How To Measure Professional Growth

You may want to measure your professional growth for your own personal knowledge or you may want to measure your professional growth so you can develop a plan of action to move forward in your profession.

The three questions you will need to ask yourself and be able to answer before you start measuring your professional growth are:

1. "Where did I start?"
2. "Where am I now?"
3. "Where am I going?"

You have probably grown more in your profession than you realize. To truly measure your growth you need to know where you started. List both the related and unrelated skills, education, and experiences that you had when you started in your profession. Look over your resume, ask co-workers, and ask others who know you for their input. This will provide your base.

To measure your professional growth, next you will need to gather the following information:

• Continuing education seminars, college courses, training, classes, and any other types of education which are related or unrelated to your profession
• In house training-any training or classes offered by your employers (past or present)
• Positions held-job requirements and qualifications
• Volunteer positions-even if not related to profession, if it included organizing, leading, or heading groups/committees it should be included
• Experience-related experience on the job or off the job.

When you compare the two lists, you will see the progress or lack of progress you have made. It is the rare individual that can accurately estimate their growth. Measuring your professional growth will allow you to have an accurate view of where you are in your professional career.

Now that you know where you started and where you are...now what? Before you can go to the next step, you will need to decide where you are heading professionally. Reach for the stars when you set your goals for your future. It doesn't matter if you want to move up with the company you are with, want a specific position with another company, or want to go into business for yourself, you'll need to know the following about the desired position:

• Educational requirements
• Experience required
• Optional experience

After a self-evaluation and measuring of your professional growth, you'll discover what is needed for you to reach your final goals in your profession. With this knowledge, you can set a time line to accomplish the steps necessary to proceed with your professional growth.