Posted by Megan Moyer
How do you continue to expand your knowledge and grow in your profession or industry? As a young marketer, I was a member of local chapters of national professional marketing associations where I participated in or led committees to learn skills and hone talents that I wasn’t necessarily flexing at my job. I left those organizations early in my thirties, mostly due to job transitions, but still value the investment today.
I’ve also attended the occasional seminar to pick up new ideas or insights. These were typically one-day sessions that offer general overviews drawn quite broadly so they would have relevance to everyone in the room.
In either case, it wasn’t only the content of the events that I found beneficial. It was also making connections with other people in my field that faced similar challenges and shared potential solutions. Networking was definitely a bonus, but more than that, getting a vendor recommendation, or an idea of another option I may not have been aware of was really valuable. Especially when I was working in small companies of 10 or less, where resources to bounce ideas off of weren’t abundant.
At this stage in my career, in addition to reading daily enews, I tend to look for educational webinars to keep up with innovations in marketing and our industry. Webinars are great because they are barely an interruption to your day. Oftentimes they are scheduled over lunch hours so you can lunch ‘n’ learn. What I miss is the interaction with other professionals who are trying to figure out the same thing I am. Often an outsider looking in can come up with a fresh idea that I haven’t yet considered.
As we plan our educational offerings for 2014, I’d welcome hearing what topics you are interested in and what your favored delivery method is.
