Personal and Career Development Plan

A Personal and Career Development Plan (PCDP) is a plan of action specifically designed to achieve your personal development and career planning goals. We make plans every day, but do not always write them down. A PCDP allows you to set personal goals and find the best way to achieve them.

Do you know where you want to be in the future? Can you describe where you see yourself in one year—or in five years? If you really want to ensure progress in your personal and career path development, then writing a personal growth plan is the #1 thing you can do.

The aim of creating a PCDP is to document a process of self-analysis, personal reflection and honest appraisal of strengths and weaknesses. The process consists of defining what is important to you, what you want to achieve, what strengths you already have that help to achieve your goals, and what mindsets and skillsets you need to gain and develop over time.

Relative to your career, this will enable you to evaluate the value of your work experiences, the leadership and management training you have received, and to consider your future development options and career path.

An action plan will help you to visualize where you are going, what you are doing, and help keep track of your achievements. To be totally effective, it must be a fluid document that is reviewed at regular intervals to ensure that it is always accurate, relevant, and realistic.

Once you start writing down what you want to achieve, you will increase your chances of becoming the person you want to be. The importance of planning is further highlighted by research showing that written goals significantly increase your chances of success. Life is a process and significant changes take time and planning. A Personal and Career Development Plan provides a big step towards deciding and becoming the person you want to be.

DEVELOP A PLAN: Use the Personal and Career Development Plan to decide and become the person you want to be at home, and in your career.

The only person you are destined to become, is the person you decide to be.

 – Ralph Waldo Emerson