Is your career development lacking?

As an IT Professional over the years, a big focus for employer choice was working for a company prepared to invest in me. Then when I became an employer, I found very quickly that if I did not invest in the team they soon went elsewhere. Many I have voiced this to, have stated that no sooner do they put their people through training then they leave or demand more money. Yet I speak to others who say we invest therefore people stay.

This is a big catch 22. Do we pay to train our workforce and run the risk of losing our investment, or do we just try to hire the best in the first place. Well, I feel it is both. The IT industry is constantly changing and therefore as an IT Professional we have to keep up. If we can’t we look elsewhere. It is not just about job satisfaction but let’s face it we want to earn more money!

I have just read a blog post that John Oxley (a manager at Microsoft) has written about this from the Manager’s perpective called A journey into career may lead to retention… You can find it at: https://blogs.technet.com/cdnitmanagers/archive/2005/08/24/409750.aspx

I want to echo his comments about management investing in people as having been a manager and facing hiring woes and fighting to keep people happy by providing them with a career and growth path as much as possible. Also now being in a position where training and recognition mean a great deal to me.

I leave you to make up your own mind, but I for one think that seeing how much I am truly valued by my employer (not just relied upon) makes me want to stick around.