Employers are less open to investing money towards conferences, travel and other forms of professional development that may have been given out more freely in years past.
However, regardless of the economy, you still need to develop professionally and it's your job to make sure it happens.
1. Find Low-Cost Alternatives
This is probably the most obvious of your options. There are many smaller conferences, networking events and seminars that can pack the professional development punch without also taking a hit to your employer's pocket.
There are also many free events that would provide great information and will challenge you in your current career.
Do some research to find what programs are available that will help to enhance a skill set of yours and present it to your employer.
You may find that they are more willing to accomodate several inexpensive options rather than a three-day conference.
2. Work Your Interests Into Your Job
In my role at Columbia University, I am tasked with the networking and producing large-scale events at the Center.
I have a team of people to assist - from marketing associates to employer relations folks. It's a well-oiled machine that produces some smash-hit events.
However, a few years ago, I knew that I wanted more. I began looking into social media and trying to apply it to our events and the world beyond.
I slowly started sharing my interests with my colleagues and eventually helped to lead a revolution in our office.
We are now offering workshops to students and alumni, using social media for marketing and so much more! While social media has never been an official part of my job description, it has enhanced my work in more ways that I can explain.
If you have interests that haven't yet been explored, don't be afraid to try them out and see how they effect your job.
You will learn a lot in the process and likely improve the quality of work for your colleagues as well.
3. Do the Things in Your Job You Hate OFTEN
I know - you don't WANT to, but that's the point. Everyone has parts of their job that they would rather avoid, but that's likely a place where you can grow.
Perhaps you haven't found the best way of doing it yet or maybe you don't yet see why it's so valuable to your job.
Go out of your way to focus on the portions of your job that you really don't enjoy. For me, this was presenting. I didn't like presenting and so I did whatever I could to get out of it.
However, I've really challenged myself to give it a try and I now regularly present at workshops and even large-scale conferences.
It's something I enjoy and I developed the skill by just starting small - tackling the part of public speaking that I had been avoiding in my job for quite some time.
4. Learn From Others
It doesn't always pay to go to a professional development event.
Take the time to learn from your colleagues around you and the people that you are influenced by.
Take them to dinner and talk about their specialty. Then, go home and do some research of your own.
You will find that you can learn a LOT by listening to others and learning from them.
About the Author
Liz King, owner of Liz King Events has been in the events business since 2003 and has produced events such as Media Networking Night at Columbia University, Living It Up at Metro Community Church, and many other corporate and social events.
Liz is extremely detail oriented and an expert at all things logistical. Best of all, her event planning career began in the Not-for-Profit sector so she is most known for throwing extravagant gatherings for every budget!
In addition to planning, Liz is very involved with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social networks to promote events and collaborate with other event professionals. She maintains her personal social network and also helped to launch Columbia University's Center for Career Education Facebook and Twitter accounts in 2008. She currently works with staff to reach over 1,000 students through these tools.
Links
Liz King Events
