I’ve recently registered for ’23 Things for Professional Development’, a self-directed course aimed at introducing a range of tools and activities to boost continued professional development for librarians and information professionals. I’m currently completing my Master’s in Library and Information Science, so this course is ideal to become aware of and explore professional development activities which can help me grow skills, knowledge and experience beyond university.
I may have touched on my library beginnings before, but for the purpose of this post I’ll briefly outline my previous experience. I landed my first library job in aviation at a regional airline as a Technical Librarian. Since then I’ve learnt an enormous amount about the industry, my potential place in it, as well as embraced opportunities to apply what I’ve learnt throughout my Master’s course to my role and the technical library. I plan to stay in the aviation industry for some time, until my mark is made and my work is done…….there’s heaps to do. 🙂
My approach to career planning (which I think calls for a post of its own) is about preparing for opportunities. As this profession keeps evolving and job roles and titles constantly change, I don’t find a definitive career path, plan or goals relevant to me. Sometimes I wish I was an engineer or accountant, so I could say I’d like to be a commercial manager on a mine site or a project manager in civil engineering, and have a clear pathway. It’s not as easy as that in library and information science. The best I think I can do is prepare for roles and opportunities that align with my skills – what I’m currently developing, as well as those I’d like to acquire – experience and professional interests.
My purpose for participating in “cpd23” is to become aware of various professional development activities that can potentially contribute to my continual learning, and to try “things” out to find what will work for me. I already share my learning with this blog and will continue to do so. It’s likely I will not feel the need to reflect and post on every “thing” that is described and discussed throughout the course. I will however, share my thoughts and reflection about what is relevant to me and my learning.
I’m looking forward to reading and commenting on other participants’ posts. I hope to expand my personal learning network by involving myself in discussions and providing support to others. Whether participants are experienced bloggers, librarians or techies, or just beginning their careers, my advice is to get involved in the conversation. Don’t just post your reflections. Give advice, share thoughts and help each other. It may be daunting at first but the benefits are invaluable.
To other participants, you can catch me here or on Twitter @acrystelle. Join the conversation, follow @cpd23!
