If the boss is discerning, he will know who really created value for his enterprise throughout the year.

Retraining is a good idea though especially in slower times. A new skill can open up job opportunities, even though it may not come in handy in the current job.

Jeflin

The biggest one that came to mind is when my father earned a M.S. in Software Engineering. He was around 50, had been working in software since the late 60s/early 70s (or whatever the equivalent was back then). He did the degree over a number of years and it made him much more marketable when his company did massive layoffs a few years later. As someone in his early 50s, he was worried people would see him as past-prime. But he had a fresh degree, which looked good combined with years of experience with a number of different languages and whatnot.

He still reads up on new programming languages and technologies, which I think continues to make him marketable.

I’d say that for someone in software, learning a new programming language might at least make them more attractive if they have to leave.

For other areas, it’s a little less clear. A cataloging course might make me more attractive at work. For Micah, studying up on a new philosopher would mean he could start teaching the philosopher’s work.

If a salesperson was worried about improving their sales, a course and new approach might help.

But for some jobs, I don’t see a clear course topic that would make them immediately more desirable.