A lot of companies offer you a set amount of money that you can use towards professional development. Each company is different, but typically it’s anywhere between $100 and $1000 per year. In some cases, it’s use it or loose it. Other times, it may carry over to the next year.
When you think about what the purpose of this program is, it’s for you to become more effective at your job. The reason companies are issuing you this money is because they are investing in you as an individual and they want you to succeed.
The most obvious things to buy are books and courses. But I have so many more ideas that I would like to share! Let’s explore some of the things that you can use to spend that money on!
Books
Like I said, books are some of the quickest and best ways you can better your education on web development and design. I’ve listed some of my favorite places to check out web development books below.
Conferences
Conferences are a bit more expensive but could be valuable for you. I’ve attended a few remote Conferences lately that have had free admissions. When they are free, they’re not helping you spend money, but they’re typically beneficial to attend.
I’ve listed a few of my favorite conferences to check out below.
Subscriptions
Your company may have restrictions on exactly how you can spend your budget, but certain subscriptions can often help you stay up-to-date with industry news and learn something new. Here are some subscriptions to get started with.
Learn a new language
You may be able to use your allocated funds for professional development towards learning a new language. I took a 16 week Spanish class and it changes your mindset on how to think differently.
It matters because when you’re programming, there’s a big relationship between a speaking language and a computer language.