Ongoing career development is vital both for personal investment and to ensure the dynamic growth of the library industry. While there are many opportunities to develop within the profession, there are great benefits in participating in activities outside of it as well. We often neglect, however, to invest in ourselves this way.

In 2007 the author was selected to participate in an international Rotary-sponsored Group Study Exchange (GSE) trip to Southern California. GSE is a five week cultural and vocational programme for young professionals, looking to develop their leadership skills and an international view of their profession.

As part of the professional aspect of GSE, the author visited a range of public, academic and research libraries speaking with senior managers and investigating the themes of staff development in libraries, particularly leadership development, and the use of Web 2.0 technologies in library service delivery. While there were many similarities between libraries in Australia and the United States, there were also some interesting, and often unexpected, differences. The paper will outline the observations resulting from these professional activities, noting some of the interesting experiences.

The author will also reflect on the personal journey, focusing on the skills developed through the GSE and how her career and the profession are being enhanced as a result. In addition, she will explore the benefits of seeking career development activities outside of the library profession, both for the individual and the industry, and examine further opportunities for this purpose.