Make Professional Development YOUR Responsibility
ByIn tighter economic times, training and development is typically one of the first areas where many companies tighten their belts. I’ve recently heard many administrative professionals lamenting this and offering it up as a reason for not being able to pursue additional training or professional development opportunities they wanted to this year. But whose responsibility is your professional development?
STOP WASTING TIME. START GROWING.
If you wait for someone else to take an interest in your professional growth, you’re wasting valuable time and opportunities. While some of the higher cost training programs may not as doable if you are financing them on your own budget, there are still lots of economical and no
cost training options around if you know where to look. Here are just a few ideas to get you thinking:
- Local chapters of professional organizations typically hold monthly programs on topics that relate to your profession (my personal favorite is the International Association of Administrative Professionals)
- Local conferences and workshops
- Community College Continuing Education Programs
- Online webinars and teleclasses (my personal favorites are Laura Stack The Productivity Pro and Joan Burge with Office Dynamics)
- Networking groups (even if you only visit as a guest to hear a particular speaker – get out there and get networking at the same time)
- Chamber of Commerce
- Local business building organizations or small business incubators
- Local libraries
All you need to do is watch the calendar of events section of any local newspaper or advertiser and you’ll start seeing opportunities you never knew were out there…many for just the cost of dinner and your time!
Don’t underestimate the power of READING A BOOK. The libraries and bookstore shelves are filled awesome books on numerous administrative topics. You’ll see several recommendations on my reading list on the right hand side of this blog.
TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR CAREER
I believe providing consistent and quality training for employees and continuing to provide opportunities for them to improve their skills and abilities is actually one of the vital pieces to thriving in times like this. But it’s not your employer’s responsibility. It’s YOURS! So stop dwelling on what your employer can’t do for you and start finding new innovative ways to determine what YOU can do for YOU!
When your next review rolls around and you can still show your employer all of the positive and proactive steps you took to advance your career in spite of the challenges that existed, you’ll stand out as a true administrative professional. You will have gained new skills, honed existing ones, and achieved more than you thought possible. Ultimately, YOU will be the one in control of your career.
Get started now!
To your administrative success,
Julie Perrine CPS/CAP
Certified Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Administrator
http://www.julieperrine.com/
