I worked in higher education throughout college and after graduation. I loved teaching and learning, and I even earned my master’s degree in educational leadership. While I enjoyed working in higher education, I seemed to hit a wall in my career. I wanted more—more growth, more development, more opportunities. As I was in line to receive my diploma for my graduate degree, I met a young lady who worked as an instructional designer who shared that she developed trainings for corporate entities. I had never heard about a job like that before and wondered if I could have a job like hers some day given that we’d just obtained the same degree.

That conversation was my first introduction to the field of talent development. After a few job searches, I realized I could take my background in learning and development and look for jobs in the corporate setting. I spent the next year looking for the perfect job and applied to lots of different human resources, instructional designer, learning and development, and project manager positions. I was determined to find a new job opportunity, but I struggled to find the motivation to even apply because every job posting had a certification requirement. Applying to jobs can be a lot of work, so I didn’t want to waste my time applying if I didn’t have a certification. I investigated different certification opportunities but never got around to doing something about it. I had lots of interviews and various job offers, but nothing felt right. Then one day, someone saw my potential and gave me a shot as an organization development specialist working for a healthcare staffing company.

As my career in organization development began, I fell in love with the field. I had no idea that I could have a career, aside from education, where I could help people develop to their highest potential. My role included activities that centered around employee engagement, process improvement, employee development, change management, project management, and more. I enjoyed every minute of it, but I also knew that I had a lot to learn. While I was considering various certification programs, my manager gave me the opportunity to find one to help with my professional development. After much research, I settled on ATD’s Associate Professional in Talent Development certification. I was qualified to apply for the exam and confident that with some effort I could pass. This certification would add to my credentials and help others to value my expertise.

Studying for the exam was a great experience. Reviewing the material gave me confidence in my job for two reasons. First, when you start a new job, sometimes you can experience what’s known as imposter syndrome. That was me. I started a new job in organizational development but sometimes felt like I wasn’t qualified to do the job. Studying for the APTD exam helped me to realize that I was familiar with a decent amount of the material. This helped me to gain confidence and realize that I was more qualified for the job than I believed. Second, studying for the exam helped me fill in my knowledge gaps. While I knew a decent amount about learning and development, I learned a lot about process improvement and evaluation. Doing so helped provide a strong foundation for my professional development and career growth. I am a more knowledgeable and confident employee because of the time I invested in preparing for and obtaining the ATPD certification.