The reason we invest a lot of resources in higher education is to develop and prepare ourselves for a career. The skills we gain at these higher learning institutions enable us to become experts in whatever career we want to embark on, hence making us assets to companies and to ourselves.
Gaining further skills by learning more, therefore, makes you even more valuable. It makes you stand out and competitive, compared to your work colleagues. Many professionals who are already in the workforce find it difficult to develop further skills due to lack of time.
Here are 5 techniques professionals can use to achieve their development goals in order to gain more skills:
1. Set Targets
It is vital to first ask yourself where you see yourself in the future, then set targets for how to get there. If your main goal is to have a higher position in your company, you should set targets that are geared towards gaining more skills that are related to that specific position.
2. Specify Those Targets
If your targets are not easy to understand or seem unachievable, then it is advisable to set specific targets that are:
Pertinent – Your development goals should be meaningful to you.
Terminable – For personal accountability, set up time frames that specify when to achieve your development goal.
Attainable – To achieve your goals, they should be practical and workable.
3. Strategise
This entails having a plan and determines whether you succeed or not in achieving your goal. For a good strategy to be effective, it is essential to be organized, to detail out steps to take and to set up milestones for goals achievement purposes.
Strategising is also about looking for and being open to new opportunities which can help you reach your goals. If for example you want to gain IT skills such as VBA, you might search for study-online courses and their costs and then ask your company if they are willing to fund it.
4. Create Time to Pursue Your Goal
You may need to sacrifice things you like doing, such as watching Netflix or lunch dates at work, in order to pursue your goals. Setting aside time during the day or in the evening is achievable if you set your mind to it.
5. Self-Evaluation
A useful technique that can help you reach your professional development goal is through self-evaluation. This helps you to keep track of where you currently are and where you intend to be in the future, as well as the right path to follow to get to where you want to be. Requesting feedback from trusted family members, friends and colleagues can be a useful evaluation tool. Performance evaluation from superiors at work can also be used to self-evaluate.