Sometimes it can be challenging to convince your employer to invest in your professional development. Days are busy, budgets are tight, and how much can you really get out of a presentation?
Next time you’re seeking approval for a professional development opportunity, here are five convincing rebuts that you can use.
It fine tunes what you already know.
Have you ever been caught in a scenario where your leader asks you about something that you should definitely know, but you don’t? Focussing on your professional development ensures that this is not a situation you will encounter again. Often, it’s not just about new findings and fun tips, there is an underlining sentiment of the baseline concepts that you need to know.
You can learn new things.
One of the most obvious reasons to attend any form of professional development is to learn. Learn new processes, trends, and tangible skills that you can take back with you to introduce to your team.
It keeps you from losing touch with industry trends.
Do you keep some time aside each week for research and development? The stats say you should be, but who has the time amongst so many other tasks? Attending professional development events allows you to stay up to date with the inner workings of your industry in one short burst and gets you back to that daily grind faster and smarter.
Networking!
It’s so easy to feel stuck in your groove, and never expand your professional network. Attending professional development events provides you with the opportunity to meet new people that can offer you new ideas and even new job prospects.
It can invigorate projects and processes that were starting to feel stale.
Increase your productivity and passion by learning to look at something from a brand new perspective! Professional networking events allow you to mingle and chat with other like-minded people about the issues you face daily and new ways to deal with them. It’ll keep your work days interesting and reconnect you with your passion for your industry.
Don’t wait for a professional development opportunity to find you, prioritise your learning and find the resources to support your success.