It occurs to me that it has been a while since I climbed onto my proverbial soap box to share my thoughts on a topic. Well' date=' spring is just about here, or at least it feels like it in many regions. This is the time of year when we begin to plan, and it is the time of year when many companies pick up a wand for the first time. For any business owner, new or seasoned, selecting your professional education should be something that is budgeted for both in terms of time and money.

There are many opinions out there as to what kind of education is best, and from what source. There are pro-association or pro-organization folks, and also those who find that for their own use, it is not a good investment. There are many manufacturer courses, to show you how to successfully use a product. The goal is simple, they sell product, you sell jobs. It's a win win. There are distributors who hold wonderful annual events in different parts of the country, and there are contractors who do the same thing. And of course there are companies who bundle together classes teaching certain topics who are perhaps affiliated with one or more of the above but who are focused on selling course work. Let me be clear; ALL EDUCATION IS GOOD. All of it has value. One company's choice and opinion as to what will work for them is based upon that company's needs and objectives. As business owners, each of us must evaluate the services we plan to offer, and the needs of our business. We must decide for ourselves what to spend our budget on. Compare before you spend. Some of the courses out there are similar in design and content. Before you spend your hard earned education budget on class, consider the content. Look at the competing education at products. are some closer to home? Are some part of an organization? Would the credentials of an association membership give you a competitive market advantage? Should you get the training at a round table, at a convention or simply in a class offered by an education company?

Once upon a time, our business was new. At that time, we did not have what seems like dozens of forums with lots of data just waiting to be searched by a user and browsed as time permits. And back in that day, we chose to go to a PWNA convention. There was no other org, and the classes were offered that we had a personal interest in. So we went. We learned and we networked and we made decisions that moved us forward. It worked for us, because we aligned our goals and needs with what was offered to us.

Are the classes enough? Ummmm....hell no. You will not ever get everything out of any of these classes. I do not care who the instructor is, or how many years they have been at it. You cannot impart in just a few short hours or days, enough knowledge to fill your head with all you need, and it is not matched with what you gain over time as you learn and grow. You will read magazines, you will find articles, you will search the forums. As you do these things you will discover your likes and dislikes, and you will tailor your business around your own points of interest and strength, or at least, that is my advice to you.

Never, ever stop learning.

Beth[/quote']