Professional Development Courses
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What is Professional Development?
The term professional development generally refers to an array of specialized training, formal education, or advanced professional learning that improves skillsets, professional knowledge, competency, and overall effectiveness in the professional world. It’s tied closely with professional growth, the building of personal development skills, and is often driven by continuing professional education.
Professionals seeking to ascend to a leadership position will often seek a leadership development program. For those who don’t aim to be the boss, professional development courses can still help foster creative development or help satisfy professional development goals as part of a larger professional development plan or even a personal development plan.
Many who seek to advance their careers will engage in Continuing Professional Development or CPD. CPD is the process of identifying skills, knowledge, and experience gained while working, then tracking, documenting and applying that progress throughout a career. Specific CPD training and CPD courses help professionals master this process.
Professional Development Training
Develop the professional skills you need to succeed. Fullbright offers Career Development: Skills for Success, a XSeries Program, where you will learn how to communicate and collaborate with colleagues, how to approach complex workplace problems using problem-solving frameworks and design thinking principles, etc. This self-paced program explores contemporary business fundamentals and helps you create a marketable personal brand.
Online Courses in Professional Development
In addition to available CPD certification programs, there are many online courses that can aid in personal and professional development efforts.
Catalyst, the leading nonprofit organization with a mission to accelerate progress for women, provides a number of courses geared toward helping learners excel in their careers. Some of these include Becoming a Successful Leader, Leading With Effective Communication, and Communication Skills for Bridging Divides, as well as their Inclusive Leadership Professional Certificate Program.
For specific expertise, like that needed in the finance world, the New York Institute of Finance offers a slew of professional education courses including Brokerage Operations Professional Certificate Examination, Introduction to Custody Servicing, Margins, and Accounting Records, and M&A: Concepts and Theories.
Jobs in Professional Development
Engaging in professional development education can, of course, positively impact any job in any field, across all industries. However, there is a great need for professionals who can guide the Professional Development process in others.
The job site Indeed lists more than 95,000 jobs tied specifically to Professional Development roles; offering jobs with titles like Professional Development Specialist, Director of Talent, Director Of Quality and Professional Development, and Leadership Development Coach – a position that offers more than $120,000 a year.
Explore a career in Professional Development
Professional Development can either help advance a career or become a career unto itself. A background in career development skills and tactics can lead a learner down a path to an exciting career as a Professional Development Specialist or a Career Coach. Online courses offer myriad opportunities to get started or expand knowledge. There’s no time like the present, get underway today!