Over the weekend, I had the chance to attend BlissDom Canada, a social media conference that brings together social media professionals and bloggers from all over Canada. I intended to learn more about social media best practices and how to connect with your audience on a deeper level, but I got a much more important life lesson, that I would like to share with you.

On opening night, one of the community leaders, Julie Nowell, spoke to the group of BlissDom newbies at the newcomers meet up. Last year was her first time attending BlissDom, and over that weekend, she was given the opportunity to appear on a major television show in the area. This obviously skyrocketed her blog’s success as moms from all over the country visited it as a result. What was her advice to us newbies? If you are given an opportunity over this weekend, jump at it, because you never know where it will take you.

Panel discussion on social media etiquette, one of the many panels at BlissDom Canada

No matter what field you work in, this is excellent career advice. You never know what will come your way. Whether it’s a new job opportunity, a potential client or a change in location, it can take you somewhere you never thought you would be, and you never knew you wanted to be.

But it’s not enough to wait for these opportunities to come to you, sometimes you have to make it easy for them to find you. Attending educational events is one way to do this. I strongly believe in continuing education. Even if you’re done school, you can always learn more about your profession. Events like BlissDom provide learning and networking opportunities that can take your career to a whole new level.

So whether you’re a graphic designer, professional artist or small business owner, find events that will teach you more about your work, get out there and let these opportunities find you. You never know where you might end up.

Have you attended career development events recently? What did you learn?