Article: 6 Types of Learning and Professional Development Programs To Achieve Your 2022 Career Goals
How to use learning and development to drive career growth
Happy New Year! With a new year, comes resolutions and aspirations, many of which fall within the realm of career development. While many of those will be discrete outcomes (ex: land a new job, transition internally into a new role, finally start my side-business) one thread that runs through all of them is that learning and development programs (ex: courses, platforms, coaching) can facilitate you getting to those outcomes.
Odds are, if you’re reading this newsletter you care about your learning and growth. You probably are even thinking about it as we speak. But how do you evaluate the right types of learning and development programs that are right for you? Or how do you know when it's time to look for a course or engage a coach (and what kind of coach?)
I’ve felt these questions first hand throughout the course of my own career for a variety of different reasons. I’ve written about the value of working with a coach and while i continue to believe that this is one of the best investments that someone can make in their career growth there are plenty of other options out there for those individuals who are looking for opportunities to continue learning and developing to accelerate growth, pursue interests, or upskill. Here are some examples.
Before we begin, I want to frame how I think about this through Clayton Christensen’s Job’s to Be Done Framework:
Check out this definition from Product Plan: “The jobs-to-be-done framework is an approach to developing products based on understanding both the customer’s specific goal, or “job,” and the thought processes that would lead that customer to “hire” a product to complete the job.
Just like when we buy products we hire them to solve specific jobs, we engage with learning programs to do a specific job.
So with that in mind, let’s take a look at some of these:
Source: Betterwork Labs
#1) Self-Paced Online Digital Courses
This is one of the easiest ones to understand because it’s something many of us already use on a regular basis. Finding self-paced or online courses to take in topics of interest is one of the most available and applicable to all.
Within self-paced online courses, there are many individual courses developed and delivered by instructors and trainers, and then there are large platforms that offer a library of content where you can find almost everything. Most notable are places like LinkedIn Learning, Udemy, and Coursera, but there are many others.
How this helps: Self-paced courses can be great for those people who want to learn at their own pace and in a flexible manner.
Drawbacks: Self-paced digital courses have low completion rates. Chances are, you won’t finish what you use, but that doesn’t mean you can learn from it or it can’t have some value
Examples: Udemy, Coursera, Skillshare, GetSmarter and Linkedin Learning
#2) Cohort Learning Experiences
One of the most talked about and paid attention to types of learning is around cohort based courses. These are learning experiences where individuals learn from an instructor with a group of peers at the same time. This allows for feedback, social learning, and accountability. Some of you may be reading this and thinking that this doesn’t sound new but rather, sounds like what we consider “school” (that’s a common criticism and it has a lot of merit.) Cynicism aside, the resurgence of online learning, connection and networking, and learning as a result of a global pandemic have brought cohort based courses front and center. And this combined with the brand awareness as a result of people like Wes Kao (AltMBA) and Scott Galloway (Section4) have brought a lot of hype and attention to this type of learning.
Removing the hype, cohort based courses can be valuable for three main reasons. First, accountability. Unlike self-paced courses, these are taken on a time-boxed basis and live with peers (although some may have some self-paced components) as a result, people participate at the same time. The other valuable aspect of CBCs comes in the form of feedback and peer to peer learning, which allows for feedback, iteration and learning from peers. Finally, there is a strong community component to many of these learning experiences, where people can build relationships with peers who have shared interests, functions or roles.
#2B)Milestone Training Programs
As a subset of cohort based courses, one area of growth has been around specific milestone-based training cohort offerings. Marshall Goldsmith, the famous leadership coach once famously said, “what got you here won’t get you there.” If you’re someone who has recently been promoted to a new role, taken on a new role, getting the right training, feedback and skills to do the role is critical to helping you succeed. Unfortunately, most people don’t get this, especially in key roles (ex: first time managers)
If this is you, there are a plethora of milestone based training programs that can help you build the skills and competencies you need to succeed in the new role. These programs typically offer a mix of delivery models to help teach and drive the behaviors you need to learn the role. Examples include, 1:1 coaching, leadership or strengths assessments, cohort learning, and self-paced learning.
Examples:
How it helps: Targeted training and coaching for specific roles. Ability to learn from individuals also going through the same learning journey. A chance to get personalized feedback
Drawbacks: Can be expensive. While some training (if done right) is better than nothing, learning how to succeed in a new role (ex: manager) often takes longer than the allotted time.
How this helps: More immersive learning experience, instruction and expertise from a SME, social learning experience
Drawbacks: Cost is typically higher, requires investment of time+commitment. Social component is only as strong as the cohort allows for it.
Business Fundamentals: These courses focus on the fundamentals of business. Examples are Brunchworks and Morning Brew
Role Based Cohorts: These are targeted to teach and uplevel learners in a specific role, function or industry. Examples include,
Specific Skills or Competencies: These drill into a specific competency, skill or set of skills and allow the learner to go deeper on that specific skill. Examples include Section4 and Hyper Island
#3) Holistic Leadership Development Offerings
Many organizations have formal leadership development programs for high-potential employees or executives. However, leaders can come from anywhere within an organization, and while some companies have built other leadership programming for those outside of these groups, there’s still a huge potential to uplevel and develop the many other leaders that exist within a company. Enter holistic leadership development programs. These programs combine a combination of human-based coaching, tech-enabled personalized learning, and individual exercises and reflection. In some cases, individuals can purchase these on their own, or in other cases, companies can purchase seats/licenses to use the specific programming.
Examples: Torch, Bravely, HoneHQ 15Five
How this helps: A programmatic approach to leadership development can be helpful for reinforcing behaviors and getting targeted+personalized coaching and feedback.
Drawbacks: Expensive if purchased by an individual, you may want to get your team or your HR or training and learning department to purchase.
4#)Digital First Associations
Industry and Trade organizations have long been responsible for looking out for and advancing professions, trades, and industries. In the digital world and in fast-moving industries (tech) there are a new wave of professional communities and organizations that focus on advancing the profession, teaching and educating, and providing space for members to connect and engage. Many of these organizations were around before the global pandemic, but others have formed since and all have taken off in terms of drawing in members who want to learn, grow, and connect with peers.
Product School: A company focused on educating and training product managers. Through membership, events and certifications, they aim to grow the profession of product management. You can take trainings
Product Marketing Alliance: An organization focused on training and certifying the next generation of product marketers. There are trainings (live, self-paced) on various disciplines of product marketing, as well as memberships with access to on-demand content and learning. PMA also hosts virtual and in-person events to promote learning and community building
How this helps: Great place to network with peers of a similar function or industry, as well as get certified and learn from practitioners who know the field or industry that you are in, or are hoping to break into
Drawbacks: Many people take the certifications and courses with the intent to switch into the field, but YMMV if those certifications and learning programs actually lead to a career outcome you desire
#5)Community and Network Offerings
Human beings are wired for connection. This became especially true as we all navigated a global pandemic. Learning is inherently social, and professional growth often comes in the form of building relationships with peers and colleagues. As a result, a number of companies have built programs and offerings at the intersection of networking, learning, and growth/development.
The most prominent example of this is OnDeck, a talent community which builds communities for specific roles, industries and functions, such as OnDeck For Consultants, or OnDeck for Founders.
Examples: OnDeck, Reforge, Pavilion
How this helps: Great opportunities to learn from peers and build connections and relationships professionally. If you feel confident in the knowledge and skills you have, but are looking for more connections and learning best practices from peers, this could be a great fit.
Drawbacks: YMMV in terms of the depth and breadth of the learning curriculum, as many of the communities focus first on building relationships, while others do focus on learning and education.
6#) 1:1 Coaching
The International Coach Federation (ICF) defines coaching as, “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. Many MBA Alums are familiar with this as they received it as part of their MBA program in the form of career coaching. Coaching can be an immensely powerful way to learn and develop, especially when working with someone who has expertise in the art and science of good coaching, and in some cases, defined expertise that is relevant to the topics you hope to cover.
One common question I get is around what kind of coaching someone might want or need, and also the differences between the types of coaching that is out there. This is an important and valid concern, as while the ICF and some other organizations do certify and train coaches, coaching by and large is still a somewhat unregulated industry. (Sidenote: The NY Times did a great article on this back in November)
Career Coaching - Career coaching is geared more towards the individual; a career coach’s purpose is to guide an individual to an ideal career trajectory, frequently offering helpful advice to the individual they are mentoring as they navigate their industry. The advice you would get from a career coach is not limited to help finding your next job, but certainly does cover these elements.
Executive Coaching - An executive coach will work to help leaders (generally C-Suite) improve their performance that drives outcomes for the organization as a whole. Executive coaches serve as neutral sounding boards to clients.
Leadership Coaching - Leadership coaching has much of the same focus as executive coaching (some may consider it a subset of it) but the goal of a leadership coach is to support a client to gain awareness about how to become an impactful leader, as it relates to their direct employees. While an Executive can get leadership coaching, leadership coaching often goes to middle managers, up and coming leaders, etc.
Finally, there are many coaches out there, and many ways to find a coach. Many have a presence on LinkedIn, such as my colleague Jennifer Fink. Others, have their own website, and there are also a number of Career Coaching platforms that allow you to find a coach that works best for your goals and interests. Places like The Muse, Career Contessa, Ivy Exec, BetterUp, and Sounding Board are all examples of this.
How this helps: A great way to get personalized feedback and guidance on how to improve on a specific skill or set of skills
Drawbacks: Can be difficult to identify which coach is best for you. Challenges with unregulated coaches
There are lots of ways to continue to learn and grow professionally to achieve your desired career goals for the year. Here are some considerations you should take into account (in addition to figuring out what is the job to be done?)
Understand your learning style - Each of these offerings has a different learning model and delivery mechanism. Take the time to understand which will work best for you, for your own goals, as well as for your own learning style.
Commit to your commitment - Different types of programs have different levels of commitment, and you have to decide which commitment level is going to work for you. On one hand, a self-paced course is great for those who want to move at their own pace, while a cohort-based learning program which requires significant time and effort could be fairly intense.
Have Fun - I’ve listed plenty of extrinsic reasons to continue investing in your personal and professional development, such as the need to upskill and reskill, and the opportunity to find new careers/jobs. But anything you want to pursue is also going to need your own intrinsic reasons for doing so, which is often driven by something you have an interest in or enjoy doing. Some of you may find learning in a group of peers to be really fun and interesting, while others may appreciate the ability to work 1:1 with a coach. Whatever you choose, make sure that you have an intrinsic desire to do it as it will most likely give you the best chance to make use of the opportunity.