5 Tips To Prioritize Meaningful Professional Development
Depending on who you are, the words professional development can bring up a multitude of responses - ranging from excitement and motivation to dread and an eye roll. I’m a self proclaimed nerd, so online courses, reading, presenting, and researching are all activities I love and find joy in.
However, finding meaningful, relevant and effective opportunities for professional development has been a challenge for me as I have started to transition out of the “new professional” phase of my career. As a new professional, development is often delegated to us directly from a supervisor or mentors, or our next steps are more obvious because we know so little.
Maturing professionally can leave us floundering around and wondering what steps come next to reach new career goals - especially if we are unsure what those career goals are. I am still navigating what I want my own professional development to look like in this phase of my career, but have outlined 5 tips to share that have been helpful to me in identifying how to best spend my time.
It is easy to treat professional development as a “check box” item. Particularly if it is prescribed by an employer as a requirement, professional development can feel like one more thing on a constantly growing to-do list. Digging deep into our professional desires, doing a current skills assessment, and seeking opportunities that are more than a checkbox and add meaning to our lives will, hopefully, leave you feeling like your time is well spent.
As you begin to reflect on your own professional development journey, consider the tips below to guide your planning process.
1. Seek Areas to Develop New Skills
This tip may sound obvious, but it is human nature to seek out areas we feel comfortable in and know we can excel at. While there is merit to pursuing professional opportunities to strengthen existing or emerging skills, be careful not to fall into the trap of only volunteering for opportunities where you are comfortable.
Not only does this keep your work within your current scope - making it harder for your leadership to see potential for a promotion - but it also keeps you doing more of the same for no additional reward or development. The entire goal of professional development is in the phrase itself - development.
Do an audit of your current skill set - make a list of skills you know you excel at. Next, make a list of skills you are emerging in, and skills that are undeveloped. Choose a few skills from the emerging and undeveloped categories and begin brainstorming opportunities to develop them.
Pro tip: If you’re unsure what your next career step is in terms of title/industry/etc. - focus on developing skills that are most transferable to your top few interests. This allows you to still take action toward your development goals while exploring what your long-term plan looks like.
2. Consider the ROI (money AND time)
If you have student loan debt, you know that formal learning through certificates, degrees, bootcamps, etc. can be expensive. Spending thousands of dollars to become certified in an area or receive a new degree is not always necessary to reach your career goals. While certifications can be a great way to help you pivot industries, do your research into the necessity of this investment by connecting with folks on LinkedIn who have received the certification or are in your desired field.
This can help you evaluate if the money and time are worth it - or if identifying other ways to learn the same information through books or community resources will suffice. By connecting with others in your desired field, this can also help you make the best use of resources by identifying the top few items individuals recommend for development and pursuing those, rather than over-investing your time and money into any development opportunity you come across.
As you’re evaluating your resources, consider the amount of time you want to allocate per week or per month toward your professional goals. Try to identify opportunities where you can get the “most bang for your buck” in terms of development. This will help free up more time and energy in your life for non-career related pursuits like friends and family, travel, and rest.
Pro tip: If you are considering an entire 2, 4, or 6 year degree as part of your professional development plan, remember that time spent in school is also less time spent making a full-time wage (for most people). This loss of wages is an often forgotten consideration when evaluating the full amount of time and money invested in a degree program. Degrees are absolutely necessary for certain career paths, and you may have your own personal motivations for pursuing formal education outside of career goals, but be cautious and thoughtful when calculating your professional ROI in this arena.
Need Help With Your Job Search?
Enroll in our online course, Find a Job Fast: The Job Search Accelerator For Career Professionals
3. Explore Your Personal Passions!
Depending on your current position, you may or may not feel your job aligns with your personal passions. Developing professionally is a great way to explore these passions while making progress in your career. For example, if you have always been interested in environmental issues, but currently work as a financial advisor for a bank and want to develop skills in marketing and copywriting to make a career shift - consider volunteering for an environmental non-profit using some of your self-taught marketing and copywriting skills to promote their services and outcomes. Not only does this allow you to pursue your passions and purpose outside of work, but it has the potential to open new doors for your future career.
Pro tip: There are many websites and resources out there to help connect you with non-profits where you can volunteer or serve on the board! VolunteerMatch and Catchafire are two great ones. If you’re interested in paid opportunities to practice your new skills, Fiverr and UpWork can help you get started with gig and contract roles.
4. Consider How You Learn Best
You likely heard this advice growing up in school, but considering how you learn best will help you feel more invested in your own growth process and make it an exciting opportunity rather than something you dread. Audiobooks and YouTube are two huge resources that I want to give you full permission to use in your professional development journey. If you don’t like to read or have the patience for a 6-week intensive seminar on a topic - you are not alone!
There is no rule that says in order for you to grow it has to be a tedious process you have to force yourself to complete. Think about the ways you like to learn best and identify professional development opportunities that match your learning style. Getting involved in professional organizations, volunteering, reading, and certifications are some of the more common professional development paths - but I encourage you to be willing to break the “rules” and find a path that brings meaning to you.
Pro tip: Many public libraries have apps where you can check out audiobooks for free! Personally, my local library uses the Libby app. Connect with your local librarian to see what resources are available in your area.
5. Build in Support Structures and Accountability!
Beyond Discovery Coaching offers a variety of paid and free resources around topics of professional development. In particular, the Professional Development Plan e-book is a resource directly related to the tips outlined in this article. As you are beginning to commit to plans for your development, be sure to consider how you will find support and hold yourself accountable.
This can be as simple as completing a LinkedIn Learning course with a friend, joining a book club, or sharing with your supervisor the goal you are working toward. Even if it is not something directly related to your current role, sharing your professional development pursuits with your boss not only creates a mechanism for accountability but demonstrates your commitment to growth.
Protip: Sharing your development and what you learn with others is just as important as the process of development itself! You are your own best advocate when it comes to highlighting what you bring to the table as a person and professional. Sharing your professional development plan both holds you accountable and provides opportunities for your efforts to be recognized.
I hope these tips have helped you start to think about ways you can implement a meaningful and intentional professional development plan! Regardless of the stage in your career, professional development is ongoing and one of the most important pursuits you can invest in to help you excel in your profession. Understanding where you are going helps add purpose to where you currently are. I’d love to hear from you about your professional development goals if you’re interested in sharing or chatting!
Related:
Meet The Writer!
Sam La Mar is a Job Success Specialist at an educational workforce development non-profit Merit America, where she works with adult learners to transition careers and experience life-changing wage gains. Her background is in academic and career advising in the higher education space. Sam is passionate about professional and personal development, and enjoys reading, writing, boxing, and spending time with those she loves. Connect with Sam on LinkedIn or reach out directly to samanthanlamar@gmail.com.
