Blog #11

When I first began reading Chapter 15, I didn’t feel any real connection to it or personal links to the information.  As I continued reading, however, the title of “Career Development Programming in Business Organizations” broadened and I began to think about the professional development opportunities offered within my career and specific place of work.  As an educator, I am required to partake in a set amount of professional development days/hours each school year.  My opinion of these days is quite mixed.  At times, my required trainings are beneficial and engaging.  At other times, it feels as if I am given meaningless tasks to complete, merely to fulfill the hours of development stated in my contract.  In both situations, I tend to be a bit resistant to the idea of attending or participating in workshops or training sessions.  I am very grateful for the opportunity to learn and develop, but most professional development days, I find myself daydreaming about all of the other things I could be doing – usually in my classroom – that would benefit me more than the training at hand.

The statistics on page 345, from the work of Wowk and colleagues (1983), were shocking to me.  At first I thought they must be elevated numbers: 70% of employees voluntarily participated in workshops or trainings, 60% took part in career counseling, and 73% of participants made life or career changes due to their involvement (Brown, 2012).  Then I played with the idea that an educational work environment might just be different than other corporate organizations, creating a different outcome or attitude toward professional development opportunities.  One difference might be that schools are a place where it is critical for employees to work together and collaborate as they work with a common set of students.  Establishing more cooperative working environments was a benefit for many organizations who incorporated career development programs, but this type of environment already exists in a school that is functioning well.

One of the purposes of career development that stood out to me was that of reducing stress for employees.  My company offers incentives and affordable sessions for everything from stress reduction techniques to weight loss ideas to peer support groups that help employees quit smoking.  I am so grateful for the health initiatives offered by my employers, but have neglected to sign up for any courses because I have so many obligations already and it is difficult for me to focus on a new incentive, program, or strategy when I am already using programs and strategies that are working for my students.  Professional development often feels to me like a hamster wheel that never slows down enough for things to come into focus.  I just wish I could stop spinning long enough to see the world around me clearly and incorporate what I’m learning (if applicable) more thoroughly and effectively. 

Brown, D. (2012). Career Development Programming in Business Organizations. In Career Information, Career Counseling, and Career Development (10th ed., pp. 330-347). New York: Pearson Education, Inc.