Suggestions from IAAP
Education & Professional Development Manager Susan Fenner
Ph.D.
Attend classes at a
community college, or at a business, vocational, or
technical school. There has been a recent trend toward
offering courses that are independent of a degree program
and lead to specific proficiencies. Another innovation at
educational institutions has been the recognition and
accommodation of a working person's schedule…Many schools
now have resource labs that allow you to learn at your own
pace and convenience. Many times these labs are libraries,
so they're open for extended hours.
Touch base with your
human resource department as you're checking out your
opportunities. One of the most underused employee benefits
is tuition-reimbursement.
Subscribe to
professional publications and personal computer magazines.
Look for those that best help you learn leading-edge skills.
Locate self-tutorial
programs. As a training vehicle, the self-tutorial is
extremely attractive, especially for learning software.
They're usually quite affordable and allow the pace of
learning as well as the timing to be individualized.
Join professional
organizations. In organizations you can network with other
office professionals and get feedback on how others handled
certain problems.
Get on mailing lists.
You'll especially benefit from the continuing education
mailings from your local schools. If you don't like having a
full mailbox, look for course listings in your local papers.
Check out the
Internet. Administrative professionals can congregate in
"virtual communities" to exchange information and
find out about upcoming training and other events. They can
get solutions to problems and share in what others have been
discovering.
Expand your horizons.
Sometimes the most valuable resources come from outside your
industry. Searching beyond your present bailiwick may steer
you into a whole new direction.
