Something to think about...
When corporate purse strings start to tighten, professional development is often one of the first budget items to be cut. For women who are seeking career growth, finding ways to continue developing knowledge and skills is important, even when no funding is available.
Here are some strategies:
1. Look for free training seminars. Training seminars lasting 30 to 90 minutes are now widely available at no cost.
In many fields, lawyers and consultants offer Web-based seminars to establish their expertise and introduce themselves to potential clients. If you can handle the five-minute sales pitch, you'll receive 55 minutes of up-to-date information. An added benefit is that you can view them from the comfort of your office.
If you prefer a live speaker, attend seminars hosted by professional associations. Many offer programs free to members, so that a one-time membership fee admits you to monthly or even weekly sessions.
2. Find a mentor. Talking to someone who is successful is the best way to learn how to succeed.
Think about your objectives and choose a mentor who can help you meet them. Be prepared to describe your expectations of the relationship when you approach this person.
Considerations for the mentoring relationship include the format and frequency of meetings, how you and the mentor will benefit and how long the relationship will last. Find another mentor once you've met your objectives, perhaps someone who has achieved an even higher level of success.
3. Seek learning opportunities in daily work. Few people grow in their careers without taking on more responsibility and tasks with more complexity. Don't wait for opportunities to be given to you.
When I wanted to learn grant-writing, I asked my employer if I could write a training grant. When I wanted to improve my communication skills, I asked to work on a project that required facilitating collaboration among several geographically dispersed agencies.
I could add more examples, but the bottom line is that my employers rarely, if ever, declined such a request.
Although your workload will grow, remember that you're doing it for personal reasons and that your employer probably could have assigned someone more experienced. Asking for additional tasks or more difficult work also lets your supervisor know you are interested in professional growth.
4. Volunteer outside of work. Professional development through volunteer work is particularly useful when you can't fit professional development activities into your workday, have been out of work for awhile or are trying to develop skills in a field other than the one in which you work.
If you're volunteering as a way to develop skills you don't already possess, pursue committee work to learn from others who already have the desired skills.
Professional development doesn't have to cost a lot of money. Keep your eyes and mind open for opportunities; often they're in the most obvious and overlooked places.