Career Dynamix for Sustainability: I3

What makes a career sustainable?  This article focuses on three keys to maintaining career relevance over time.  While there are certainly more than three keys to sustainability, I3 provides professionals with an easy to remember and manageable focal point to work from. 

Involved

There are many ways to be involved in your career outside of fulfilling the responsibilities of your current position.  It is important to be involved in your industry through the prominent professional organization in your industry.  If you aren't a member of your industry's professional organization, become a member.  Your membership will provide you with opportunities to connect with colleagues  attend professional conferences and meetings, professional development opportunities, and newsletter or other communications that will keep you informed of recent developments in your industry.  Be sure to make a goal of attending some of the chapter meetings or the annual convention.  These are excellent sources of information and networking opportunities.  If you have the opportunity to volunteer within the organization and you have the time to commit to doing so, volunteer involvement in your professional organization can be a valuable experience - and those in your industry will get to know you.

Innovative

Innovative career planning and development goes beyond the traditional recommendations of keeping your resume current and having a presence on professional social media sites such as LinkedIn.  Innovative career planning is intentionally positioning yourself for opportunities that will help you gain experience, exposure, or in some way help you get to the next step in your career plan.  For example, if you're lacking experience that is commonly regarded a requirement in your field, find a volunteer opportunity that will allow you to gain the experience.  If you are interested in a particular job or organization, find a connection within your network to help advise you on getting your foot in the door.  If you don't have a connection within your network, find a way to make a connection.  For example, look for a way to partner or collaborate with the organization or a representative of the organization.

Invested

Expanding skills, knowledge and abilities is not something to do "someday", it is something you must do throughout your career.  New skills are needed to adapt to changing demands in your field, the professional knowledge of your field continues to advance - even after you have received your degree and moved on.  You must continue to invest in your skills, knowledge, and abilities to remain relevant and marketable in your career.  Look for opportunities to add new skills through your current employer's in-house employee development offerings.  Look for professional development opportunities through your professional organization.  Finally, consider auditing a college level class as a refresher course at your local college or check out the many free online courses being offered by some of the top universities, known as Open Courses or Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).  These courses generally don't offer credit, but they do offer continued education and knowledge that you can demonstrate (e.g., Berkeley, Coursera, Carnegie-Mellon, Duke, Harvard, MIT, Notre Dame, Stanford, UCLA, University of Michigan, Yale).

Career Dynamix: Professional Development

Professional development is essential during all stages of your career, particularly during the stages of early career, mid-career, and re-career.

Generally, professional development is not your only focus in any of these stages; making finding the time and energy to devote to professional development a challenge for many.  You are likely already aware of the many reasons that professional development is easily pushed aside, or brushed off the to-do-list.  Instead, let's address why making time for professional development is important.

Simply put, the more professional skills you  have, the more options are available to you.  That is what it comes down to, but that statement can be interpreted in several  meaningful ways.

1. Tools in your Toolbox:  More options available as solutions to problems you face on the job.
2. Career Opportunities:  More career options available to you.
3. Increase your Value:  More options you have to direct your present position.

There are ways both small and large to develop yourself professionally.  Which should you be doing?  Any of them - and all that you can do.  Whatever you are able to do, using whatever 'time making' strategy works best for you.  Every step is a step forward in professional development.

Which professional development activities can you make time for:

• Reading professional blogs
• Reading monthly professional journals
• Attending continuing education workshops offered by your professional organization
• Meeting (weekly/monthly) with a mentor or a seasoned colleague to learn what they're doing
• Stretching and honing skills you don't utilize in your present position through volunteering
• Working with a career coach
• Taking an occasional skill development course or workshop
• Taking an occasional refresher class to keep current
• Working toward an advanced academic degree

Doing all of these, all of the time, is not realistic for most.  Doing some of these all of the time is successfully managing your career dynamix.