How do you determine the value of your professional development?

1 Define your goals

Before you enroll in any professional development activity, you should have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and why. What are your short-term and long-term career objectives? What are the gaps in your knowledge or skills that you need to fill? What are the current or future demands of your industry or market? How will your learning outcomes benefit your projects, clients, or stakeholders? By defining your goals, you can narrow down your options and select the ones that align with your interests, needs, and aspirations.

2 Evaluate the quality

When evaluating the quality of a learning opportunity, you should consider factors such as the reputation and credentials of the provider or instructor, the relevance and currency of the topics or skills covered, the learning objectives and outcomes stated by the provider or instructor, feedback or testimonials from previous or current participants, cost and time commitment required, availability and accessibility of resources or materials, and assessment and certification methods and standards. Not all professional development activities are equal in terms of content, delivery, accreditation, or recognition; thus, it is important to assess these criteria thoroughly.

3 Track your progress

Tracking your progress and achievements is essential to measure the value of your professional development. You can do this with a portfolio or resume that showcases your projects, samples, or certificates. Additionally, you can use a learning log or journal to record your reflections, insights, or feedback. Furthermore, you can create a personal development plan that outlines your goals, actions, and results. Digital badges or credentials can also be used to validate your skills or competencies. Lastly, performance reviews or appraisals are useful for evaluating your impact or improvement.

4 Share your learning

Determining the value of your professional development can be done by sharing your learning with others. This can help demonstrate your expertise and credibility, enhance your network and connections, contribute to the knowledge and innovation of your field, receive feedback or recognition, and identify new opportunities for further learning. You can share your learning through various channels and formats such as blog posts, presentations, webinars, podcasts, videos, social media posts or comments, and mentoring or coaching sessions. These are all great ways to showcase your findings or solutions, explain concepts or methods, engage an audience or followers, and support or guide other learners.

5 Review your value

Periodically, you should review the value of your professional development and adjust your plans accordingly. To guide this review, consider questions such as: how did your learning activities align with goals? How did they impact performance or results? What effect did they have on career or professional development? How did they affect satisfaction or motivation? Compare your learning activities to expectations or standards. Reflect on what you enjoyed or disliked about them, what you learned about yourself and your field, and what next steps are necessary to continue learning or development. By doing this, you can recognize successes, identify areas of improvement, and plan future objectives.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?