Maintaining Relevancy with Continuing Ed
My name is Olivia Kenney and I am serving as a Graphic Design Intern at Slice Communications in Old City, Philadelphia. Over the course of this internship, I have learned a range of valuable information regarding social media, public relations, and client relations. What I will be focusing on in this blog, however, is the importance of continuing education.
In the professional world, continuing education is known as short, part-time courses that one completes after they have graduated from the formal education system. These courses allow professionals to gain current industry knowledge and relevant strategies for success. Slice Communications adopts this theme of continuing education in the form of brief lessons taught during weekly staff meetings. Each member of the staff receives a document outlining a best practice, which can be referenced in the future as needed. These continuing ed documents are usually drawn from an issue the agency is currently experiencing. They are extremely beneficial in that they outline how to provide the best solution for the issue. Continuing education allows the entire agency to operate in a successful, cohesive manner.
Through these continuing education briefings, I have learned the importance of educational growth post-graduation. Rather than allow myself to settle solely on the knowledge that I have gained through school, I must continue to seek out new information once I am in the professional world. Whereas Slice utilizes continuing education to benefit the agency as a whole, myself and other professionals can use continuing ed to improve ourselves at a micro level. This will require constant research for best practices. Research can include reading relevant articles and publications, seeking out colleagues’ advice, and enrolling in courses. Drawing from Slice’s example, it will also be beneficial to compile all of this knowledge into a document that can be referenced later. By continuing your education as a professional, you can improve your skill level, gain insight, and remain relevant.
