Individual_Professional_Development_Plan

Individual Professional Development Plan Katrina Wimbley BSHS/391 February 24, 2011 Sharon Oglesby Individual Professional Development Plan Benjamin Franklin states “without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” Developing my individual professional development plan was an experience that took me on a mental journal of my future. Developing this plan forced me to strategically think about my career path. I am currently unemployed so I am excited at the possibilities of improvement, growth, and progress that are open to me upon my completion of my Human Service degree. The concept of professional development may be new to you, but it is an important aspect that should be, in one way or another, involved in all our lives. According to T. Simon (2011) Professional development is about being aware of the decisions that you make, the way you think about, and the way you handle different situations. The concept behind professional development is the idea that you have untapped potential, and to not settle with what you have if you want more out of life. Professional development is a process of continually progressing and refining your character and qualities as a parent, a teacher, a secretary, a doctor, a lawyer- as whatever or whoever you are. It is about life-long learning and growing as an individual. In a year from now I would to be working a position in the human service field. I have been researching what jobs are available to me with a bachelor’s degree in human service. I would like to work with at risk teenagers. I would also like to enroll back in school into a Masters program for social work or psychology. I have not decided with field I would like to further my studies in. I would like to get some work experience so that I am sure of what I field would like to gage my career in. I have a passion for children especially teenage girls. The generation of teenage girls lack respect for themselves and struggle with self-worth. I want to help empower them and give them the tools needed to overcome some of the challenges she may face or have already faced. I have experienced situations in my life that will help the teenage girls. I am a living example of how one can overcome a traumatic event and have a blessed and peaceful life. To have a career in social work or psychology, I will have to go back to school and obtain my Master’s degree. If I decide to go an accelerated program it will probably take two years to complete my Masters in psychology or my MSW. The apprehension I have is the internships that I would have to complete. Often times the internships are in the daytime, during the business work day. I would like to go back to school within a year’s time of my completion on school in July of 2011. I am not sure how feasible this will be, it will depend the type of employment I will have. As stated earlier I am currently unemployed and my main concern is providing an income to support my family. It is hard to concentrate on my plans for my future when I am worried about my current situation. I am trying to implement an action plan. B. Hoey states (2003) an action plan is only as good as its implementation and accountability. This means setting specific time lines for starting and completion of each step. It also means having several built in checkpoints to allow one to monitor my progress and make any fine tuning adjustments or course corrections to my plan. Very much like sailing in that one starts from where one is, chart a course to a destination and then sail towards one’s goal, checking one’s progress and making course corrections enroute. There are a few personal changes that are occurring and will occur in my life. It is hard to concentrate on the future when one is concerned on the present. By this I mean providing for my family, I am the sole provider. I would like to gain back the stability my family had prior to a major change in our family structure. I believe when I feel stable I will be able to concentrate on my career. Currently I feel distracted because I am worried about day to day living but when that burden is removed I will be able to focus more on my career. My children are also getting older which will allow me more flexibility in my schedule because my children will able take care of themselves. The professional changes that have to occur is for me to first find employment, preferably in the field of human service. The challenge that I am having is that there are not a lot of jobs available in this field currently. I may have to work a job that is not in my career path. I also thought if I have job that is not in my career path, to gain experience, I could volunteer at places in the human service field. I believe a part of creating your plan is thinking positive. According to T. Simon (2011) positive thinking and professional development go hand-in-hand. If one thinks he or she can be better, then one can be. If one does not like his or her job or he or she is ready for a change, and one tells his or her self there is no hope, one will be continually unhappy. However, when one starts looking at things in a positive light, one will be able to put more energy and effort into everything one does, because one will know that one is working towards an end goal. In three years from now I would have like to have completed the rest of my education and in work place that I enjoy. Working in an environment that you do not enjoy, takes the joy out of coming to work. In my personal life I would like to regain home ownership and to have restored stability to my family. According to A. Banach (2010) the median salary range for professionals in this industry varies due to diverse work settings, requirements and responsibilities and is currently between $37,832 and 59,230 as of November 2010, according to pay scale. I am not expecting to be rich because that will not happen in this field of work but this salary range I will be able to live comfortably. In five years I would like to be in a position that I enjoy working in and hopefully advancing in my career. I plan on continuing education myself in my professional by attending conferences and reading or attending anything that will help me in my career. As a human service it is important to stay abreast of the new laws, new treatment, or anything else that will beneficial to my client. In ten years I will be 49 years of age, both of my children will grown and hopefully completed college or attending college. I would like to have been at the same place of employment so that I could have a 401k established so that I will have money for retirement. I would love to have my own youth program. I am not sure of the details of that idea. I want to make a difference in the lives of today’s youth. I have had many struggles in my life and I want to be a share my story so that I can be a blessing to someone else. I think that it is selfish to have knowledge and do not share it. One never knows who he or she may save just by sharing his or her story. It is impossible to totally prevent stress from one’s professional and personal life, but I can reduce stress significantly by eliminating stressors in my life. The article Stress Management (2010) states managing stress is all about taking charge: taking charge of your thoughts, your emotions, your schedule, your environment, and the way you deal with problems. The ultimate goal is a balanced life, with time for work, relationships, relaxation, and fun – plus the resilience to hold up under pressure and meet challenges head on. The article also mentioned six strategies that I could use to help reduce and cope with stress. The strategies are: 1. Avoid unnecessary stress 2. Alter the situation 3. Accept things you can not change 4. Make time for fun and relaxation 5. Adopt a healthy lifestyle I believe following these will help eliminate unwanted stress at work and at home. I also believe my faith will help me a great deal. I have learned to pray and give situations that I can not handle to God. My faith is my foundation and keeps me going. Three years ago I had a mild stroke; this was brought on due to stress. I realized how stress could affect my physical state as well as my mental state. I learned that I could not allow stress to control me but I had to control the stress. Stress is apart of life but it is how one deals with it. I believe when I realized what made me stress I was able to cope with the stress and sometimes prevent the stressful situation. Stress Management (2010) states stress management starts with identifying the sources of stress in your life. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. Your true sources of stress aren’t always obvious, and it’s all too easy to overlook your own stress-inducing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Sure, you may know that you’re constantly worried about work deadlines. But maybe it’s your procrastination, rather than the actual job demands, that leads to deadline stress. Burnout also is a concern to me especially working in the human service field because deal with people. It may sometimes become depressing. I believe learning to know when to step back, ask for help, and sometimes remove myself from the situation will help me from getting burned out. I was reading an article on burnout because I am feeling burnout from school. I am so glad that I am nearing the end. The article Preventing Burnout (2010) stated three strategy tips for helping prevent burnout, they are as follows: Burnout recovery strategy #1: Slow down When you’ve reached the end stage of burnout, adjusting your attitude or looking after your health isn’t going to solve the problem. You need to force yourself to slow down or take a break. Cut back whatever commitments and activities you can. Give yourself time to rest, reflect, and heal. Burnout recovery strategy #2: Get support When you’re burned out, the natural tendency is to protect what little energy you have left by isolating yourself. But your friends and family are more important than ever during difficult times. Turn to your loved ones for support. Simply sharing your feelings with another person can relieve some of the burden. Burnout recovery strategy #3: Reevaluate your goals and priorities Burnout is an undeniable sign that something important in your life is not working. Take time to think about your hopes, goals, and dreams. Are you neglecting something that is truly important to you' Burnout can be an opportunity to rediscover what really makes you happy and to change course accordingly.  I really liked the last strategy sometimes you have to rediscover your passion for what one does and what makes one happy. There is a scripture in the Bible that I love and I live my life by it. It states “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5, 6). In order to succeed you have to believe in a power higher than oneself. If you don’t believe in something you will fall for anything. Reference Banach, A. (2010). The Average Salary of a human Service Worker. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com Simon, T. (n.d.). The Importance of Professional Development -Life Long Learning and the Power of Positive Thinking. Retrieved from http://ezinearticks.com Smith, M. (2010). Stress Management. Help Guide. Retrieved from http://Http://www.helpguide.org