December 2014 - Parks & Recreation - 29

tor to managerial oversight of all recreation programs. Seek out resources
like academic courses and webinars
that will expose you to things such
as policy development, risk management, program evaluation and budgeting. Seeking out opportunities to
expand your skills in the areas you
need to progress professionally can
help you achieve your goals.

Education and knowledge
lends credibility when dealing
with others related to your job,
agency and profession.
Education is the best way to get a
foothold in the industry and provides
the structure for the understanding
of common policies, procedures and
practices. Classes related to programming, areas and facilities, and evaluation give a future professional the basic
tools that can be applied to situations
that occur in the field. While obtaining
an advanced degree may help validate
your credibility and secure some job
positions, it is not a " golden ticket " to
the top. It is crucial that credibility is
developed through knowledge and solid experiences that prove you have the
ability to handle the variety of experiences common in our field.
Another way to gain credibility is
through professional certification.
Professional certification demonstrates you have the basic knowledge needed for certification and
highlights your vested interest in this
great profession. A truly credible professional has the tools to handle daily
situations, certifiable knowledge and
a proven record of success developed
from field experiences.

Facilitate improvement within
the agency with better practices.
Through your own professional development, you will also have the

Smart young professionals take advantage of networking, education, certification and
other professional development opportunities in a continued effort to stay well-informed and well-prepared to serve their communities.

ability to improve agency practices.
This is accomplished by networking
with other professionals who are
experiencing the same challenges,
becoming aware of resources and
increasing your ability to learn from
the challenges and issues within other agencies as well as your own.

The best leaders share
knowledge and encourage
others to learn and develop.
Mark Wilkerson, director of parks
and recreation for Muskogee, Oklahoma, once said one of his professional goals was supporting the future leaders in our field. In addition
to setting aside time to share his
knowledge and experiences with his
employees, he invests time in listening and learning from his employees,
peers and concerned citizens. Wilkerson makes a point of allowing his
employees to be engaged in service
roles, seek out professional development opportunities and grow within

the field. Whether you're a seasoned
veteran or a young professional in the
field, sharing and supporting professional development allows this great
profession to progress.
Each of these tips serves as a starting point to any conversation related
to supporting professional development. An important aspect to remember is that professional development
takes place not just at a conference
or only within a classroom - do not
limit yourself to a specific type of development. As much as possible, diversify the ways in which you engage
professionally and grow personally.
Challenge yourself to take on different roles and try new ways of learning and networking.
Michael J. Bradley, Ph.D., is an Assistant
Professor in the Department of Recreation
and Park Administration at Eastern Kentucky
University (michael.bradley@eku.edu). Jody
M. Baker is a Recreation Leader III with the
Tulsa County Parks Department (jbaker@
tulsacounty.org).

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Parks & Recreation

December 2014 - Parks & Recreation

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