Professional
Development
All people can benefit from professional development (PD) in
their respective occupation, but few people participate in these types of
activities due to various excuses. However,
PD is vital to growing as a professional in your field and there are several
ways to access these opportunities without breaking the bank!
One beneficial way to participate in PD is to attend an
academic conference. I had the opportunity to attend a conference in Senegal in
mid-April with my colleagues from around Africa. There are about one hundred
fellows placed around the world, but only twelve of us are in Africa. The
conference I attended was a gathering of all of the fellows in Africa. We were
asked to present on various topics based on our current work. Presenting at a
conference not only forces you to prepare to speak in front of others, but it
also causes you to think about your current work in a succinct way.
Another way to gain PD is to publish an article. As a
lecturer in the realm of academia, publishing is vital to maintaining a
position at a university. Publishing provides a platform to share with others
about your work and perfect your academic writing skills. There are several
online, peer-reviewed journals that accept manuscripts both here in Africa and
across the world. Also consider collaborating with people in your profession
across the world through Google Drive. I was able to coordinate with a teacher
back home while in Uganda for a publication back in September.
A third way to participate in PD is to attend online
lecturers or participate in academic conversations online. There are endless
possibilities due to Internet access, which allows you to attend
webinars/seminars from the comfort of your own office/home. For more ideas, check out Ted Talks or
Teacher Tube. Skype also brings people together to discuss current academic
issues in their respective fields.
However you decide to improve your skills and grow as a
professional is up to you. Choose a way to grow and be the best professional in
your field!
