From the outside, it might look like becoming a professional of any kind is a straightforward, if expensive, process. Get a degree or similar qualification, get a suitable job and get lots of experience so you can progress. All very privileged and elitist, apparently.
If only it were that simple. But it's not.
The problem with qualifications is that they age quickly, and it's easy to find yourself in a job that doesn't expand your skills, indeed many are happy for you to stagnate as long as you keep working. This means you need to find other ways to keep improving.
Continuous Professional Development is part of the career of any professional; doctors, surgeons, lawyers, engineers etc. all have to keep their skills up to date. This can be done in a variety of ways, but typically include:
- Attending (or producing) courses
- Reading (Books, blogs, white papers etc.)
- Writing articles, especially peer-reviewed ones
- Mentoring other professionals
- Producing presentations, for example at conferences
- Designing and building a suitably complex software system
If you don't want the biennial request for a summary of your CPD to trigger a flurry of "Where did I put the notes? Did I write any notes? When did I do this? What have I been doing for the last two years?" then you should keep a running record of everything you do that could even possibly count as CPD. This is one of the reasons that engineers usually keep a log book, containing their day-to-day problems, decisions, and experiences. When the CPD record request turns up, it's just a matter of transferring information from one place to another.
You might not be a member of an institution or association that requires CPD, but keeping a record of your professional development and achievements is always a good thing. If you keep it updated regularly, every time you learn something or do something interesting at work, you'll end up with a record of everything you've done that's worth bragging about. That's why this is sometimes called a brag book.
This Seems Like A Lot Of Effort. Why Should I Bother Doing It?
There are plenty of reasons why a CPD record/brag book might be useful. For example, most companies ask you to list your achievements as part of your yearly performance review process. Rather than struggling to remember what, if anything, you've managed to do, you can just look through your record and see what went on. You might work at the sort of place where what you've written doesn't make any difference, but in that case at least you minimized the effort you had to put in.
If your employer decides to fire you/let you go/improve profits, you've already got an advantage over your ex-colleagues. Your records will contain up-to-the-minute details of your best work, ready for you to update your resume simply and effectively. It also gives you an advantage over the type who patronizingly asks something like "So, do you have X years of experience, or X lots of one year's experience?". You'll be able to look them straight in the eye, give them documentary proof that you know what you're talking about, maybe copies of approvals from professional institutions, and watch the smile fade from their smug face.
When Should I Update My Record?
Update your records whenever you do anything that might be worth noting. If you need to keep formal CPD records, they should normally be grouped into sections describing what you did and, unlike a brag book, reflections on what you have learned or achieved from each thing that you've done.
Brag books are less formal, being mostly a list of what you've achieved. Any improvements you made to systems go in there, as does anything else that seems vaguely interesting. Don't forget to make detailed notes if you experience one of those popular questions that interviewers love: did you successfully deal with a difficult person? Make notes. Did you make a mistake and manage to correct it? Of course you did! Make notes. Did you make or save a lot of money for the company? Make notes.
Summary
It's easy to cruise through work without making notes, just doing tasks as they come along. This is fine until your situation changes, and you suddenly have to remember what you did.
Keep notes of everything. If you're lucky, you won't need to use them until you're looking for a new job. If you're unlucky, you'll find they're a very useful insurance policy.
