Professional Self-Development: What’s In It For Me?
Photo by Andrik Langfield on Unsplash
Are you feeling a bit stuck and wanting to try something new? Well, through self-development, you might just find the answer to what you’re looking for. First off, you might be wondering what exactly self-development is. In a nutshell, it’s the process of someone’s character or abilities gradually developing, anything that’s considered a step to better yourself. In this case, we’re talking about professional self-development.
As an employee, being challenged and having the ability to grow is something many strive for, however, you may not be receiving the challenges and growth you desire. To change this, you need to take initiative for that to happen as this is something that won’t happen on its own. There are multiple ways you can engage in self-development, and it can be through your company or your own interests.
Companies may see professional development as a benefit for their employees as it provides success for not only the individual but the company. Employees, however, may not see professional development as a benefit because it may not be something of interest. The following examples are different ways you can kick-start self-development in the workplace:
Educational programs: enrol in a program, course or workshop related to your job, and even obtain a degree or certificate to show true dedication
Improve your skillset: attend a public speaking class, enhance your presentation skills, or improve your ability to manage a team
Team bonding: organised activities are great to boost your social skills; you can also improve any employee relations and get a taste for planning events
Away from work, you can really take advantage of your interests. Here are some examples:
Hobbies: take up a new activity or something you used to enjoy doing before beginning your full-time career
Read more: books, articles, newspapers, magazines; not only will you gain knowledge from what you’re reading, but this is the best way to improve writing and grammar
Learn a new language: if you’re heading off somewhere, pick up some conversational dialect - or if you’re in Singapore, master some basic Chinese down and use it to chat with your local hawker
Volunteer: this is a chance to give back to the community and make a difference, and you can build on existing knowledge depending on what you want to help out with
The best way to engage in self-development varies from person to person. Once you’ve decided what you want to explore, whether that be in the company you’re in or away from it, it’s still important to balance your professional and personal life. This can be done by recognising what you get out of it all - time to get started and make a list!
