Why Professional Development Should Be A Priority

Why Professional Development Should Be A Priority You’ve taken all of the necessary courses and training that you needed to get the job. Now comes the real work. The same commitment that you made to get the job will need to be tripled in order to keep the job; the things you do each and every day will be the difference required to establish yourself as a credible career professional  and create valuable solutions to the most complex problems that your industry is facing. Here is the most expensive career mistake that some people make: once they find their dream job or earn the income that they were seeking, they stop investing in themselves. They think they can rest on what they have already done in order to get them where they want to go. Here is the truth: it’s not the education or certification that will allow you to succeed in business, but the application of everything you have learned and your ability to continuously find new ways of adding value that will allow you to win in your career. Professional development doesn’t end when you master a topic; it’s an ongoing process. You have to keep learning in order to discover new ways to harness your talents and explore untapped potential. Here are four reasons why professional development is an essential piece of your professional package. Remain Relevant in the Marketplace. The world is changing every day. Are you expanding your mindset to keep up with the shift from industrial age thinking to a digital culture? If you are not at the forefront of those changes, you may be left behind and replaced by those who are. Your relevancy in the work place will be determined by your ability to keep pace with the current standards of others in the same field. What industry related publications and organizations can you add to your professional development toolkit in order to remain relevant? Go Beyond Mediocrity. The person who stops learning is doomed to mediocrity, no matter what their career potential looks like. Keep expanding your knowledge through  certification trainings, networking opportunities, and lunch and learn sessions during your non-working hours. Set goals that will allow you to abolish the mediocre mindset. Tolerance of mediocrity is incompatible with achieving promotions, retaining business, and acquiring new opportunities. Maximizing your potential in the workplace requires replacing mediocrity with continuous learning. Position Yourself as a Professional Leader. Any person that has the ambition to allocate personal time during the day to invest in their career potential has the qualities needed to be a good leader. This person demonstrates that they take 100% responsibility for their learning and are committed to growing in the industry. They prove that they are willing to be able to be at the forefront of changes that are taking place. They also show that  they take the  initiative to share it with others in order to develop their team. These traits will gain the attention of decision makers who are seeking to build their leadership pipeline. Build Your Career Confidence. If you don’t know what you are capable of, you won’t take advantage of new opportunities. It’s all about increasing your competence.  Competence increases confidence. When you know what’s going on in the industry and how you can play a role in the changes that are taking place, you become an active contributor and participant in the things that are taking place around you.  When you have invested the time into studying your craft, you are more confident expressing your views; you gain a voice in the workplace. As people notice these changes within you, more people will begin to rely on your expertise and knowledge. Those who invest in professional development with a clear purpose and definite plan will gain confidence and boost their value; this will automatically lead to more options in the marketplace. Images:  Main  When you aim at mediocrity