Edit at bottom for clarification as this seems be be misinterpreted.
My boss wants to send me to a training seminar for a product a lot of our clients use. She mentions that this will also help me with my personal development and my career path.
This product is something I will rarely if ever encounter again as I move more towards development. I feel that learning more about it is only going to detract from what I am already focused on learning and understanding. I have been doing software and web development for the past three years and am trying to quickly move away from my other duties (Data Analyst). I do not plan on staying with this company much longer at my current pay level and lack of career pathing towards my goals.
My boss is very helpful thus far, and I do not want to scorn her by telling her that my goals for my career are much different than what she sees when she is actively trying to promote my career development. She is not familiar with software development in any way, and is very much a "people manager" not a technical one.
What are some tactful ways to let her know that my career goals are different than what she is promoting without scorning her efforts? I don't want her to spend the time and effort getting budget approvals for a training seminar for me to leave the company a few weeks afterwards. I also don't want to sacrifice my mobility in the company by putting a spotlight on my willingness to stay with the company.
Edit:
I think this is being misinterpreted as I want to avoid doing work that my company needs me to do? This is not the case. I am doing whatever work they need or want me to do. However, as well as you, I have preferences what I would prefer to be doing. Preferring or wanting to do something different does not mean I am not doing what is needed.
I am also being tasked with web development projects from a different team, so I'm not just going off and doing my own thing because I want to move to development. I am already doing it, at my employer's request.
That being said, clarification:
My boss, is putting in extra effort not just for me, but for each person on our team, to try and find ways to advance each of us in our careers. I appreciate this, as she is providing us with value past a paycheck every two weeks. However, in my case my goals and aspirations are different from what she has assumed they are. I am already doing development, going to a training seminar about something I am guaranteed not to use or encounter in development is counter productive for me.
She has already put in effort for my benefit, I need to be tactful if I go to her and essentially tell her that her effort is for naught. That I appreciate her and what she is doing, but that I am actually interested in a different career path. Avoiding making her feel scorned.