What to include in Professional Development Plan?

“Mum, I am messed up,” said Anna, sipping hot cappuccino, “I am lost.”

“How so, dear,” her mom asked silently, gazing around their small, tastefully decorated kitchen.

“I am having trouble following the PDP Gloria gave me,” Anna said. “I do not even know what to include in it?”

This is a scene that’s played out every day. Many students like Anna get the PDP paper through different sources but have no idea how to design it properly based on their needs. Some might think that the internet is a great resource for learning information about the PDP. And, of course, that is one option. However, it is probably not the best option. There’s no substitute for working with a real, live career counselor, who can provide objective feedback. After all, a student is not always the best judge of his own strengths and weaknesses. A career counselor, however, can provide him with an objective evaluation employing a PDP. So, this article will help you understand the stages of PDP and the role of experts in designing it.

The first stage of the plan starts with the personal analysis (SWOT analysis) of the students. This helps students to assess their weaknesses, strengths, opportunities and threats. It is hard to be honest about one’s weak or strong sides. That’s why, consulting with a professional will definitely help them.   

Next, students need to set goals for the future after SWOT analysis. Of course, these goals cannot be random. They must be planned based on the SWOT analysis. Moreover, goals should be clear, definable, and reachable. Sometimes a student has trouble setting his own goals; that’s where a career counselor can prove very helpful, by asking some concrete questions, such as: What do you want to learn? What do I have to do? What support and resources do I need? How will I measure success? What target date will be assigned to review the ongoing process? etc.

Lastly, in order to realize their goals, students must set personal objectives. They can be divided into three terms: short up to 12 months, medium up to 2-3 years, and long beyond 3 years. Each student needs to decide on three things: when to start when to end, and which goals to work on.

The aforementioned endeavor can be a daunting one for even the hardest of students. But undertaking the task with some expert help can make it a whole lot easier. The career counselor provides the student with the advice, guidance, and resources that make a potentially complicated and painstaking task seem simple and achievable. He is every student’s best friend.