Not the Stuff They Teach You or the Stuff On TV

I don't know exactly how "professional development" is defined, but this is my personal perspective when I think those two words:

To me, a lot of professional development is "the stuff they don't teach you in school." It comes from the lessons you learn while experiencing life in a professional environment. Any type of development at work is something that will affect other aspects in your life - and vice versa. Aspects of life outside of work will affect how you perform professionally.

At this stage in my career, I am still learning a lot because most of what I know is based off of what I learn in the classroom. I don't have that much experience in the "real world," so I am really depending on SHM to introduce me to that.

I think the majority of professional development needs are universal. There are skills that almost all careers and jobs require. Then, there are obviously those tailored to your job specifically. Everyone needs management, assessment, and critical thinking skills. Not everyone needs to work creatively or socially as often. As a student, I know I will be in many different positions until I land my career, and each experience will help develop and hone different attributes of mine.

P.S. Todd is like Michael Scott in many ways. Actually, this office has uncanny similarities to "The Office," which motivates me to come into work some days.