Understanding the Principles of Professional Development - Personal Statement Example

Understanding the principles of professional development The importance of improving knowledge and practice continually I will improve my knowledge and practices continuously to become aware of the existing issues in relation to guidelines, ethics, care standards and for good practice. The knowledge that i acquire at onset is not always enough, and this calls for improvement to familiarize myself with what I learnt some days back. Being that I am still in the foundation stage, I need to improve my knowledge to scale higher the ladder. Improving knowledge and practices continuously is also important in making me update the information I learnt. In daily life, practices keep on changing with the ongoing researches that give new findings. Procedures and practice changes with time, hence, i need to be in continuous knowledge improvement and practices in order to be up to date with current knowledge. Updating my knowledge will give me a chance to perform my roles effectively since I adopt improved ways of doing things. I will also use this knowledge to update my staffs. More so, updating knowledge and practices leads to developing new skills, which I can use to complete the assigned duty. It also gives room for progress and higher achievements within the given career. Individuals who continuously improve their knowledge and practices have higher chances of achievement compared to those who rarely improve their skills. Therefore, I plan to enjoy the benefits of improved knowledge and skills, as it will help me improve on what I do. Additionally, it helps me to improve my role as a manager. It ensures that I am effective in carrying out the role I am assigned. It also increases my employability and progress for promotion since I am a junior manager. This may is applicable in my case because I aspire to move in other higher positions. Potential barriers to individual professional developments One of the barriers to my professional development is the fear. Sometimes I feel I will be mocked. These make me relent my decisions to promote professional developments. Sometimes I become afraid of change, as this will make me change the perception i give and my relation to people in the society. More so, the biggest fear emanates from the fear of failing. I like to affiliate with success, making me afraid of trying if it may lead to failures. This makes me refrain since I believe that I cannot fail if I do not try. Secondly, lack of discipline and laziness is a barrier to personal growth and development. Individuals need to work hard for their own change. Change is because of the individual’s development and growth, which is also a key goal. However, lazy individuals do not pursue long-term goals as they give up on the process. They may see the change as not worth the struggle hence giving up. Similarly, lack of discipline, which lead one to engage in vices that demote personal development and growth. Individuals who are undisciplined tend to associate with activities, acting in the opposite of self-improvement and this bar them from growing and self-development. Thirdly, lack of support is a barrier to some individuals as well as me. Sometimes I feel I cannot make it on my own, hence needs someone to push me to reach the goals. Similarly, I rely on people such as family members, friends. I may feel that family and friends are against my plans of succeeding hence may need others to push on my behalf. Additionally, lack of resources is a barrier i need time and money depending with the field in which i aim. I do not have the resources like money and time, which can aid my personal growth and development. I depend on the little income i get from my job and much of my time is spent working. This poses a challenge in self-development since I have inadequate resources. Lastly, perfectionism becomes a barrier to perfect people who believe things should be done in a perfect way. They have the notion that they either do it in a perfect way or do not do it. Because of this, I sometimes miss the chance of self-development in situations where I feel imperfect. My attitude leads me to no change, as one cannot always be perfect. Comparison of different sources and systems of supporting professional development There are different sources and systems, which supports professional developments. Each of them has its advantages and disadvantages hence calling for an evaluation. Similarly, they will depend on the professional goal that an individual wants to achieve. Some of the sources and systems include in house training, appraisal and development plans, colleges and training organizations, and inductions. Induction is a source for supporting professional as it gives the individual the basics, which one needs to have. Induction also entails giving information regarding what expected in performing the task is. This helps in developing professionalism since he or she will understand better the work and achieve the goals. Appraisal and development plans are also a source of professional development as it equips one with the knowledge, skills and experience. Appraisal evaluates the individuals, which helps one to know his or her weaknesses and strength. Because of this, it gives room for improvement as individual works on the weaknesses. Similarly, the motivation that comes with it is essential for personal growth, and it makes individual meets their targets. In house training is another source for professional development. It entails training individuals on the task they are to perform. This gives them the opportunity to work on the skills and to equip themselves with knowledge that they will use in completing the assignments. When one is trained on a duty, he or she develops competence leading to professional development. Colleges and training organizations help individuals develop professionalism through specialization. Individual is taught on specific subjects of their interest, which helps them improve on their skills and knowledge on that particular area. Similarly, colleges and other training organizations provide choices to individuals where they can choose what works to their best interest. This increases the individual’s professionalism development, since one does what best suits his or her interest. Because of this, the goals will be achieved. The above sources and system sources are different with one another in the way they support professional development. Induction and appraisal development plans are fixed and give an individual a fixed chance to develop professionalism. On the other hand, in house-training and colleges and training organizations offer diverse areas of specialization for individuals to choose. Factors to consider when selecting opportunities and activities for updating knowledge and practice One of the factors to consider is the individual’s mission and vision. One should consider updating his or her knowledge and practice in case of long career journey. It makes no sense when one updates knowledge and he or she are leaving the career or profession. One’s mission should determine updating the knowledge and career since it will lead to acquiring professionalism. Secondly, one needs to consider the available resource. Some opportunities require many resources such as time and money. This may be a barrier, as an individual may not complete the long journey. Therefore, an individual needs to do a self-evaluation of the resources within his or her disposal as well as those required to complete the activity. Time span is another factor critical in this activity. One should choose an activity that requires few durations to complete. Other activities take long, and this may discourage individuals. Similarly, some may take long until the opportunities surpass the individual. Works Cited Milles, Richard. Personal development growth. New York: Clinton Gilkie, 2010. Print. Ritcher, Linda. Barriers to personal growth and development. 20111. Web. 2014. Read More