What is Professional Development?

What is professional development? Why does this question even matter? Well, in this post you’ll find the answer and how you can connect with this topic. 

Being an adult is hard but the greatest challenge is figuring out what you’re trying to do and how best to do it. As someone who lives by the quote, “be the change you want to see in the world” I’m constantly looking for ways to improve myself. Looking at how everything connects and trying to figure out what’s missing.

This is where professional development really saves the day. We think about dreams and goals but focusing on the actions you take is what will get you there. Believe me, having a path to follow is half the battle.  But after that, it’s a professional development journey.

This post is all about what professional development is, how working on it will lead to your goals, why it matters and what next steps you can take on your journey.

What is professional development?

Learning

Ok, this may seem like the most obvious answer but sometimes the most obvious answers are the most underrated. Professional Development is learning. However many times, especially after we finish our schooling, we forget what learning looks like. For example, I’m taking French classes right now and it is not easy. There are so many rules and things that I’m trying to figure out.

When we get older we confuse training with learning and they are both very different. Training is information that tells you how to complete a task by following directions. Learning is figuring out how to do something with the information you have collected. It’s like a set of guard rails that only tell you what the ride is going to be like. Once you’re done training, your responses and actions are automated, you don’t need to think twice about it. When you’re learning you are forever figuring out new ways to do something.

In this context professional development is constantly learning for the sole purpose of keeping your mind adaptable and elastic to the constant changes and needs that may exist in your workplace or life. When you continue learning, you continue developing and you’re able to create better opportunities for yourself within your profession.

So what does learning look like? You could argue that it is constantly exposing yourself to new things and trying to absorb the information in a manner that you can then implement this knowledge productively and efficiently. But that also sounds a bit like training. Then again it may not, it really depends on your personal experience.

Here are a few ways that you can learn without question:

• Classes

A class is when you follow a plan in hopes of becoming knowledgeable about a specific topic. There are usually other students there and you can also learn from them while you’re on your journey. Taking a class is by far my favorite way to learn.

Now let’s say you have a specific problem and you know you can figure out the solution yourself. Well, that’s not learning that’s creating and there’s no problem there unless an amazing solution already exists.

Then I’d like to introduce you to this awesome quote, “Don’t reinvent the wheel”. There are people, and teachers, who have organized information in a way that allows you to better understand and implement specific information, and knowledge, to a problem.

Take a class and save your time if that’s the case. Learning is hard enough, there’s no need to learn how you should learn. Also disclaimer taking a class and memorizing information is not learning, so make sure to participate and engage with the material.

• Read

Do you want to better understand and obtain information that is not necessarily connected to a tangible problem you’re currently facing? Then reading is your best bet. For example, if you’re interested in learning how Stone Hedge was constructed because you’re an architect and it can help you think outside the box in your everyday life then reading is best.

You’ll be exposed to theories on how one of the great wonders of the world was created without ever having to play around with a bunch of stones.

• Watch

Luckily we also have the tv and movies if you’re someone who has an easier time grasping ideas and ways of thinking, visually. I adore documentaries about the environment because I’m a vegan and this allows me to walk into different conversations.

Learning via documentaries allows you to build an understanding of a topic and then you’re able to share that information with others and use it to inform the decisions you make in your life.

Building

Now you have a wealth of knowledge. Congratulations!

But what good is knowing a bunch of cool things and then doing nothing with it? It’s almost like baking a cake and then not eating it or serving it to others. All that work was then a complete waste. It’s a waste because it doesn’t lead to something else and stops the momentum of development.

So what do you do next? You do something with all that information. And there’s only one thing to do – build. Building something may seem overwhelming but once you realize it’s a process then the hardest part is really just showing up for yourself.

Here are the three steps in the building process:

• Beginning

The beginning of a process is always the most challenging because it really includes the following two steps which are the middle and end. At the beginning of any journey, you need to define what you want and why you want it. A simple example is maybe I want to go to the grocery store because I need food to live.

Great! So next you need to define how do you get there and which way you plan to get there. Again going back to this example, I have my car and there’s plenty of gas in it so that’s how I’ll get there. Also, I pulled up directions so I know exactly where I’m going.

Nice! But do you know specifically what you want? No, so you make a grocery list and make sure you have the cash to pay for these products.

Perfect that is the beginning of anything you build. It’s literally prepping for the journey you’re about to take.

• Middle

The middle is actually completing what you set out to do. Also, the middle is where you have to be alert and ready for any changes that you need to make.

For example, I forgot that my brother borrowed my car. So you ask yourself do you want to walk to the grocery store, do you want to go later and adjust the timing of your plan or do you want to catch a ride with someone. It doesn’t matter how many plans you’ve prepared there’s always a chance something unpredicted will pop up.

The middle is your moment to go through the steps you’ve prepared and see what happens.

• End

This is the most important part of your building process, so don’t forget it. Take the time to reflect on what just occurred, define what you just learned (so it can be applied next time), and start building towards your next beginning.

Let’s say you ended up walking to the grocery store, didn’t bring enough money and when you got back home you realized you forgot the keys to your house. This was not a bad day. It was a day where you learned the different items that need to be considered next time you’re going to the grocery store.

It’s only with this step that we become better and begin to excel at what we’re trying to accomplish. Because after all, what is not measured is not managed and that’s where development stops taking place.

Connecting

Cool so we learned something and then we built it. Have you achieved professional development? Nope.

This world is made of many human beings and we all impact each other. No one is an island and no one can create anything entirely by themselves.

Maybe you’re thinking – painting and cooking can be done in solitude.. and my response is, no it can’t. No cook is able to grow all their crops and construct all their cooking equipment. Those are completely separate expertises, you may dabble in it but you can’t fully commit to it if you consider yourself a cook. The same goes for a painter and their supplies.

Depending on your activity, your subject, or where you decided your professional development lives, you’ll find connection points with other people. And the better you’re able to connect with them, the better the experience for everyone involved and the better the final good or service you’re creating is.

Here are a few simple ways you can connect with others:

• Listen

I was very intentional with not using talking. To be honest, most people don’t know how to talk, they debate. Debating consists of two people trying to get their ideas across. Talking is when one person speaks and then the other person responds and then they keep responding to each other.

So if you want to connect with another human being, listen to what they have to say and then respond.

• Network

Networking is not trying to get things from other people. Networking is learning about what one person is going through, in their professional or personal life, and sharing what you’re going through. This may lead to you finding similar interests or discovering a way of helping each other.

So go out there and help someone who needs it.

• Update

After you start listening to people and networking, stay up to date with their lives. Don’t lose the connection. It took work to build this connection and it will take work to maintain. However, without it, you won’t be able to excel or fully develop.

This post was all about professional development and how it can help you level up in life.