Writing Assignment:

Write a Professional Development Plan

A professional development plan consists of six sections:

1. Career Selection and Evaluation

2. Self- Assessment

3. Professional Development Plan Creation

4. Conclusion

5. References

6. Attachments.

Career Selection and Evaluation:

The Career Selection and Evaluation section contains a summary and an evaluation of your chosen career. You will use the career selection and evaluation information later to create your professional development plan. It is important to choose the career in which you see yourself in the near future (you are only hurting yourself and delaying your success if you select a career that does not interest you or for which you lack a passion). Organize your career selection and evaluation into the following three categories:

1. Select a Career Field

• Select a career field in computing to which you aspire. Refer to the Job Titles section on the last page of this document for suggestions on finding the appropriate job title for your choice of career field. If you do not find your desired job title listed, justify why it should be included, and explain why it might be missing. If you choose to go with a job title not listed in the Job Titles section, you will be responsible for defining the parameters of the job skills in later sections.

2. Define and Summarize the Career Field

• Clearly define your chosen career field through research, and summarize your findings.

A. Indicate where this career field fits in the larger fields of computing and information technology. Refer to industry standards, professional organizations, and accrediting agencies for the status of the field.

B. Find the current starting salary, expected growth rate, and the number of jobs available within the career field.

C. Research current job postings for the career field to answer questions like:

• Where job positions are normally advertised?

• What education and/or certification credentials are required or recommended?

If intermediate degrees or certifications are necessary to gain the required education and credentials, identify all of the prerequisite degrees and/or certifications.

• How much experience is required?

If intermediate jobs are necessary to gain the required experience, include answers to the above questions for each intermediate job.

D. Select at least two (2) job postings relevant to the selected career field, and include the text of the postings (no links) in Appendix A. Include links to the job postings in the References section (be sure to include the "last date accessed").

3. Evaluate the Future of the Career Field

•   Research the future of the career field, and summarize your findings.

• How old is the field?
• How did it develop, change and evolve over time?
• What is the future direction of the field?
• What is the growth potential of the field?
• Who are the current prominent individuals, companies, and technologies within the field?
• What is the growth path for a successful individual within the field?
• How will you satisfy the education, experience, and certification requirements of the field?

o Include any intermediate jobs, degrees, or certifications that may be necessary.

Job Titles: Looking for a Definable Job Title - Where to Start? (Try writing on the titles that are in red)

There are several places you can look to find appropriate job titles for your selected career field. One such location is the list of Job Categories available at monster.com http://www.monster.com/

You can select one these areas and submit a job search to see the job titles associated with each category.

• Computer/Network Security

• Network/Server Administration

• Data Warehousing

• Software/System Architecture

• Database Development/Administration

• Software/Web Development ()

• Desktop Service/Support

• Systems Analysis

• Enterprise Software Implementation/Consulting

• Telecommunications

• General: IT/Software Development

• Usability/Information Architecture

• IT Consulting

• Web Mastering

• IT Project Management

• Web/UI/UX Design

Be careful to distinguish between specific titles and broad categories. For example, the following career fields are defined, but one is specific and the other is broad.

• "Software Engineer: Designing, developing and testing computer programs. Requires some advanced math skills and creative problem-solving ability."
• "Computer IT Analyst: Desktop support technician with webmaster and database admin experience."

The second job field is too broad, select one aspect and clearly define it.

Self-Assessment:

The Self-Assessment section provides you an opportunity to evaluate your current knowledge and skills as they relate to your chosen career path. You will use the results of your self-assessment later to create your professional development plan.

To complete the Self-Assessment section of the professional development plan, summarize the true status of your academic, work and life experiences (refer to the list of skills in the Skills Assessment section of your Career Portfolio) with respect to the two (2) job posting you selected in the Career Selection and Evaluation section. It is important that you honestly assess your current knowledge and skills regarding your chosen career path; otherwise, you are only hurting yourself and delaying your success in achieving your professional career goals.

As you complete the Self-Assessment section of your professional development plan, answer the following questions, as well as any others that you feel are appropriate to fully completing your self-assessment.

When appropriate, be as specific as possible with your answers.
• Are there any professional organizations I should join?
• Are there any local user groups I should join?
• Are there any vendor or industry certifications I should obtain?
• Do I need to continue my education?
• For example, earning a Master's degree in
• Software engineering
• Cyber-security
• Game development
• With which types of companies (i.e., banking, game design, etc.) should I work?
• What have others done to earn their current positions within the field?
• How much time did it take them to reach their current position?
• How much time will it take before I'm prepared to work in my desired position?
• How much money must I spend before I'm prepared to work in my desired position?

Professional Development Plan Creation:

After fully evaluating your chosen career path, as well as your current knowledge and skills, you are ready to create a professional development plan that details the short-term and long-term goals needed to prepare yourself for a successful future in your chosen career path. Do not ignore the intermediate steps along the way to your ultimate goal (refer to your Skills Assessment and Self-
Assessment).

1. Create a list of activities to improve the skills of highest priority

A. These skills include those that

1. Require the most work
2. Are fundamental to achieving your goals
3. Can be strengthened in the shortest time or with the least amount of effort

B. Be realistic and honest with your expectations
1. It is highly unlikely that you will become the next CEO of Apple
2. It is possible to reach your full potential if you plan your path carefully

C. Be specific and precise in this section. Avoid being unclear or listing ill-defined goals.

D. Using your Career Portfolio, identify additional near- and long-term activities necessary to achieve your career goals. These may include specific professional (training, certifications or licenses) and skill development programs.

E. Research professional and skill development opportunities that target your career path. The following are suggestions, but do not represent an exhaustive list:
1. Professional workshops
2. Professional conferences
3. Vendor Certification (Microsoft, Linux, Oracle, etc.)
4. Join an organization (ACM, AITP, IEEE-CS, Toastmasters, etc.)
5. Join a local user group (Linux User Group, SQL User Group, .NET User Group, etc.)
6. Attend company-sponsored events
7. Volunteer (at specific organizations/events related to 2, 4 and 5 above)

F. Build a timeline for achieving each step within each of your goals. Prioritize which skill(s) you want to improve first. Include costs, both financial and time investments - be realistic.
1. One-, two- and three-year plans
2. five-year plan
3. ten-year plan
4. You may choose to utilize a table to summarize and illustrate your development plan.

Conclusion
Discuss the value, to you, as an individual, as well as to members of the profession, in general, if all computing professionals maintained a career development plan like the one you have created for this class.

References
You must provide references for all of the material used in your Professional Development Plan. At a minimum, provide the following details for each reference:
1. Name, title or description of the referenced material
2. If the reference is web-based, also include

A. the URL of the referenced material
B. The date you last referenced the material

Attachments
The material contained in the Attachments section does not need to conform to the formatting standards of the paper. The following attachments are required:
1. Appendix A: A copy of the two job postings selected for use in the Career Definition section of your Professional Development Plan
A. You must copy and paste the text of the job postings (don't just provide links)
2. Appendix B: An updated copy of your resume
3. Appendix C (optional): Any additional items that support your Professional Development Plan