Developing as a Professional

by Christin

One of the many things we focus on here at the CPDC is fostering students’ professional development through a number of different means.  “Professional development” is such a broad term, and it can refer to a number of different things: college coursework, attending workshops, informal learning opportunities, and so on.  Truly, in almost every interaction with students, I am seeking to help them develop professional skills and values which they will use in their careers.

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to engage in some of my own professional development by attending the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) national convention in Baltimore, MD.  This conference is geared toward practitioners, educators, and graduate students in the student affairs field.  I didn’t know what to expect, as this was my first major student affairs conference, but I was definitely excited.

So how was it?

My response to people who ask about the conference has been pretty standard: “I learned a lot.  I met a lot of new people.  I had fun.”  Duh.  Great answer, Christin. 

Really, though, I DID learn a lot.  I’m a huge nerd, but since I’ve been back in school I haven’t been as excited about learning as I hoped or expected I would be.  However, attending this conference and going to sessions about current research in the field of higher education re-ignited my desire to learn, think, and generate new ideas.  I again felt like that undergrad I once knew (all of two years ago… I’m so nostalgic) who loved to think about the “big questions” and generate her own thoughts about them.  I’ve even started to develop a possible research topic if I ever decide to get my PhD: relating Baxter-Magola’s Model of Epistemological Reflection to students’ spiritual development and religiosity…I know, you’re immediately intrigued, right?

I also DID meet a lot of new people.  I’m always telling my students to network, network, network.  Literally, I just say that and leave them to figure out how to do it.  (Kidding).  But this gave me an opportunity to practice what I preach.  For an introvert like me, networking is hard!  However, it’s important and totally worth it.  I came home with a ton of great new ideas, contacts, and LinkedIn connections all from engaging in a little bit of networking.

In these ways, the conference was refreshing; I was reminded of why I enjoy this field, and I was able to share that experience with 3,000+ other people who feel the same way.  However, the conference was also totally exhausting!  Late nights, early mornings, day-long sessions, and an infection I picked up from the hotel (yeah, disgusting) really wore me down.  But despite that it was such a worthwhile professional development experience.  When I’m in the daily grind, I forget how important opportunities like this are, and this week was a really good reminder.