Professional Development Plan 

Your Professional Development Plan (PDP) is your individualized goal setting and skill building guide for yourself so that you can be intentional and strategic throughout the program. This plan can also serve as a guide for your professional development throughout your career. Within the plan you can consider the skill and relationship building strategies that can build upon the curriculum. Re-evaluate your plan regularly.

Gain skills and build relationships through a variety of Professional Development Opportunities and action items.

Examples of Professional Development Plans these should be tailored to fit your needs:

• Reflection PDP
  • Components: Professional goal(s), values and priorities, skills to develop, action items, reflection, skill evaluation
• Semester Guide PDP 
  • Break down your action ideas, skills to gain, and skill reflection for each term

Priorities vary per person and can change quickly. Rank your top 5:

• Location of Role
• Salary
• Role Aligns with Strengths
• Role Aligns with a Hobby
• Comprehensive Benefits Package
• Opportunity to Learn
• Collaborative Team
• Competitive Work Environment
• Connection to the Mission of the Organization
• Ability to Address a Major Problem
• Challenging Work
• Work Culture Aligns with your Values
• Supportive Manager
• Opportunity to Travel
• Path to Progress at the Company
• Work/Life Balance
• Ability to Work Remote
• Full Understanding of the Role
• Looks Good on your Resume
• Puts you on a Path towards a Long-term Goal

Skills are built and practiced, so be intentional about your skillset and development plan. Throughout the MPA Program you will have the opportunity to develop and hone your skills examples include:

• Class projects
• Professional Work Experience (PWE)
• Conferences and trainings
• External projects and internships

UNC provides resources that can help develop your skillset with some highlighted below:

• Career Readiness Competencies from the UNC Career Center
• Forage is an online platform that provides free, open-access virtual experience programs.
  • Filter by “Career Interests” with sample interest areas such as:
    • Government & Public Policy (e.g., Policy, Community Development, Economic Development, etc.)  
    • Data (e.g., Power BI, Data Visualization)  
    • Interview And Career Skill (e.g., Excel)  
• Parker Dewey Micro-Internships is a free platform that allows students to demonstrate skills and explore career paths across various fields, industries and disciplines. 
  • Opportunity availability will vary based on employer needs.
• LinkedIn Learning is an on-demand learning solution designed to help you gain new skills and advance your career. Search for training in specific skills (e.g., Excel), follow skills for relevant content, or see what is recommended, popular, or new.
  • Log in using UNC credentials
  • e.g., Working with Difficult People 

Want to use AI to help you learn about your skillset? Check out AI in Career Development for an outline on use. After reviewing, you can consider your skillset and values.

• Consider your values, priorities, and inspiration with prompts from the UMBC Career Center
  • Can you suggest exercises or activities to help me identify and prioritize the core values that would be needed for a career in [FIELD/INDUSTRY]? Can you provide any reflective exercises or guided prompts that may assist me in discovering what genuinely inspires and drives me?
• Skillset focused prompts from Paul Carney’s Prompt a Day via LinkedIn
  • Developing Stronger Leadership Skills 
  • Design a Skills Gap Analysis
  • Navigating Difficult Conversations

If you have questions, please contact Allison Binkley or Shauna Hines-Farmer with Career, Alumni, and Employer Engagement.