In today’s ultra-competitive workforce, you don’t have any friends. Really – even those in your office who you think are your friends aren’t. Friendships in the work place are a nice idea, but when it comes to hanging on to your job, any co-worker, no matter how close you think you are to him or her, will throw you under the bus in order to get ahead or hang on to their job.

As cutthroat as this sounds, there are ways to protect yourself from the wilds of the office jungles, keep your sanity and advance in your position. You can still socialize with your co-workers – go out for drinks or lunch; heck, you can even get them to baby sit your kids. But never, ever take for granted that when it gets down to it, said co-worker would snap up your job in a heartbeat if the opportunity presented itself.

The way to get ahead is not to quit and go back to school full-time to get that MBA or even a bachelor’s degree. Yes, education is a lifelong process, but the key to making sure you have the qualifications necessary to success isn’t heading back to the classroom. You can obtain the necessary skills via online training, without having to sacrifice your position or even inconvenience yourself.

According to industry experts, the way to make yourself a more valuable asset to your organization is to acquire 5 Crucial Skills necessary for success. Those skills are:

• Applied Math and Statistics: knowing your numbers and how to interpret them
• Negotiation Skills: Above all else, you need to play well in the sandbox with others
• Self Expression: Computers can’t do the work for you
• Being an Effective Problem Solver: Within the problem lies the solution. Those who find solutions are noticed.
• Sell Yourself: You are your own best salesperson

In addition to these skills, let’s not forget that keeping up with technology is vitally important to keeping your head above water in today’s work place. Don’t take for granted what you know because technology advances in a heartbeat. There is always some new program that makes the machines more and more indispensable, and the more you know, the less likely you are to be replaced by one.  Computers are a blessing and a curse; they make your job easier, but the day one becomes capable of doing your job, you’re in trouble. Keep The Terminator in mind; once those puppies become aware, they will attack. No doubt about it.

So, what can you do to stave off the machines and your opportunistic co-workers? Acquire knowledge. It’s as simple as that. Make a list of the skills you need to learn or improve upon. Seek out the training that best suits your needs and get to it. You can learn all you need to know and then some with quality online training. You never have to set foot in a classroom ever again.

Oh, and if the training sucks, tell us about it. We want to know!