Message #48211

[msmarieh]

I make continuing education a priority. As a result, I make professional development goals annually which are personal goals I set for myself. These may or may not correspond with the goals my employer and I set for myself during my performance review.

This year I have done the following:

Participated in a leadership development program (modeled after about 7 different management books) which my company developed in cooperation with a local college. This has involved monthly meetings over a ten month period. My company "volunteered" me for this.

My company offers regular safety training classes, which I attend. This year we have had sessions on Electrical Safety, Fire Extinguisher Training, Mold, and BioMechanical Engineering.

Attended Coaching, Teambuilding, Mentoring Class through Rockhurst University (love that 25% discount that IAAP gets for my whole company!)

Attended the IAAP International Convention and Education Forum (where I taught two classes and attended several).

Planning to attend a Technology Tune-Up Workshop in October.

Planning to attend (and conduct a seminar at) an Executive Assistant Summit in November.

Attend monthly IAAP Chapter meetings, which include educational programs (we started a new chapter here in April). I am the program chair for the 2004-2005 year, so if I don't like the program lineup, it would be my own fault! However, we have arranged for 9 out of a possible 10 recertification points for attendees of our programs, so I know these are all solidly educational.

It was on my list to take the MOS 2003 certification exams, but as Microsoft has been so slow to release them I haven't gotten that done yet. I am MOS Certified at the Master Level in earlier versions.

I achieved my Competent Toastmaster designation in May of this year. I am working towards the Advanced Toastmaster - Bronze now. I figure Public Speaking Skills will be asset no matter what my career or position.

Another thing I do to keep my education current is write articles, as this forces me to do research and strengthens my organization skills. My goal is to have an article published on an annual basis or every other year. I can write the article, but that doesn't guarantee a magazine will accept it for publication, so I have only limited control in this area. I had an article published in the May 2004 issue of OfficePro magazine, so this year's goal was accomplished.

Finally, something I do to keep my skills current is teach classes, as my students keep me on my toes. I teach an average of 1-2 classes a month through my local park district, my workplace, as well as the general public and associations/organizations. I also tutor students privately.

All of these actions contribute to my training and development.

Marie