The Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP) will offer the first in its series of Fall webinars next week with a session titled, Reboot, Refit, Re-energize – Creating Opportunity for Mid-Career Growth. To be offered September 19 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET, a panel discussion will offer attendees a chance to rethink their career path with an aim to adjust to the ever-changing demands of a career in Scholarly Communications.
Registration for the event remains open with a discount available for SSP members.
The session will feature a varied panel of industry veterans including David Thew, Owner, David Thew and Company; Allison Mudditt, CEO, Public Library of Science; and Peter Harrison, Group Publisher, Elsevier Life Sciences. The group will be moderated by Jason Pointe, Publishing Director, International Anesthesia Research Society.
With significant changes over the past decade the traditional scholarly publishing business model has been challenged and forever changed, shifting the requirements put upon scholarly communication professionals. For those caught in these changes mid-career, acquiring new skills is required to stay on top of the rapidly changing paths for professional development. This webinar will discuss the new skills that publishers now look for over and above the ‘core’ skills. The panel will offer guidance for mid-career publishing professionals seeking to develop themselves and expand their future opportunities.
To prepare attendees for the session and entice others to join, Pointe took the time to answer questions and elaborated on what he expects from the session as moderator.
Who is the intended audience for this webinar and why should they attend?
From conversations with colleagues of all ages, I understand that mid-career for some can come as early as five or so years in a professional role.
Our webinar is meant to pertain to anyone in scholarly publishing who feels that they might want to change from their current position and seek something new. That could mean advancement within their current organization, to try and help it achieve new goals in the changing market, or trying out a new role in a different environment, such as moving from content production to business development, or commercial to not-for-profit, for example.
Why do you think this topic is important and timely?
Significant changes over the past decade and more have challenged the traditional scholarly publishing business model and forever changed the requirements for roles in our industry. For those who started their careers before or at the nascence of these factors, acquiring new skills is required to stay on top of the rapidly changing paths for career development.
Is there a particular topic you’re looking forward to seeing discussed?
I am hoping that our panelists can speak to how organizations can plan to develop the mid-career talent they already have, by communicating clearly which skills they feel will best support the strategic direction, and providing support to help staff attain those skills.
What do the selected speakers bring to the discussion?
Through their current positions and own career experiences, our speakers collectively represent almost every type of scholarly publishing employer – commercial publisher, scholarly society, university press, traditional print, online-only, etc.
What can attendees expect from the webinar?
We are hoping to provide attendees with insights that help them find inspiration and the right direction for energizing their career, be it through changing positions within their current organization, or trying out something new!
What do you hope attendees will take away from the webinar?
A clear sense that, with all of the changes present across our profession, there is more opportunity than ever for individuals to find exciting, fulfilling new opportunities and to re-energize their careers!
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