Professional Development: Project Management Seminars

As professional project managers, have you ever considered furthering your professional development in project management? If not, all project managers, regardless of how much experience he or she has, should consider furthering their knowledge and expertise in project management (thereby decreasing costly project mistakes) by taking advantage of project management seminars.

The ease, convenience, and flexibility of technology and the Internet these days make taking online classes and webinars all that much easier. Many sites offer webinars on project management for free or for a small fee. The Project Management Institute (PMI) is one of them they offer a wide range of webinars based on interest, topic, and experience. Many of the webinars are even on-demand so you can sign on at a time that is most convenient to you rather than driving or traveling a significant distance to attend a live seminar.

Live seminars, however, are still an available option to those who prefer to attend them rather than sitting on a computer. In addition, many project managers utilize the time attending a live seminar to network and meet other people in various or similar industries. Others may be old-fashioned and just prefer attending the classroom or lecture style seminar where they can listen to a live person speak. This is also a great way to meet new people and learn some new insights that affect the project management role.

Choosing what kind of seminar style is best for you is really based on preference and your learning style. Many live seminars are also set up in face-to-face group settings where you can learn and interact with other live group members on certain topics. In addition, as mentioned above, there are many e-learning tools and on demand learning tools and seminars available today than ever before. Many project managers and professional choose these as they can participate in them and listen to them in the comfort of their own homes, on the go, and off site as needed.

Most organizations will pay for the courses or at least pay a portion. For those project managers who are sole proprietors or independent contractors, purchasing courses for professional development are considered business expenses and therefore are typically tax deductible. However, some seminars and webinars may even be free of cost. All in all, if you haven’t considered advancing your knowledge of project management, consider some courses or seminars/webinars as professional development.

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