Step 3: Find Professional Development
There are many ways to meet your professional development goals, including:
- Webinars or workshops
- UMass Boston courses
- Certification exam preparation and exam fees
- Professional associations & organizations
- Self-paced or asynchronous online training
- Industry Conferences
- Online educational audio and video services
- Books
UMass Boston is a member of EDUCAUSE and Nercomp, which gives us big discounts in attending events hosted by these groups. Because of that, it’s encouraged to check for relevant professional development opportunities offered by them.
As benefited employees, we also get a HUGE discount on courses here at UMass Boston, assuming you find something relevant and you can commit to that much time.
However, these are not limitations. As shown in the list above, almost anything that advance your abilities as an IT employee could work if you can justify it. Get to some googling and find some opportunities that would meet your goals.
Allow for sufficient time between approval and registration to take advantage of “early bird” rates. Also note: If the professional development is an out-of-state and overnight event, you must register with the Terra Dotta system one month before you leave, and the Learn IT approvals must be done before then, so don’t wait! Learn more about Terra Dotta at the Controller’s Travel Registry page.
Ready to move on? The last step is to Request Professional Development