal purposes, but as a necessity for business growth. Our clients demand that we stay in-the-know and abreast knowledge for even the services we may not provide. By choosing the proper continuing education, you may gain the skills and tools to overcome the objections that clients present. Be sure to always keep up with your continuing education by reading DERMACOPE's monthly issue, and do not forget to register to for your AIA classes. I hope that you all have a great month and I look forward to meeting you at International Congress of Esthetics and Spa in Long Beach this September. Stay knowledgeable, my friends! Michelle R. De LeonAIA Ambassador Want to read more? Subscribe to one of our monthly plans to continue reading this article.