RIT Professional Development Podcast

When people hear the term “professional development,” they often think about training courses, pursuing degrees and certificates, or other methods of formal instruction. However, if you’re going to advance your career, you’ll also need to develop skills on the job, sometimes by taking assignments slightly above your experience or comfort level. We call these “stretch assignments.” In conversations I’ve had with RIT faculty, staff and administrators, they frequently cited stretch assignments as an important part of professional development. Featuring Jeanne Casares, Dr. Sandy Johnson, Dr. Kevin McDonald, Ebony Miller and Randy Vercauteren  

To be an effective employee, regardless of your position, you have to constantly find ways to keep your skills sharp. In an article for Forbes, Margie Warrell said that “to succeed today you must be in a constant state of adaptation – continually unlearning old ‘rules’ and relearning new ones. That requires continually questioning assumptions about how things work, challenging old paradigms, and ‘relearning’ what is now relevant in your job, your industry, your career and your life.” Featuring Judy Bender, Lyn Kelly, Ebony Miller, Randy Vercauteren and Dr. Bill Destler

Positive mentorship experiences can be a critical part of professional development. Warren Bennis, a pioneer of leadership studies, advised those concerned about advancing their careers to “make sure you have someone in your life from whom you can get reflective feedback.” RIT faculty and staff members from various levels and backgrounds shared their experiences with professional development, their stories about what worked for them and how they got to where they are today. While their career paths, fields of expertise and perspectives were all unique, a common thread is that most of them credited their mentors with much of their success. Featuring Dr. Sandy Johnson, Dr. James Watters, Danny Maffia, Dr. Gerry Buckley, Dr. Lynn Wild and Dr. Sophia Maggelakis