Summary: Professional development plans are useful tools for helping employees achieve their career goals. But at the core of all professional development is training. ProTrain specializes in certification training perfectly aligned to career development in multiple industries.
When you first entered the workforce, your career goals probably seemed like a vague destination you would reach at some point in the future. But now you are in the thick of things. You have plenty of years of work under your belt, and you realize something scary: the ‘some day’ of your early working career needs to become ‘today’.
Whether you are leading project teams, anchoring the IT department, or part of a vibrant business office where soft skills are prized, you can no longer afford to wait to achieve your career goals. Here at ProTrain, we get it. We see professional development as a necessity rather than a luxury. We see it as the scaffolding that not only holds your career together but also helps you reach new heights.
To that end, we believe that appropriate certification training is the key to developing successful one- and five-year professional development plans. And remember this: each plan needs achievement milestones, or you might be left with little more than a wish list.
Stage 1: The One-Year Sprint
The one-year professional development plan is all about an immediate return on your investment. The goal is to become more efficient, more valuable, and more promotable within your current environment. Even if you plan to change jobs or pivot yourself to an entirely new career, the idea is to start working on the future by improving what you are doing today.
Here are three keys to the one-year plan:
- Power Skills – Pursue power skills first. How? Observe those at a level above you. Identify tools or methodologies they utilize, tools and methodologies you haven’t yet mastered. Then enroll in certification courses capable of equipping you with them.
- Course Completion – Identify and commit to at least one certification course that you can complete within six months. Completion represents your first win. It is also something you can bring to the table during your annual review.
- Foundational Training – In addition to that first course, choose others that can act as foundational training opportunities. These are opportunities that fill in the gaps within your current job. Maybe you are a healthcare administrator but lack a Certified Professional Coder (CPC) credential. Earn this one in your first year.
We refer to the one-year plan as a sprint because you are trying to accomplish as much as you can in short order. Make skill mastery your priority. Whatever skills are most important to advancing one level above your current job are the ones to focus on.
Stage 2: The Five-Year Marathon
The second stage of your career development plan focuses on what you can accomplish within five years. We refer to this as a marathon because it is a long-haul learning process. The goal here is positioning. You are positioning yourself to master the job or career that you hope will be your long-term future.
Whether that means consulting, working as a department head, or becoming a master technician, here are the two keys to the five-year plan:
- Certification Stacking – Beginning in the second year, start stacking certifications. Stacking builds a unique skill set featuring deep expertise in one particular area with broader knowledge in others.
- Shifting to Leadership – One of the natural side effects of career development is moving more toward leadership as you build new skills and increase your knowledge. Somewhere around the four-year mark, shift your training focus from ‘doing the work’ to ‘leading the work’.
Two good examples of shifting to leadership, at least from a training perspective, are the Project Management Professional (PMP) and Lean Six Sigma certifications. They position students to be industry leaders instead of mere workers in cubicles.
Training Validates You
Career training – specifically certification training – is the cornerstone of professional development in the 21st century. Why? Because it validates you as both an employee and a contributor to the larger whole. Certifications represent third-party validation of your skills and knowledge. They prove that you are becoming a better employee and one capable of greater contributions.
3 Tasks to Get Started
Are you ready to begin working on one- and five-year professional development plans, with certification training at the core? If so, here are three tasks to get you started:
- Audit – Audit your current role. What are the pain points you experience, pain points that could be rectified through certification training?
- Schedule – Once you have identified appropriate training courses, make plans to complete them. Feel free to work with a ProTrain career counselor to effectively schedule your training. Do not leave scheduling to chance.
- Update – Begin updating your resume and credentials right away. Keep them updated so that they are ready to go as soon as you start job hunting. If you have a LinkedIn account, updates should be posted to your profile as they occur.
Note that these three tasks are intentional. They get you engaged with your one-year plan right away. Engagement is necessary because a lack thereof so often leads to frustration and a loss of interest. On the other hand, engaging early on provides the kind of motivation you need to keep pressing forward.
3 Simple Things to Motivate
If you find yourself struggling with engagement, here are three simple tasks that could motivate you to press forward:
- Today – Right down the title of a job you want to have five years from now.
- This Week – Research the certifications related to that job.
- This Month – Contact ProTrain to enroll in that first foundational course that bridges the gap between where you are and where you want to be.
We believe that success in the professional development department is not necessarily about always working harder. It is more about working smarter by doing what you can to ensure your skills and knowledge are always one step ahead of your current job responsibilities.
We invite you to take a look at the ProTrain course catalog while you are here on our website. If you have questions about a particular course, send a message to info@protrain.edu. You can also contact us at enroll@protrain.edu if you are ready to enroll.
FAQs
Can I realistically fit training into my busy schedule?
Certification training is based on a micro-learning philosophy that has proven to be ideal for people working full-time jobs. Best of all, you choose when and how to complete coursework based on your schedule and needs.
Should I undergo training even if my employer will not pay for it?
Certification training is more about your personal brand and long-term employability. It tells employers what you bring to the table. Therefore, it is worth the investment even if you need to pay for it yourself.
Does ProTrain offer financial assistance?
We have access to a limited number of financial assistance programs. But even if you don’t qualify for one, we also offer interest-free payment plans that make training affordable.
Should I inform my employer that I am training?
Yes. Generally speaking, most employers value certification training when it is part of a professional development plan. Training demonstrates your commitment.
