Professional_Knowledge_and_Abilities

Professional Knowledge and Abilities Gen 200 September 20, 2010 Dr. Zaneta Ingles Professional Knowledge and Abilities In order to develop professional knowledge and abilities a person should become part a part of an organization or association that is related to their career. This is a great way to develop the skills that you need in order to become successful. A professional organization that I belong to is Opticians Association of America (OAA). Being a part of this organization has helped me with my career success because not only do I get up to date information for my field but I also meet a lot of individuals involved in the same career path as me. OAA is an excellent support system for an optician. Opticians Association of America is the only association that represents this business. “OAA fosters, supports and sponsors programs of competency certification, licensing and continuing education for professional development” (Opticians Association of America, n.d.). This association has resources available to become a certified optician and stay certified with continuing education. They also have optician conferences, meetings and conventions that provide opticians with countless information on the optical field. I have used them as a tool in finding an optician job as well as many other methods of career advancement. This association has helped in developing my career in many ways. It provided me with the tools I needed to study and become a certified optician. I also have attended many of the conferences that I have been invited to by OAA. In these conferences I learn about new technologies and keep up to date with everything I need to know to be successful in my career. Being a certified optician I have to take continuing education courses. OAA provides me with many courses that are either free to take or they also have lots of package deals that I can get all my courses done in one weekend. Opticians Association of America has affected my career success tremendously. Just belonging to this association I have all the tools I need to become successful. I used these to become certified which helped me get promoted and establish my worth in the optical field. Fashion trends are always changing when it comes to glasses. Going to all the conventions I have been able to keep up to date with fashion trends and keep all of my patients very happy. Lens technologies are also constantly changing and the OAA always sends me information to keep me well informed on this as well. I have met many people at their conferences and this has assisted me in furthering my career by networking with individuals in the same field as me. Developing professional knowledge and abilities is crucial in career advancement. I have been a member of Opticians Association of America for 6 years and they have helped me not only learn more about my career field but also keep me up to date with changing technologies. The more you know and the greater your abilities are means that you can explore more career options and better your chances for success. References Opticians Association of America. (n.d.). . Retrieved from http://www.oaa.org/index.php