There is a need to distinguish between professional development and personal development. In some workplaces in the Philippines, they are often interchanged.
What is professional development?
Professional development refers to the process and activities professionals undertake to increase their value in the corporate world. This may include understanding how their industry works, developing competencies, and acquiring special skills that will make them distinctive and indispensable.
Professionals are deemed valuable not only because they achieve personal goals. They make themselves indispensable when they are important to the achievement of corporate goals.
Professional development may include leadership development, career development, and personal development.
What is personal development?
Personal development is the holistic development of the self. Professional development can be one of your personal goals. You can have many personal goals outside of work. [You can learn more about personal development at the hero guide. [/mfn]
Or you can consider it as part of your professional development.
Imagine a Venn diagram, one circle is personal development and another is professional development. Though personal development is a bigger circle than professional development, some parts do not belong to both circles.
