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The Importance of Continuing Professional Development in Tech

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So, you’ve obtained your degree, undergone the necessary practical experience and landed the tech job you were aiming for. Mission accomplished, right? Not quite. While the first and perhaps most important part of your mission is well and truly realized, this is not the time to become sedentary.  

The rate at which innovation is accelerating in the tech industry is so rapid that a massive gap is developing between the requirements of professionals and their abilities. The same is true for the number of available tech jobs and the number of qualified workers who can fill those positions.  

Additionally, higher education institutions simply can’t keep up with modern tech trends. This is leaving more and more graduates with nothing more than a certificate and student debt, but not the knowledge and skills required by today’s employers. On the bright side, this is opening up a variety of unique and exciting career opportunities.  

These opportunities can be leveraged by motivated professionals in exchange for high salaries and strong job security due to widespread demand for their skills. This is where the importance of continuing professional development is most evident, particularly in the tech industry. 

However, there are many additional benefits to continuing professional development that impact more than the professional themselves. In order to help you take the right steps towards ensuring your future success as a professional in tech, let’s take a look at what makes continuing professional development so important.  

 

Staying Competitive 

By continuing professional development (CPD), you’ll be able to compete with your fellow employees and stay in the running for future job promotions. Without it, you may remain in the same position and miss out on valuable opportunities. Employers notice those who put in the extra effort to remain on top of their game.  

 

Community Service 

CPD doesn’t only ensure your own prosperity, but also that of your customers, clients and the community. By enhancing your knowledge and skills, you’ll be able to continue providing a professional service in your work. For instance, let’s compare an app developer who continues their professional development and one who doesn’t.  

The app developer who keeps up to date with trends and new innovations in their industry will inevitably create a better product for their company’s customers to use. This can include providing a better user experience, making the app work on a wider variety of devices, or something even more important, such as ensuring the security of the app.  

In contrast, the app developer who doesn’t bother continuing their professional development could end up making an app that frustrates its users and puts their personal data at risk by not being up-to-date with current security standards. This makes it clear that CPD has a far-reaching impact on society as a whole. 

 

Networking Opportunities 

A popular way to continue professional development is to attend conferences, seminars and events that help you broaden your knowledge about your industry. This is not only a great way to sharpen your know-how and improve the way you work; it can also open up a wealth of networking opportunities, as you’ll be surrounded by like-minded professionals in the same industry as you.  

Depending on your goals, this can mean anything from a new employer taking notice of you and offering a high-paying position at their company, to an investor who is interested in funding one of your ideas. It’s impossible to quantify the potential that networking has for your career until you do it.  

 

Organizational Benefits 

Of course, a clear benefit of CPD is the positive impact it will make on your company and its employees. Your higher level of knowledge and skills will help your team produce better products or services and tackle projects at a faster, more accurate pace. You’ll become better at identifying new ways to carry out operations and make your business better.  

Additionally, CPD can assist you in moving to new positions where you can use your knowledge and skills to manage, influence, coach, lead and mentor others who aspire to follow in your footsteps. Your widespread contribution is not only beneficial to others, but will also contribute to making your career a fulfilling and rewarding experience.  

 

New Possibilities 

Through CPD, you can become more interested and interesting. Delving into new topics and ideas can open up new possibilities, knowledge and skill areas for you to take advantage of. It can help you develop a greater appreciation for the impact and implications of your career.  

Another widespread benefit is that those who CPD are playing an integral role in advancing the body of knowledge within their profession. This is particularly valuable in the tech industry. Once again, there’s no telling just how much potential lies in continued professional development and the opportunities it can bring your way.  

 

Overall Contribution to Society 

It’s no secret that technology has completely revolutionized the way we live in just about every single aspect. It has made the world a safer, cleaner and overall better place in many ways. This would not be the case without the help of those who innovated and kept pushing technology past its purported limits.  

These scientists, inventors and professionals achieved this by constantly improving their knowledge and skills. Without that effort, they wouldn’t have made the discoveries that lead to their innovations. And so, it’s evident that CPD contributes to much more than just the professional or their organization. 

Depending on where its practiced, CPD can contribute to the environment, sustainability, quality of life, safety, property and the economy. Feeling motivated? All that’s left to do is to figure out where to start. Let’s take a look at a few ways that can help you continue your professional development.  

 

How to Continue Your Professional Development in Tech 

With the internet offering a wealth of learning resources and opportunities, it naturally makes a suitable starting point. Depending on your career, you can complete courses on a variety of relevant subjects from the comfort of your own home. Go for those that can contribute to your development as a whole, instead of those with an intense focus.  

For instance, most tech professionals can benefit from having improved sales skills. In this case, you can take a few sales training courses to brush up on your knowledge of what it takes to be an effective salesperson. You can find a variety of sales training courses at findcourses.com with information on their date, price, location and duration.  

Once you’ve put together a collection of courses to get around, consider attending local events and seminars related to your industry. Additionally, you can join a professional organization that offers access to training materials. Popular organizations in tech include the ISACA and ISSA.  

A simple approach to CPD that you can practice daily is to read. Whether it’s your favorite technology blog or a tech-focused news website, keeping up to date with the latest trends is a great way to open the door to future opportunities. 

Finally, don’t forget that you can often learn the most by doing something yourself. Consider working on a personal project in your spare time to get some hands-on experience and learn a few things along the way.  

CPD should be at the core of your personal responsibilities. Given its benefits, it’s safe to say that there is no better time than now to continue your professional development and become a master of your craft.  

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