How to Develop Professionally in Companies Without Formal Programs

How to Develop Professionally in Companies Without Formal Programs How to Develop Professionally in Companies Without Formal Programs Regardless of whether or bedrngnis an employer provides a formal employee development program, every individual is responsible for their professional advancement. Your organization might not have the budget to send you to conferences or pay for certification tests, but that does not mean you can afford to ignore development altogether.Here are a few tips to help you advance your skills and career, even when you dont have access to formal training programs.Make a PlanIf youre taking professional development into your own hands, you must have a plan. Start by creating a road map as if you were required to fulfill a development plan. In addition to goals, checkpoints, and action items, your plan should include buy-in from your boss, if possible.Once youve created a plan, make sure to hold yourself accountable It can be easy to dismiss deadlines if you d ont have a supervisorin looking over your shoulder, but completing your development goals on time will keep you focused on advancement. If you need some help staying accountable, share your plan with others. Youll be more likely to stick to your career road map if your boss and/or coworkers know youve set a deadline for yourself.Ask for Stretch AssignmentsIf youve received support from your boss concerning your professional development plan, request challenging assignments that are outside of your comfort zone and normal duties. Taking on new projects shows your initiative and willingness to learn, which are attributes companies look for in their team members.Stretch goals are not something to be afraid of. These assignments will be difficult and will challenge you professionally, but not succeeding on a stretch assignment the first time does not mean that you have failed. Instead, itmeans that you have learned the skills you need to develop in order to succeed the next time around. Identify a MentorA good way to figure out where you want to go in your career is to identify a person in a similar role who is doing what you want to do, is respected in a way you want to be respected, or holds a position you want to have in the next few years. Once you find that person, you have two options study them so that you can learn from their habits and interactions, or try to establish a mentor relationship with them.What youll likely find is that your mentor (or role model) not only excels at their own job but also fully understands how their job relates to other jobs within the company. When you know the ripple effects of your job, it helps you make better choices. Understanding how your work impacts others will make you more mindful of other peoples time and responsibilities.Join a Professional OrganizationAnother way to refine your skills is to join a professional organization within your field. Such organizations are helpful because they often provide training compone nts that you might not be able to find at your current company.If you feel underqualified for a training session, go anyway. Attending developmental sessions that you think are slightly above your knowledge level is beneficial. One of the biggest blind spots for young professionals is that they dont know what they dont even know By joining a professional organization, you will learn things that you might not come across in your current role but will prove helpful in the future.Creating your own professional development plan in a company without formal development opportunitiescan be daunting. However, if you want to impress decision-makers at your company and propel your career forward, self-improvement beyond your daily tasks is necessary. If you start with a plan, find a mentor, ask for challenging projects, and join a professional organization, youll collect new skills that will be beneficial to your career in both the near and far futuresMeghann Isgan is the team success manager at Readers.com.

The best advice youll ever hear on personal growth from a true champion

The best advice youll ever hear on personal growth from a true championThe best advice youll ever hear on personal growth from a true championSunday night, hundreds of millions of people watched an underdog seize center stage and deliver a Super Bowl championship to a long-deprived fan base. The game on the field was scintillating and one of the best Super Bowls of all time. The words spoken off the field by the Super Bowl MVP are what will resonate forever with those of us who look to grow and rebound from failure.Ive learned through playing college sports, coaching high school sports and competing each day in the corporate world that losing gets a truly bad rap. While none of us try to lose, we all end up losing at some point. In ur jobs, relationships and personal ventures we all experience failure. Its unavoidable. Yet look all around you?- ?who ever salutes a loser?Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction , Neuroscience, and moreOf course, its a winners world and the winners are lauded, celebrated and honored for all time. Winning is the name of the game and it should be our broad end-goal whether were an entrepreneur, football player or aspiring executive. What most people are afraid to share or unwilling to divulge is that the way to become a winner is first to lose. To fail. To make mistakes.But always- to KEEP GOING.Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles understands this better than anyone.You see, Nick Foles was traded less than three years ago by the franchise that just won its first Super Bowl, thanks to his greatness. He landed in St. Louis where had had a relatively mediocre season, then ultimately asked to be released. After a brief stop in Kansas City for one season, Foles returned to Philadelphia to be a backup quarterback.For most of this season, Foles served as the back-up to one of the leagues bright young stars?- ?Carson Wentz. It wasnt until Wentz went down with a terrible knee injury that Foles got his option again. He certainly made the most of it. Now, on top of the world, Foles chose to reflect upon his path to stardom over the past several years.He realized that no one takes the easy path to success. We all lose before we win. Learning from failures is what winning is all about. Theres no easy route to becoming a bestselling author. Theres no high-speed elevator straight to the CEOs chair. And no one is going to hand you millions of dollars of seed money unless you have a bulletproof business plan that will help benefit you and your investors.Learn from Nick Foles. Failing isI think the big thing is dont be afraid to fail, Foles said. I think in our society today, Instagram, Twitter, its a highlight reel. Its all the good things. And then when you look at it, when you think like, wow, when you have a rough day, My lifes not as good as that, (you think) youre failing.Failure is a part of life. Its a part of building character and growing. Without failu re, who would you be? I wouldnt be up here if I hadnt fallen thousands of times. Made mistakes.We all are human, we all have weaknesses, and I think throughout this, (its been important) to be able to share that and be transparent. I know when I listen to people speak and they share their weaknesses, Im listening. Because (it) resonates.So Im not perfect. Im not Superman. I might be in the NFL, I might have just won a Super Bowl, but, hey, we still have daily struggles, I still have daily struggles. And thats where my faith comes in, thats where my family comes in.I think when you look at a struggle in your life, just know thats just an opportunity for your character to grow. And thats just been the message. Simple. If somethings going on in your life and youre struggling? Embrace it. Because youre growing.Source NBC SportsYou are a Winner. KeepGoing.The Value of You e-book is available for a limited time for just $2.99Order the e-book HEREJoin my newsletterif youd like,Follow my Fa cebook Pageand join me on your journey. Lets GOThis article first appeared on Medium.

The Best Jobs for 2018 and What That Means for College Students

The Best Jobs for 2018 and What That Means for College StudentsThe Best Jobs for 2018 and What That Means for College StudentsThe Best Jobs for 2018 and What That Means for College StudentsPrepare for your future by pursuing one of behauptung top jobs.What if you could predict the future? When it comes to the job market, you might be able to do just that. By looking at research, trends, and technology, its possible to make strong educated guesses about which jobs are going to be the most in demand (and the highest paying) in the next 10 to 20 years.Todays college students and recent high school grads are in a unique position to take advantage of these predictions. While money certainly isnt everything in a career, it is becoming an increasingly important consideration for todays students. College is mora expensive than ever before, which means getting a degree today is mora of an investment than it used to be. Many students are making calculations when they consider which degrees are most likely to land them jobs, earn them money, and help them repay those sizable college loans.In this landscape, its important for students to know which jobs are the safest bets and what skills theyll need to compete in those employment markets. Below, weve leveraged U.S. News World Reports list of 2018s Best Jobs to create a guide to the fields savvy students might want to consider pursuing.Software DeveloperThe reasoning At a time when many jobs of the past are being replaced by robots, automated systems, and software, it makes sense to pursue the job at the top of the food chain. That job right now is software developer, which is ranked at the very top of the U.S. News World Report list of 2018s Best Jobs. Between 2016 and 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects this field to grow by more than a quarter-million jobs. The demand will lead to high salaries (the median is just over $100,000 per year) and extremely low unemployment rates.The education Most software de velopers have bachelors degrees in computer science, software engineering, or similar majors. While some employers may prefer to see masters degrees in these fields, extra schooling is rarely necessary.Conclusion A good software developer can work anywhere these days. From getting a job with a departureup to working with a major corporate enterprise, or even starting your own business, there are opportunities in virtually every industry and every geographic market you can think of. The pay isnt bad either, and the educational time investment is relatively low.DentistThe reasoning Dentistry is one of those fields that is always going to offer ample job opportunities, simply because the need for good dental health is never going to disappear. In fact, the field is growing, spurred by the increasing popularity of cosmetic dental treatments like teeth whitening and reshaping. The extra demand means dentists enjoy one of the highest median salaries of any field, just shy of $154,000 per year.The education Of course, becoming a dentist involves a considerable amount of education. Students must complete an undergraduate degree, usually in pre-dentistry or a science-related field, though there is no specific requirement. Then comes the Dental Acceptance Test (DAT) and getting into dental school, which is a highly competitive process. Students then complete four additional years of education at dental school followed by a pair of examinations to become licensed.Conclusion Becoming a dentist is not for the faint of heart. The road to licensure and employment is long, expensive, and challenging. The prize at the end of that road, though, is a high-paying job with lots of stability, flexibility, and work-life balance. The work itself is rewarding and fulfilling with the creation of positive, trusting relationships between dentists and their patients.Physician AssistantThe reasoning Most students who pursue medicine envision themselves being physicians, but becoming a phys ician assistant might be the better option. While the median salary of $101,480 per year is not quite as appealing as what a physician makes (median salary $196,000), there are a few major perks. Namely, physician assistants work in almost identical capacities as regular physicians, but they dont need anywhere near as much schooling.The education Physician assistants go through a 26-month accredited physician assistant program after their undergraduate education. They must then go through a certification exam to obtain licensure before they can start practicing. Compared to what physicians must do at least four years of medical school followed by residencies, fellowships, and other specialty programs the path to becoming a physician assistant is much less intense.Conclusion If you want the challenges and rewards of being a physician but cant stomach the long educational commitment and large student loans necessary to get there, becoming a physician assistant might be a worthy comp romise.RelatedTop Entry-Level Jobs for Recent College qualittsNurse PractitionerThe reasoning A nurse practitioner is different than a standard registered nurse. Professionals in this job are sometimes referred to as Advanced Practice Registered Nurses. They go through more schooling than RNs, which affords them more autonomy in the workplace. APRNs can perform a lot of the same tasks as physicians, even providing primary care in some situations.The education As with physician assistants, nurse practitioners are afforded many of the professional opportunities physicians have, but with less schooling. Still, APRNs do need a bachelors degree in nursing as well as a masters Nurse Practitioner degree. The masters degree can take two to four years, followed by a certification process to use the APRN title. Its a long process, but still slightly shorter than a physicians since there is no residency.Conclusion Nurse practitioners have a median salary of around $101,000 per year. There is e xpected to be a major shortage APRNs (and all healthcare professionals) in the coming years as the Baby Boomer generation ages. Perhaps the most attractive feature is that individuals working toward nurse practitioner status can take RN jobs after undergrad (median salary $68,450 per year), and then decide if they wish to continue to the higher-paying career path.OrthodontistThe reasoning A properly aligned smile is one of the factors that many people use to define beauty. Well, that kind of beauty starts in an orthodontic office, where highly-trained professionals work to resolve issues with crooked teeth, overbites, and underbites. The process of designing orthodontic treatment strategies is unique for every patient, requiring the use of apparatuses like braces and retainers. The result is a demanding and extremely specialized job, but one that rewards its professionals handsomely. Perks of this job include high pay ($208,000 per year is the median), low stress, incredible work-li fe balance, job flexibility, rewarding relationships with patients, and virtually nonexistent unemployment levels.The education If there is a drawback to becoming an orthodontist, its the education. Most orthodontists start with an undergraduate education, continue to dental school, and finish up with an orthodontic graduate program. The typical timeline is four years of undergraduate study, four years of dental school, and two or three years of graduate work.Conclusion If you are up for more than a decade of education after high school, then the substantial rewards of becoming an orthodontist are worth considering.If you are thinking about one of these fields, make sure to do your homework beforehand. Look for employers in your preferred area and see if they require specific degrees or certifications. Also, look at schools that have widely acclaimed programs for the specialty you wish to pursue. These jobs may be in high demand, but employers will still verify your education to mak e sure youre qualified.Click on the following link for more job-search advice.Grads, are you pursuing one of these careers? A free resume critique will tell you how your resume stacks up.Recommended Reading11 Things to Do in College to Help You Land a JobWhat to Expect From Your First Job Out of College14 Reasons This is the Perfect Recent College Grad Resume