Share this post
In 2021, Beamery launched monthly Learning and Development days (known internally as ‘Dev Days’) for all its employees. Beamery’s goal was to give every employee the opportunity to take some time out of their regular working lives to grow their skills and explore their own personal development.
People use Dev Days for a whole range of learning activities, such as watching a webinar, reading articles or books, or listening to a podcast that is relevant to their particular roles or the industry. The time can also be used to catch up on Beamery internal updates or do some security or training courses.
As an engineer, they are an excellent opportunity to work on a side project or a technical course to broaden or deepen my skills. Personally, I’ve used them as much as possible to build knowledge on technologies my team is using, or planning to use, or to explore a technology that I’m interested in or I think would help my career. I use them to write articles about my projects – and even to write this article!
Why is personal development so important?
Building relevant skills is essential in today’s evolving job market, where rapid advancements in technology and industry shifts demand continual learning. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report estimates that 44% of skills will be disrupted in the next five years, with 60% of workers needing training by 2027—yet only half currently have adequate access to adequate training opportunities today.
Employers are increasingly prioritising skill development to retain top talent, with LinkedIn’s Workplace Learning Report noting a rise in the importance of career learning and development programs, which have led to gains in employee retention and internal mobility.
For individuals, pursuing new skills - whether in programming, project management, or data analysis - enhances adaptability and opens future career opportunities. Lifelong learning promotes resilience, helping professionals remain competitive and prepared for future opportunities.
At Beamery, we are working towards a “skills-based economy” where what someone can do is more important than where they studied. Our AI platform helps clients put ‘skills’ at the heart of their HR strategy, leading to better talent decisions at every step. Celebrating skills, potential, and learning is in our company DNA.
Why are development days important to me?
As a software engineer at Beamery, I feel like I’m always learning, but Dev Days allow me to set aside time specifically to pursue a side project that might be unrelated to my current workload.
Continuous learning is something all technology professionals endeavour to spend time on but, as a new father in my mid-thirties, I don’t have the time to give during my evenings and weekends that I perhaps did earlier in my career.
I’m more aware than ever that it’s important to strike a balance between my work life and my personal life. Working evenings and weekends, even if it’s in the pursuit of learning, is not necessarily the right balance. It’s well understood that burning the candle at both ends and overstretching yourself is a fast way to a downturn in mental health and burnout.
This is why I feel fortunate that Beamery affords me the opportunity of development days – one day each month – to pursue my technical and professional interests.
How I use my development days
One of the most critical emerging skills is AI: both understanding the fundamentals, and applying them in practice. I wanted to dive deeper into the world of AI so, over a few months, I completed FastAI’s Practical Deep Learning for Coders course. This was a significant undertaking and was in the style of a university course with lectures and (optional) assignments to be completed in your own time.
I have also used Dev Days to complete a few side projects. I’ve found one of the ways I am best motivated to learn is to set myself the goal of publishing an article about my project. I looked into web scraping, then I did a couple of projects on WebSockets using different libraries each time. I also compared two event streaming tools (Kafka and RabbitMQ) as I hadn’t used either but knew they were technologies we would be using in an upcoming project.
These were all fantastic learning experiences and I really enjoyed having the time and space to work on them.
Before I became a software engineer, I was a Lead Product Manager at Beamery. When I was a PM and thinking about switching careers, I used my Dev Days to build my engineering skills. I completed a couple of long beginners courses on Udemy before I started on the Beamery fully funded bootcamp.
Another great thing about company sanctioned Dev Days is that everyone is encouraged to take them on the same day. This means that you can get some quiet to focus on your learning without constant interruption!
How other people use Development Days
Everyone has their own specific development objectives and interests, but Dev Days can be used for a variety of learning opportunities.
Marco Crivellaro, Principal Engineer
“The platform team uses Dev Days for upskilling on methodologies or solutions we know we’re going to use in the near future.
For instance, a while ago we experimented with Open Policy Agent (OPA) to see if we could benefit from using it. We then decided to adopt it to solve a few different challenges we were facing. Since the whole team was new to OPA, we identified and recommended a set of courses to take during Dev Days.
Recently, we decided to use Pulumi, an infrastructure as code framework, to solve a specific problem we couldn’t easily address with the existing tools. To contribute to the project, we will have to learn TypeScript, so I expect to see some proposals revolving around TypeScript and Pulumi for the next Dev Day.
This isn’t a top-down process; every team member is encouraged to learn what they think is best for their role. They are an invaluable time where new ideas can emerge and if someone finds a great idea, they usually share it with the team so everybody can benefit from it!”
Charlie Bowman, HR Assistant
“I am currently using my Dev Days to complete my CIPD Level 3 in People Practice. This professional certification is offered by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the leading body for Human Resources (HR) in the UK and internationally and will enable me to enhance my skills and increase my knowledge so that I can effectively manage and develop people in the workplace.
Having development days at Beamery serve as a reminder that personal and professional growth is crucial for individuals at every stage of their career. I love having this day each month to participate in webinars or review assignments, and they are a valuable source of support in my personal journey to achieving this well recognised accreditation.”
Vilma Edwards, Director of Digital
“I leverage Dev Days to continuously upskill and grow in my role. I recently took on some additional responsibilities in marketing operations so I used Dev Days to deepen my expertise in Marketo and expand my capabilities in this area.
Similarly, when ChatGPT launched, I utilised Dev Days to explore its various use cases, enhancing my productivity and effectiveness. I also use this dedicated time to stay current with industry webinars and thought leadership.
Having Dev Days blocked in my calendar ensures I have protected time for learning and growth, ultimately contributing to both my professional development and the company’s success. Prioritising continuous learning allows me to stay ahead in a fast-evolving industry, making this commitment essential to my growth and success.”
Conclusion
Beamery's Learning and Development days are an excellent benefit and empower employees to grow both personally and professionally and I am very grateful that the company provides them to us.
For me, as a software engineer balancing work and family life, Dev Days provide a crucial opportunity to focus on continuous learning without sacrificing time with my family.
By creating a culture that prioritises development, Beamery not only empowers its employees to stay relevant in an evolving industry, but also supports their well-being, ensuring long-term success and engagement.
