Thursday, April 26, 2012

Professional Development - 2012

In addition to making use of my benefits plan this year, I'm also giving myself a "raise" by taking part in as many professional development opportunities as I can.

Between Kindergarten and O.A.C. (Grade 13 in Ontario) I was enrolled in French Immersion.  I learned how to read in French before English, learned subjects like Math and History in French, and had no problem writing and speaking to Francophones.  Now, I speak French slowly, and often pull out my French/English dictionary for words I used to be able to remember. 

A couple of months ago I spoke to my boss about the possibility of taking French classes to improve my skills at work.  He was supportive and said to let him know how much courses/books/parking would cost and we'd make room in the budget for them.

So, as of next week I'll be taking French classes at Algonquin College!!  I'll take another class in the Fall (I'd end up missing 4-6 classes in the summer because of my trip to Europe, so it wasn't worth it. 

I can add another $1,000 (approximately) to my "raise" this year!


Does your employer offer Professional Development opportunities?

4 comments:

  1. Hmm interesting! I wish my work did this.

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  2. That's fantastic! Work gave me $5,000 towards school, with an agreement that I would work within the organization until the end of 2013. I don't have to stay in my particular position or office but can't leave the organization. I think it'll be worth it!

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  3. I work for a university, so they are big on professional development. I'm currently working towards my second degree, pretty much for free (I pay those annoying extra fees). For my particular department they are always sending people to conferences or workshops as well.

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  4. @Cait - Would be great if the Bold Academy could be classified as Professional Development!

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