It's a great opportunity for you to ask yourself where you want to go professionally in case it's not already clear to you, and ask for help conducive to those goals.

During the yearly evaluation session I had talks on a similar topic with my manager letting him know where the workflow could be improved so I could perform better, what kind of involvement I'd like to have in the next few years, what my near-future career goals are and what the changes that the company can make to help me reach those goals are. Talking about better tools for your work is also a good topic here, but only if it increases your productivity or helps you perform good overall. Getting rid of an annoyance like a broken mouse or an old keyboard or a fatigue-inducing display would fit in here. A new machine could fit in here but only if you are facing decreased productivity because of it.

The temptation of asking for tangible goods like a MacBook for your personal use or even better pay is there, but in the long run you would better benefit from having the company working with you in reaching your longer-term goals. You can earn money to buy a MacBook in multiple ways by doing any sorts of manual labors. But getting the support a company's resources gets you in professional growth is not something you can easily get otherwise. I'm not saying working for a company is necessarily the best choice you can make, but it definitely makes sense to maximize the opportunities it provides.

In your case, this means expressing your choice of future projects you'd like to get involved in, direction of professional training (let's say you are a programmer and want to progress towards being a consultant, or a software tester wanting to work your way towards being an analyst), tools and processes that would make your work more enjoyable (and if it applies: less tedious), you could get some flexibility regarding working hours or home-office. It's a good adult discussion that can lead to much better outcome than having a new MacBook.

In the long run, you becoming better trained and more knowledgeable should theoretically also mean you would get better pay as your position in the company rises.

One more point very specific to your question: notice how the employer asks how they can make your professional life better? Not your life in general, but your professional life. This in my book does not include benefits to take home.

Tl;Dr: don't ask for fish when you can ask for fishing training ;)

Tl;Dr: don't ask for fish when you can ask for fishing training ;)

It's a great opportunity for you to ask yourself where you want to go professionally in case it's not already clear to you, and ask for help conducive to those goals.

During the yearly evaluation session I had talks on a similar topic with my manager letting him know where the workflow could be improved so I could perform better, what kind of involvement I'd like to have in the next few years, what my near-future career goals are and what the changes that the company can make to help me reach those goals are. Talking about better tools for your work is also a good topic here, but only if it increases your productivity or helps you perform good overall. Getting rid of an annoyance like a broken mouse or an old keyboard or a fatigue-inducing display would fit in here. A new machine could fit in here but only if you are facing decreased productivity because of it.

The temptation of asking for tangible goods like a MacBook for your personal use or even better pay is there, but in the long run you would better benefit from having the company working with you in reaching your longer-term goals. You can earn money to buy a MacBook in multiple ways by doing any sorts of manual labors. But getting the support a company's resources gets you in professional growth is not something you can easily get otherwise. I'm not saying working for a company is necessarily the best choice you can make, but it definitely makes sense to maximize the opportunities it provides.

In your case, this means expressing your choice of future projects you'd like to get involved in, direction of professional training (let's say you are a programmer and want to progress towards being a consultant, or a software tester wanting to work your way towards being an analyst), tools and processes that would make your work more enjoyable (and if it applies: less tedious), you could get some flexibility regarding working hours or home-office. It's a good adult discussion that can lead to much better outcome than having a new MacBook.

In the long run, you becoming better trained and more knowledgeable should theoretically also mean you would get better pay as your position in the company rises.

One more point very specific to your question: notice how the employer asks how they can make your professional life better? Not your life in general, but your professional life. This in my book does not include benefits to take home.

It's a great opportunity for you to ask yourself where you want to go professionally in case it's not already clear to you, and ask for help conducive to those goals.

During the yearly evaluation session I had talks on a similar topic with my manager letting him know where the workflow could be improved so I could perform better, what kind of involvement I'd like to have in the next few years, what my near-future career goals are and what the changes that the company can make to help me reach those goals are. Talking about better tools for your work is also a good topic here, but only if it increases your productivity overall or helps you perform good overall. Getting rid of an annoyance like a broken mouse or an old keyboard or a fatigue-inducing display would fit in here. A new machine could fit in here but only if you are facing decreased productivity because of it.

The temptation of asking for tangible goods like a MacBook for your personal use or even better pay is there, but in the long run you would better benefit from having the company working with you in reaching your longer-term goals. This means expressing your choice of future projects you'd like to get involved in, direction of professional training (let's say you are a programmer and want to progress towards being a consultant, or a software tester wanting to work your way towards being an analyst), tools and processes that would make your work more enjoyable (and if it applies: less tedious), you could get some flexibility regarding working hours or home-office. It's a good adult discussion that can lead to much better outcome than having a new Macbook.

In the long run, you becoming better trained and more knowledgeable should theoretically also mean you would get better pay as your position in the company rises.

Tl;Dr: don't ask for fish when you can ask for fishing training ;)

It's a great opportunity for you to ask yourself where you want to go professionally in case it's not already clear to you, and ask for help conducive to those goals.

During the yearly evaluation session I had talks on a similar topic with my manager letting him know where the workflow could be improved so I could perform better, what kind of involvement I'd like to have in the next few years, what my near-future career goals are and what the changes that the company can make to help me reach those goals are. Talking about better tools for your work is also a good topic here, but only if it increases your productivity or helps you perform good overall. Getting rid of an annoyance like a broken mouse or an old keyboard or a fatigue-inducing display would fit in here. A new machine could fit in here but only if you are facing decreased productivity because of it.

The temptation of asking for tangible goods like a MacBook for your personal use or even better pay is there, but in the long run you would better benefit from having the company working with you in reaching your longer-term goals. You can earn money to buy a MacBook in multiple ways by doing any sorts of manual labors. But getting the support a company's resources gets you in professional growth is not something you can easily get otherwise. I'm not saying working for a company is necessarily the best choice you can make, but it definitely makes sense to maximize the opportunities it provides.

In your case, this means expressing your choice of future projects you'd like to get involved in, direction of professional training (let's say you are a programmer and want to progress towards being a consultant, or a software tester wanting to work your way towards being an analyst), tools and processes that would make your work more enjoyable (and if it applies: less tedious), you could get some flexibility regarding working hours or home-office. It's a good adult discussion that can lead to much better outcome than having a new MacBook.

In the long run, you becoming better trained and more knowledgeable should theoretically also mean you would get better pay as your position in the company rises.

One more point very specific to your question: notice how the employer asks how they can make your professional life better? Not your life in general, but your professional life. This in my book does not include benefits to take home.

Tl;Dr: don't ask for fish when you can ask for fishing training ;)