CPD: Learning something old in a new way

For those of us who’ve been working in a particular field for a significant length of time, it can be difficult to find training courses that fit our level of expertise.

A conundrum for old dogs

And so I found myself reading yet another blog about the benefits of CPD. All well and good in theory, I thought. After all, regular CPD reassures clients that we’re committed to our profession and possess the requisite, up-to-date knowledge.

But, realistically, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, right?

The problem with longevity

Often, the more experienced among us find ourselves providing the CPD for less-experienced others, rather than doing training for ourselves.

Don’t get me wrong – I love teaching and exchanging information. However, as I work in an industry that, unlike many others, doesn’t regard course preparation and presentation as a form of CPD, it was beginning to look like I hadn’t done much to expand my own professional knowledge for a rather long time.

Why bother?

To be honest, I was slightly irritated by this state of affairs – that the many hours I’d put into training others over the years hadn’t counted towards my own personal CPD. And so, on a whim, I suddenly found myself committing to twelve weeks of continuous study.

New tricks

Did I learn anything new and unexpected? In terms of course content, not really, although the courses definitely made me think about what clients expect and understand from certain words.

Primarily, studying forced me to re-evaluate my services. To recognize that what I do on a daily basis is far more varied than I’d previously considered. That my years of experience amount to many more skills than I realized I possessed. And that certain elements of my skillset had been lost from view and needed to be restored.

As a result, I now very visibly provide a variety of coaching packages for authors and editors, as well as book doctoring for troublesome texts, ensuring that my services now encompass everything that I actually do.

So, is CPD worth it?

I might not have acquired any startlingly new knowledge, but these courses have been worth every penny. That said, I still think that the value of CPD is not always immediately obvious to those of us who’ve been around for a while. But what I have rediscovered is that training is not necessarily about quantifiable learning. Professional validation, taking a long hard look at what we’re actually doing and revisiting old things in a new light are also worthwhile outcomes.

So, why not get in touch and find out what new old tricks I’m up to.

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