Professional and personal growth is the most difficult task! Career and professional growth: is there a difference? What is better career growth professional
The vast majority of people living on our planet work. Of these, in turn, most work every day, with rare days off at the end of the week. But not all people who have a profession and a paid position improve in their position as professionals. Our article explains how to do this and what it is.
What does professional growth mean?
This is the qualitative improvement of oneself as a worker and creator, as a responsible and executive worker. Regardless of what field a person works in, he can do his job poorly, satisfactorily, well and brilliantly.
Genius, perhaps, cannot be learned - it either exists or it doesn’t, and it can be revealed only in the case of a successful combination of circumstances, when a person throughout his life successfully develops in himself exactly those qualities to which his soul is drawn, to which there is an orientation personality.
But absolutely everyone can rise from the level of a bad or mediocre employee to a valuable and excellent one.
Yes, indeed, opportunities for high-quality professional growth are open to absolutely everyone - although not to every person in every field of activity. Sometimes you need to rethink yourself and your occupation, perhaps change workplace– and only then will it be realized.
Careers are not always made by professionals
First, decide what is better and more desirable for you – career growth or professional growth. This is not exactly the same thing, since career growth can often involve promotion career ladder through not entirely honest methods - nepotism, favoritism, family ties, bribes, intimate relationships.
Despite the fact that both the state and academic and pedagogical circles constantly promote the rejection of these methods, which they summarize with the concept of corruption, we can say with confidence that they are not dinosaurs and they are not in danger of extinction. It may well happen that a less talented employee will overtake you in one of these ways.
Or you, having sacrificed your principles, will do this. Be that as it may, prospects for professional advancement often depend on the personal determination to pursue them, often against short-term material benefits or interests.
Career growth also often involves expanding the employee’s powers and mastering new skills – but more with an emphasis on the employer’s benefit and the company’s interest. It is more noticeable to the employee's friends and family because it comes with changes such as increasing wages, the acquisition of class and social privileges, sometimes a transition to a more prestigious social class. Careerism is often similar to manic fixation - it is addictive, and it is not without reason that many similar gambling activities match it.
It may be preferred by young people who have just graduated from educational institutions and are wondering where to start a career. Very mercantile people who value material wealth and associated amenities so highly that they are ready to do work that is not interesting to them or tolerate a conflict-ridden, eccentric boss.
You can also recall various kinds of family affairs and business projects that parents pass on to their children and they are often forced to give their all to them, not sparing themselves, even despite their natural biological and psychological predispositions. Of course, if family business is quite successful and in demand in his niche, the material benefits he produces can allow you to happily combine career growth with professional growth, and expand the opportunities for your self-development.
It's important to grow as a person
Professional and personal growth often go hand in hand, since improving oneself as a creator of material things cannot but improve a person’s spiritual state, mood and attitude towards others.
As in all matters, moderation is needed here. Therefore, it is better not to go too far and not to concentrate absolutely all your thoughts and energy on work, otherwise, instead of a balanced, integral personality, you may turn out to be an unsociable, self-absorbed loner. Personal progress is, broadly speaking, improving your personal understanding of the world and your place in it.
Like any improvement, skill growth has its own stages. They can be accelerated thanks to the presence of a friendly, comfortable team in the workplace, thanks to responsible management and an understanding family. They can be delayed or stopped completely if everyone is not very lucky.
So, what stages of consistent professional growth do we know:
As you can see, the stages are generally intuitive and similar to many things in this life. We can say that in work a person also experiences the seasons - spring, summer, autumn and winter.
All that remains is to wish you not to linger too long in spring, to extend summer and autumn as long as possible, and not to be left with an empty barn in winter!
Career growth remains a rather abstract concept for many people. Attention should be paid to the fact that any growth is impossible without development, and therefore many could feel that the position they hold does not allow them to realize their potential. There is a feeling as if you are standing still, and this cannot be allowed.
Every employee must understand one fundamental thing. Career growth will depend not only on the desires and personal preferences of the boss himself, but also on the goals pursued by the person himself. The clearer the plan, the more likely it is to get the best position in a given company.
Employees who show determination and know how to organize and structure the company’s activities will always strive to improve their positions. They are only interested in those vacancies that have the opportunity for career growth. This is the only way to develop your level of professionalism, honing the necessary skills in practice.
To summarize, we can say that a career comes down not only to the personal preferences of the boss, but also to the potential of the employee himself. Only the coordinated activities of the manager and subordinate will achieve truly great results in the development of the company.
What should you focus on?
Professional growth is not attractive to every person: some people like their current position, have no ambitions to get a new one, and others are not able to cope with the assigned tasks. In any case, each person will have his own individual goals in company:
- Someone wants to go out new level income.
- For some, it is important to satisfy their ambitions and increase their social status.
In many ways, people choose a combination of the goals described above and begin to implement them. Career growth has an individual style and involves solving the company's tasks. Despite the complexity of the issue under consideration, some typical trends can be identified that are correlated by gender.
Men, as a rule, begin building their careers, focusing on “climbing” the hierarchical ladder. Final goal- a leadership position, and therefore the maximum amount of effort will be applied. As for women, they can show a mediocre attitude towards the company itself for a long time, gradually developing the level of their professionalism. Many are surprised when representatives of the fair sex become great directors in a short period of time.
How can you grow?
Career growth is multifaceted, and therefore a misconception is often heard in society that says that development in a company is only possible vertically. It may seem to many that a career is presented in the form of a ladder, where a higher position acts as a step.
It is worth noting that career development is also possible in a horizontal direction. Professional growth is based on the development of skills and qualifications necessary to improve effectiveness within the current position. Horizontal development has its own characteristics, which are often forgotten.
The employee is transferred to a position adjacent to the position held, and the income level remains the same or increases slightly. For example, a marketing employee can move to another department and sign contracts, if before that he only worked business communication with partners. Of course, professional growth should not keep you waiting.
It must be recalled that horizontal development does not prohibit vertical growth: after a specialist learns the specifics of the work of related departments of the company, he can become its manager, or combine several roles in his candidacy.
Vertical growth begins both within the organization itself and throughout the industry. Everything will depend on the employees’ goals and a strong desire to develop. Most careerists prefer the second option. Development within the entire industry and this decision is due to the constant increase in income received. The current place of work does not always satisfy the needs of the employee, then he goes in search of a new place.
But before you go on a “career journey”, you need to understand that professional growth will last more than one year and during this time drastic changes will occur. As world practice shows, many popular industries that were on a wave of popularity quickly went bankrupt in the 90s and disappeared from the market. If you want to earn high incomes and make responsible decisions for yourself, then professional growth is the right choice.
Factors influencing the result
We must start with the fact that career advancement is impossible without obtaining the appropriate educational level. In addition, it must meet international standards and graduating from such universities is not always easy. Some professions simply won't allow for "vertical ascent" unless higher education. For example, an accountant, no matter how hard he tries, will never take the position of chief accountant until he has the appropriate educational level.
Of course, the role of higher education is quite large, since it reflects a certain set of professional knowledge, which can be used in the labor process. In addition, it is easier for superiors to find contact with their subordinates if appropriate confirmation of the quality of knowledge is received. We must not forget that professional growth is impossible without constant self-education.
The next factor that is of great importance for a potential careerist is efficiency. But in this matter, extreme care should be taken, since irregular working hours are assessed ambiguously by the manager. He may think that the person is not completing the work on time, and this will indicate a lack of appropriate planning skills. No one wants to promote a specialist who does his job poorly.
Everyday professional growth plays a big role, but not the decisive one. You can continually improve by staying in the same position for many years. How to get out of this situation? You need to understand that today's market is constantly evolving and many companies need people who can increase profitability or take a new market share. The manager understands that professional and career growth are the same, and therefore only a few deserve promotion.
As soon as it becomes clear that the employee brings obvious benefits, the lack of dynamic growth will lead to the loss of valuable personnel, and this cannot be allowed. Only key employees are very popular, both among management and colleagues.
Among the negative factors are:
- intrigue;
- dissemination of deliberately false information;
- currying favor with management, etc.
As practice shows, such people begin to spoil the internal atmosphere, but a lot of money is spent annually on team unity. An experienced manager will question the effectiveness of an employee who spreads rumors. Most likely, the efficiency of his work is low, and therefore there is time for other activities. Lack of motivation, punctuality and low efficiency will lead to early dismissal.
What development plan should I draw up?
As mentioned earlier, a career is the combined result of an employee and an employer. The vast majority of successfully growing companies strive to ensure that their employees constantly develop. A plan is mandatory; it helps to build a clear vector for further activities.
There are several development plans. For example, one organization has a standard plan, and promotion will be received after achieving certain indicators or the onset of a time period, while another does not have a standardized approach and the opportunity for growth is available to every person.
If none of the options are being considered at your current place of work, you can take the initiative and communicate with management. This approach will clearly demonstrate interest in the development of the organization.
Each person consciously writes a career plan, which he continues to follow throughout his many years of work. Your direction must be adjusted depending on the changing state of the market.
Definition of career growth
It's no secret that modern system advanced training of education workers is developing, improving, and updating very quickly. Almost everything is guided by the energy of the teacher himself, which, in turn, specifically depends on his own career aspirations, established professional goals and objectives, and personal needs.
Career growth can be defined in different ways, but in its most general view it means a path of official or professional advancement deliberately chosen and implemented by an employee, which guarantees the professional and social self-affirmation of a person in accordance with the level of his qualifications. In psychological and pedagogical science, the problem of career growth was dealt with by E. Shein, M. V. Alexandrova, D. A. Ashirov, V. G. Polyakov, B. Z. Vulfov, S. D. Reznik, etc. The concept of a career has been developed quite thoroughly in organization management. So, for example, in 1971, Dr. E. Schein of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology made a proposal to consider a career in an organization in the form of a three-dimensional cone. E. Shane emphasizes that career planning is a slow process of developing professional self-concept and self-determination in determining personal capabilities, talents, motives, needs, relationships and values. A successful career depends not only on the motives and motivations of a particular individual, but also on opportunities.
In Russian pedagogy, until recently, the concept of “career” was not actually used, and basically the word “career” had a negative semantic connotation. IN last years this negative connotation began to disappear. At the moment, a person “making a career” is viewed rather as having an orientation towards realizing personal and professional potential.
For a long time, only those careers that involved upward mobility were considered successful. But for one person, success is advancement in accordance with the ascending levels of the hierarchy; for another, it is the likelihood of creativity and mastery within the confines of the position held. Therefore, now the word “career” in general and in the education system in particular is understood in two senses: a) vertical career, which involves moving up the career ladder; b) horizontal career, reflecting the continuation of the teacher’s professional abilities in the absence of a change in his place in the hierarchy of official positions. A number of researchers believe that horizontal and vertical careers are not only different methods of life in the profession, but also different methods of life in general.
Horizontal professional growth is accompanied by a feeling of professional independence, self-organization and inexhaustibility of the position held. An example of a horizontal career can be the acquisition of competencies that are not typical for teachers. Teacher in English creates his own website on which he talks with his students, thereby increasing the learning properties of the provided advanced training course. Another teacher is mastering Newest technologies and achieves such that he becomes the creator of a multimedia electronic textbook.
A horizontal career of a teacher can develop under specific organizational and pedagogical criteria, which include:
- manager's point of view;
- the presence of external characteristics of the success of moving into a specialty (merits, results of research activities, etc.);
- the presence of an adequate assessment system, its correlation with the values of a particular employee;
- assistance and stimulation of creativity;
- formation of reflexive and creative properties.
Specifically now, when the State Program for the Development of Education for 2011-2020 is being successfully implemented, enormous abilities are being revealed for those teachers who do not want to leave their favorite job, who sincerely love to teach and understand how to do it masterfully. The implementation of the provided program creates conditions for career growth opportunities such as stimulating teachers who actively implement modern educational technologies; municipal assistance to young and professional teachers; approval of the best teachers. And this, in turn, provokes teachers to study the latest ways methodological work, scientific study, awareness of the significance of one’s practical activities.
Recently, the number of teachers who have decided to engage in research work has increased significantly, which also contributes to their career advancement. Naturally, this feature is still relatively small in the system of advanced training, but the rise in the number of teachers eager to increase their own competence through research activity has increased significantly.
These are just some of the career opportunities for a modern teacher. Obviously, there are other ways to establish and develop a career in the education system, since a career should be considered not only as climbing the administrative ladder, but as a possibility of becoming a successful specialist in one’s own activities.
Professional growth
Considering the career growth of a teacher as a dynamic process, it is necessary to note that it is directly related to professional growth as personal readiness for self-development and self-improvement within the existing professional activity. Professional growth means development, integration and implementation in pedagogical work professionally important personal properties and capabilities, professional knowledge and skills, functional high-quality transformation by a person of his own inner world, leading to a consciously new way of life.
The main role in professional growth belongs to the teacher personally, his expectations, and ideas about his work future.
Nowadays, a teaching career requires special attention. The progressive community is not indifferent to who will work with teachers: a dispassionate performer or a professional striving to maximize his own creative potential. This dictates the need for research and implementation in educational sphere concepts, programs and models for designing a career for the teaching staff of the IPK, aimed at helping, supporting, encouraging and using all the real abilities of his career growth.
The following stages of teacher professional growth can be distinguished: pedagogical skill, mastery, creativity, innovation.
Pedagogical skill is the basis of a teacher’s skill, in the absence of which it is impossible to operate in school. It is based on the necessary theoretical and practical training teachers, which is provided in teacher training institutions and continues to be polished and improved in school.
The next stage of teacher professional growth is considered to be teaching skills. Pedagogical skill as a high-quality characteristic of a teacher’s teaching and educational activities is the teaching and educational skill that he has brought to the highest degree of perfection. Naturally, in order to develop pedagogical skills, the teacher must have the necessary natural abilities, a good voice, hearing, external charm, etc. But, despite the fundamental meaning of these natural, personal data that contribute to successful pedagogical activity, the acquired properties play a decisive role.
Pedagogical creativity has significant specificity. Pedagogical creativity includes specific components of novelty, but most often this novelty is associated not so much with the promotion of new thoughts and fundamentals of study and teaching, but with the modification of methods of teaching and educational work, their specific modernization.
Pedagogical innovation is considered the highest level of a teacher’s professional activity. Pedagogical innovation includes the introduction and implementation of the latest, modern thoughts, foundations and methods into the process of learning and teaching and significantly changes and increases their quality.
It is a mistake to think that professional growth provokes career growth - this is not always the case. Moreover, it is not the same thing.
Although both terms imply personal evolution, development in the work plane and mastering new heights, there is a difference between them. This is a movement in different directions - up, in depth and sometimes even in breadth.
At the beginning labor activity a person must soberly assess his potential, weigh his desires on one side of the scale and his character traits on the other, and choose his only path.
The professional path moves linearly, not upward. At the same time, from afar it may seem that a person is standing still, frozen and not interested in career steps.
However, its development goes either into the depth of the specialty, or towards increasing its own competencies. As a rule, they choose one branch without trying to master them in parallel.
Diving deep into the profession gives maximum understanding of one of its areas: as a result, a person becomes the only highly specialized specialist in his city. 
As a bonus, he receives a circle of loyal clients - fans of his professionalism. Such people are always in demand: they know how to achieve excellent, unique results at minimal cost!
Increasing your competence allows you to master the profession from all angles, perspectives and sides, in all its magnificent diversity, and become truly a jack of all trades.
In fact, the employee increases the level of all competencies in his arsenal related to a specific specialty and becomes a more perfect, “universal soldier.”
The employee begins to be valued in professional circles, he is offered positions in other, larger companies, and his salary and respect increase.
Professional growth is possible in every specialty and inevitably leads to improved working conditions.
Thus, a translator who simply speaks two languages will always be inferior to a person with knowledge of economic, medical and business vocabulary, with an in-depth understanding of dialects and the practice of quick translations in the field.
To learn how to do something better, better, more modern, faster than others, you need to spend time improving yourself.
Namely, for additional education, internships in metropolitan companies, foreign internships, seminars, master classes, communication with experienced professionals and the study of literature.
Many companies independently improve the skills of their employees - they organize trainings, pay for courses, and invite specialists from other countries to exchange experience.
If you are striving for professional growth (and at the same time want to be noticed by management), such opportunities cannot be refused!
Career growth involves gradual upward movement. With each new level, the breadth of authority and area of responsibility increases, reputation, social status and salary increase, and certain privileges appear.
In order to meet the next new role, a person is obliged to comprehend the unfamiliar basics of different professions and acquire new competencies.
He has to delve deeper into processes that are far from his personal specialization, understand the functions of others, see the whole picture, the movement of all the gears in a specific business mechanism.
With each step upward the horizons of the applicant for more high position is expanding. Along with it, managerial competence, the ability to lead people and soberly evaluate the results of work grow. 
You should start moving up gradually: everyone can do this, not just a select few. Ordinary office worker can invest in additional education and expand the area of his interests.
Over time, he will include “ additional options» – document management, economics, management, jurisprudence, foreign languages, programming, technical proficiency.
And in the end, there will be another, better-paid position for him, which was waiting for just such a set of competencies, and his colleagues will remain sitting at their computers for a small salary.
Over time, he will grow into a big boss and fulfill his dream.
Career growth is considered more prestigious; it is noticeable immediately and from afar: a person was an ordinary clerk and suddenly became the head of a department, and then a deputy director. What a takeoff!
However, in order to stay in a high position and not stumble, you will have to continue your internal development and hold tightly to the leather chair.
At the same time, the professional path is more stable and reliable: narrow specialists are always in demand, which guarantees a constant clientele, a salary adequate to their skills and confidence in the “tomorrow”.
You can build a career in just enough time short time if you put a lot of effort into it. If you correctly understand and use your capabilities, develop yourself and make useful contacts, you can quickly become a respected professional and ensure career growth.
Why do you need to develop your career?
Rapid career growth, a highly paid position, a manager's chair - this is what most workers dream of. However, this can only be achieved with some effort. You will have to constantly learn, improve and develop skills in your chosen and related fields.
Define your professional growth goal – what motivates you? Some want to become leaders, others are tired of sitting in the same place and are hungry for development, for others, material goals are fundamental. Only after you have decided on the incentives that drive you can you...
If you want to receive leadership position, you will have to learn to manage people. This is an entire art that needs to be constantly improved. A talented leader is not one who tells subordinates what to do, but one who can quickly understand all processes, competently build a work system and distribute responsibilities. You also need to be able to motivate staff to achieve common goals.
Those who have stayed in one place and want to move forward must clearly understand their plan for professional growth. You need to understand whether you want to continue your career and professional growth in your chosen field or whether you want to do something new. We need to look for opportunities that can - advanced training courses, trainings, second education. Study literature, communicate with colleagues, go to thematic exhibitions - all this will contribute to your growth of professional skills.
If your goal is high earnings, you need to think not only about money, but also about the quality of work. Show consistently high KPI, improve yourself, complete any project at a high professional level. Good workers do not go unnoticed, soon you will be entrusted with more complex and responsible tasks that will be better paid. With due diligence, the ability to correctly apply your skills and distribute work time your career growth will develop quite quickly.
Is education necessary?
Many people ask the question: is education necessary as a form of professional growth, will it help in further career development, or does experience decide everything? Education is definitely necessary, because you are gaining experience and knowledge that will be useful in. In addition, the employer looks not only at the skills in the resume, but also at the basic and additional education.
However, you need to be very careful when choosing an educational program. If you want to enter higher education educational institution, choose best universities with the highest rating, otherwise you risk wasting several years. University is not only knowledge, but also new useful acquaintances. The higher the ranking of a university, the more professionals there are high level, not only theorists, but also practitioners.
Find out about advanced training courses and additional opportunities vocational education In your city. It might be worth learning a new one computer program, learn foreign language or learn about how to manage large projects.
Networking with professionals in your field should also be considered an opportunity for professional growth. You can always establish useful contacts and make new acquaintances that can help you achieve your professional goals.
The system of professional growth must necessarily include education. Draw information from different sources - communication, professional literature, business meetings. Mine educational process should be built clearly in accordance with your career goals.
What personal qualities will you need?
Career growth requires the development of such personal qualities, How:
- determination;
- responsibility;
- hard work.
“They meet you by their clothes” - this principle also applies in the professional world. Learn to look after your appearance, dress appropriately for the occasion, always come in clean and tidy clothes. Things don’t have to be expensive at all - you can pick up things in the mid-price category, the main thing is that they look presentable.
Self-development
– one of the engines of professional growth and development. Now there are a lot of opportunities for this, from the Internet to international educational programs. You just need to choose. Your career development directly depends on self-education, so you need to constantly improve your skills.
Focus on one area while being interested in related areas. For example, if you are a specialist in marketing, knowledge in the field of management, sociology, and personnel management will be useful to you.
Don't isolate yourself - communicate with colleagues. Learn from the experience of professionals, read interviews with people in your field, attend meetings with them. Many share their knowledge absolutely free of charge in their blogs, video blogs and books, which can be found freely available on the Internet.
Business or career growth
Business as a form of professional growth is the choice of those who are ready to take responsibility for all processes and understand, are ready to take risks and understand that successful development will take a lot of time. Starting your own business in a chosen field to strengthen your company’s position in the market.
Build a plan for professional growth not only for yourself, but also for. Think about what goals you want to achieve, how much you plan to earn, how you plan to develop. Find like-minded people, go to professional meetings.
Business is an excellent prospect for professional growth if you are willing to constantly improve. You must be prepared for the fact that no one will tell you what to do, but you also take full responsibility for all actions. Follow new trends, do not lose sight of competitors, contact as many big amount professionals in their field.
Don't be afraid to take risks - you'll have to do this all the time. Any experience, even negative, is your impetus for development. In business, professional growth and risks are interrelated concepts, so the more you try something new and unknown, the more information you gain. Of course, the risks must be justified - you need to understand what you can gain or, conversely, lose from performing this or that action.
An important question for many is at what age can you start in business? This is purely individual, because some people start their own business while still a student, while others decide to work for themselves after many years of professional activity. Success in business depends not so much on age, but on the speed of your reaction to any market events, the ability to be in trend and readiness for constant development.
Speaking about how professional growth and business are interconnected, we can cite the example of a couple of young entrepreneurs who decided to open their own business in school. They tried themselves in different types activities, but eventually settled on a holiday agency. While opening the company, they simultaneously received education in the field of management, studied new trends in their professional activities, and made many new acquaintances. As a result, the small company has grown into a fairly serious organization that is trusted by more and more clients.
How quickly can you grow professionally?
For some, career growth lasts for many years, while for others it occurs rapidly. This happens because everyone uses their potential differently. Some people grab every opportunity, while others are content with measured activities where you just need to go with the flow. Career and professional growth is, first of all, How long it will take you to achieve your desired position depends only on you. Someone takes a leadership position after a year of work, while others never achieve it because they misjudged themselves.
