Professional Development & You

We all know professional development is important. But we also know that professional development is expensive. The question then becomes what should we go to? Where do we have to go? And how often do we go?

The simple answer is, well, there isn’t one. I wish I could tell you the easy formula to figure all this out but I can’t because I don’t know it. What I can do is give you my perspective as a
new-ish professional.

It all begins by figuring out which professional organizations are important to you personally and which ones are important for you professionally. There is a difference. There will be times you must attend a training or conference because the presentation topics relate to your current role. Case and appoint Title IX. Each and every single year as a Title IX Investigator I must attend some sort of training because that is required based on the work I do. However, that can differ from the professional development I chose for myself or am interested in.

I am a current member of the NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education and the Association for Student Conduct Administrators (ASCA) because both are important for my professional development as a student affairs professional. ASCA specially helps me in my work as a Title IX Investigator and past conduct officer. These two organizations assist me in staying up to date with necessary information which informs my current role. Now, this is not to say that neither interests me personally, because the professional importance is in line with the personal. Both organizations have connected me to many other folks in the field and that has been an incredible piece to my professional and personal development. However, when I think about my upcoming trip to the Leadership Development Program in Higher Education (LDPHE) sponsored by Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, Inc., (LEAP), I can confidently say that this conference is based on my personal interest in developing myself.

I was lucky enough to be directed to this conference by a friend/colleague/mentor by the name of Mamta Accapadi. I must give her a quick shout out for if it were not for her I would not have even know this organization and training existed. That’s the other thing…use your networks. Ask other professionals about trainings and/or conferences they attended that were meaningful in their development whether professional or personal. Mamta recommended this conference based on her experience when she attended. She also was kind enough to connect me to folks who were a part of the organization so that I could learn more about LEAP and LDPHE specifically. Again, use your networks. Your mentors, friends, colleagues, sponsors, supervisors, etc., can help connect you to others in the field. As a new professional, while you build your own relationships and networks, these connections will help you.

So I applied. I sent in my written statement along with my resume along with a letter of recommendation from my Vice Chancellor and I got in. I got in and I am so excited. I have heard nothing but amazing things about this conference. I am attending this conference to invest in my own professional and personal development and to better understand who I am in the work that I do. This training does not provide me with a certificate about how well I can conduct trauma informed investigations. Rather this training will help me be a better professional. Yes, the things learned at this training will assist me in my work but I cannot say that this training is necessary for me as I do my work in Title IX. It is for this reason that I define this professional development opportunity as a personal one. Do I believe what I learn at LDPHE will impact the work I do as a professional? Yes. But I know that I am attending this one for me. My institution did not ask me to attend. I am consciously choosing to invest in myself by attending. That to me defines personal vs. professional development.

Ultimately, whether the development is personal or professional or both it is important. As #SApros we must strive to be better; to do better. Often times we are able to do this by connecting to our peers and learning about the initiatives and processes at their campuses. Other times we do this by having conversations with our peers where they remind us that there is more work to be done and that everything gets done one step at a time. Conferences and trainings are great for that fact alone.

I always feel better after connecting with my #stuconduct & #TitleIX friends, like I did last week after attending the Gehring Academy at UC Berkeley. I was fortunate enough to be sent by Rutgers to the Trauma Informed Investigations and Adjudication track at UC Berkeley. I got to reconnect with some folks, meet many new ones, and learn about new initiatives for my campus. The week of training revived me. It’s always nice to share war stories with people who just get it. Conferences and trainings are great for that.  I always come back home knowing I have friends I can call in time of need and people who understand the work that I do. We all need that reminder. Plus, one of my top 5 strengths is learner so you can imagine I felt at home. #nerd.

Either way, take everything I have just told you with a grain of salt and figure out what you want to do with the information I have provided. If you remember nothing else I ask that you remember this much. Get involved. It does not matter how or in what but just get involved.

Originally posted on the New Professionals and Graduate Students Knowledge Community Blog via NASPA: https://www.naspa.org/constituent-groups/posts/professional-development-and-you