This week we are discussing professional development or workplace training Some employees prefer to develop skills that will help them do their current job better Others prefer to focus on training that helps them prepare for a better position in the futu

On the matter of professional development, I share with Paul the same view that focusing on job-related training can benefit employees more, because I am convinced that today's job market cherishes specialty more than versatility. As technology advances and the division of labor increases, companies, especially those in high-tech industries, are hiring more and more people specializing in their respective fields, such as programming, engineering and medicine. In this case, job-related training offers people the opportunity to improve their expertise, and thus their competitiveness on the job market. Indeed, just as Paul points out, training programs not directly job-related may help employees secure promotions or land on better jobs; however, if they are not excellent at what they do, managerial or interpersonal skills won’t save their skins when a massive layoff hits their companies. Therefore, I highly recommend that employees should put more effort on improvement of their own specialties rather than on becoming “omnipotent” laborers.