We need to talk about professional development. It’s a game changer

You finished university, a bootcamp or a course and landed a job. Great! Your studying days are over. Now you can focus only on working… right? Nothing further from the truth! When you stop learning, you stop growing, and if you stop growing you stay where you are, forever. If you are reading this, chances are you want to keep moving forward and growing in your career. Congratulations, that’s the attitude! So, to grow in your career you need to keep on learning, and this is when professional development (PD) comes into the picture. Let’s see what PD is, why it is important, and how you should plan for it.

What is professional development?

PD refers to continuing education and training that someone who has already entered the workforce does to develop their skills, keep up to date on current trends to stay relevant in the industry, and grow professionally. The key word is continuing or ongoing, because it is not about taking a course or going to a conference here and there, but a process that lasts all the person’s career.?

Why is it important?

1. It shows your interest in your profession. If you continue learning in spite of having a job, you demonstrate that you are genuinely interested in the field, and that you want to improve your skills to be better at what you do, not just to get a job.
2. It shows you are proactive. If you learn by your own initiative, you demonstrate your proactivity and independence, and that you are responsible for your own growth.?
3. You keep your skills up to date. This is important in all professions, especially in the field of technology, where things change at a fast pace. You have to constantly learn new things so as not to be left behind. If you are too comfortable in a job you know all about for years, when you decide to make a change, it will be difficult because of the knowledge gap.?
4. It gives you an advantage over many other people. The reality is that not many invest in their careers or focus on PD. If you do, you are going to be a step forward, which means you will have more opportunities.?

Who is in charge of your PD?

You. You are responsible for your career growth, and for planning your PD. If your company encourages you to continue learning, to take certifications and courses, that is great, but don’t expect them to do so. Take the opportunity, and be grateful, because not all companies offer their employees the chance to study. However, if your company is not one of them, that doesn’t mean you should forget about PD; no, your career is in your hands.

How should you plan it?

You need to have a career plan and goals. What do you want to achieve in the future? Where do you want to go professionally? Once you have a career roadmap and goals, you can plan your PD using the SMART method:

• Specific: define what you want to learn, when, where, and why.
• Measurable: provide a way to measure what you learn. How will you prove that you are progressing and that the new knowledge you gain makes a difference in your career?
• Achievable: it has to be possible to accomplish, attainable.
• Relevant: it needs to fit the overall picture. How is this going to help you achieve your long-term goal?
• Time-bound: state when you will get it done; have a deadline.

Your career is not your job. That’s right: your job is not your career; it is only part of it. Imagine a long staircase: each step represents each job you have, and the staircase, your career. To go from one step to the next, you need to make an effort (learn), otherwise, you stay on the same step without being able to move forward. Are you going to stay still and miss the joy of growing in your career? Roll up your sleeves and plan your professional development; being in charge of your own career growth is immensely satisfying, and no doubt, a game changer.?