Personal and Professional Development: Goals and Personal Development Plan

This article discusses the significance of personal and professional development, the value of setting short, medium, and long term goals, and the process of creating a personal development plan. It emphasizes the importance of continuous improvement and provides examples and strategies for achieving growth and success.

Academic Skills and
PDP

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Main Body.......................................................................................................................................3
Personal & professional development.........................................................................................3
Values of short term goals along with examples.........................................................................4
Value of medium term goals with example.................................................................................5
Value of long term goals with examples.....................................................................................5
Personal Development plan.........................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERNCES.................................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Personal development is process wherein an individual is motivated & work towards
development of capabilities, skills, competencies for achieving growth & success in future period
of time. Personal development is crucial in terms of getting better employment opportunities for
earning livehood for enjoying a better life style. It is a continuous process under which a person
put constant efforts to become employable & different from others. In current competitive
market place, personal development is vital for embarking learning as well as growth
opportunities in personal as well as corporate career (Dunlop, Bannon and McAdams, 2017).
Personal development helps in getting better opportunities by which one can build enriching
career. For this purpose, it is required to set goals which provide direction for performing tasks &
alien efforts of individual in right direction. The present report is about personal as well as
professional development. It will also highlight goals within different time frame & objectives. It
covers short, medium as well as long term goals by using appropriate examples. Further, a
detailed PDP plan is also included in report which will help in order to identify different
resources, equipments for personal development.
Main Body
Personal & professional development
Personal development is concern with own development & growth by upskilling current level of
potential to achieve milestones in future period of time. It is related wit enhancement of overall
personality by gaining appropriate set of skills & competencies. Personal development aims to
improve overall personality of a person rather focusing on certain aspects of personality. It is a
continuous process wherein an individual is required to put constant efforts for improvement &
betterment (Thomas, 2016). Learning & development is crucial aspect of personal development
which helps in enhancing overall personality for getting better outputs in future period of time.
By looking at current level of competition, it is really imperative to develop necessary skills,
qualities as well as potential for getting a good employment opportunity. Knowledge makes a
person enable to bring creativity & uniqueness in personality which eventually helps in
enrichment of overall personality. Hence, one needs to constantly engage in personality

development approaches for bringing quality in life. Personality development not only increases
current level of proficiency but also allows an individual to embark standard & quality in life. It
allows to develop competencies & necessary skills so that one can attain future goals within set
time duration.
Professional development: In current time, professional development is important to
make a distinct image at work place. Professional development is related with development of
soft & hard skills which are required to work efficiently within organization. Here, main focus is
on such skills which impart business acumen & enable an individual to perform assigned work in
best possible way. Skills which are developed throughout professional development are helpful
in making a profound career in corporate world. Generally, training sessions are organized by
organizations for developing professional skills of employees. For this purpose, they identify the
areas in which employees are lacking & then organize suitable training sessions for further
development (Mastenbroek, 2017). With personal development, individuals also get
opportunities to work in an impressive way at work place which is crucial to formulate positive
image among managers, seniors, peers & subordinates. Hence, suitable steps are taken out by
companies for development of work force so that they become able to bring value within
company.
Values of short term goals along with examples
Goals are defined as the objects which are prepared with an aim to provide direction so that
an individual can alien efforts in rightful manner. For getting success in career, it is imperative to
have necessary goods. In this regard, goals related to different time frame are constructed so that
one can get success in an efficient manner. Here, short term goals are the objectives which are of
short duration and prepare for a day, week as well as month. These goals are formulated for short
period of time thus helps in keeping an individual highly motivated as well as inspired
(Pendergrass and et. al., 2019). Short term goals boost the confidence level of individuals and
allow them to push self for attaining success in longer period of time. Without having short term
goals, it is not possible to embark a successful long term journey in personal as well as
professional life. These goals are considered imperative in terms of inspiring and stimulating
individuals so that they work with utmost proficiency and enthusiasm for getting better results in
future. For this purpose, it is required to prepare short term goals with proper consideration so

that one can get growth and enrichment in future period of time. In this regard, I have developed
some short term goals which are mentioned as under
 I am looking forward to enhance my time management capabilities so that I can prepare
appropriate schedule for accomplishing predefined goals.
 To enhance interpersonal skills for interacting with others in an impressive way.
 Reduce down the stress level for maintaining proper coordination between personal as
well as professional life.
Value of medium term goals with example
Medium term goals are prepared for the time duration between 6 months to a year. Generally,
people not pay attention towards determining medium goals but these goals are important for
growth and success. After completion of short term objectives, one needs to pay significant
attention to medium term goals. It is analysed that short term goals are related to short period of
time while long term goals take a lot of years to get accomplished. To balance this time gap
medium term goals are constructed which help in keeping a person motivated. Hence, there is
requirement to formulate medium term objectives with due attention and consideration so that
one can achieve set goals within e predefined period of time (Hunt and Weintraub, 2016). I
personally know the significance of medium term goals thus have been prepared some medium
term objective for myself which are given below.
 I am looking forward to enhance my theoretical as well as practical knowledge in the
filed of management and administration which will help me let in getting degree with
good grades
 To get enrol for different online courses for gaining significant information about
diversified fields for career enrichment..
 To enhance my public speaking skills so that I can deliver effective presentation without
any hesitation. It will help me to get fit with my fear of public speaking.
Value of long term goals with examples
Long term goals are constructed for longer run which is more than a year. These goals are
prepared for the time duration between 3 to 5 years and sometimes take more than that in getting
accomplish. These goals are imperative iv providing direction to individuals so that they can

alien their efforts in right manner. In addition to this, long term goals are helpful in keeping a
person motivated and also play a crucial role in developing concentration & focus.. However, it
is said that long term goals are realised within the duration of 3 to 5years but there is no certain
period of time for accomplishment of long term goals. Hence, a person needs to maintain
positive attitude while working towards attainment of long term objectives. These goals are
important to get success in personal as well as professional life and help individual to stay
focused and calm (Hill, 2016). Quality life as well as standard lifestyle can also get with
accomplishment of long term objectives. For this purpose, each and every person has different
type of long term goals which are generally inspired with their own desires and inner feelings.
Accomplishment of these objectives provides a great sense of confidence as well as fulfilment.
In this regard, individuals are required to undertake detailed self analysis before structuring long
long term goals and objectives. I have been prepared some long term goals for myself which are
given below.
 To start my own business with an aim to use the business acumen and other skills which I
got during my undergraduate program.
 To improve my investment knowledge in order to maintain an efficient portfolio and
ensure significant returns for securing my future.
 To purchase my own house at one of the prime locations of London.
Personal Development plan
Personal development plan refers to a document that includes different competencies,
skills that need to develop by an individual within a particular period of time. It enables an
individual to assess own performance to find the suitable areas of improvement. In this,
individual identifies areas of improvement then look for suitable resources to improve those
areas for future enrichment (Walther, 2018). It is a plan which acts as a framework of enhancing
knowledge, skills qualities as well as competencies for embarking growth and success in
personal and professional life. Personal development plan is prepared for driving personal
growth & development so that set goals can be accomplished within stipulated period of time.
With personal development one can make suitable plan in order to improve future performance
in significant manner. Here, goals are determined for personal growth & then necessary
resources are also determined for realizing such goals in real context. Personal development plan

comprises time period under which set goals need to develop. Hence, it plays a crucial role in
terms of enhancing current level of performance by developing necessary proficiency &
competencies. It enables an individual to assess own performance by setting appropriate
standards. In this, one needs to develop desired skills within set period of time for embarking
growth in personal as well as professional life. It provides guidance & clarity so that an
individual can put significant efforts in terms of developing appropriate skill set for further
career growth. For this purpose, I analyzed my own performance & identify some areas of
improvement. Hence, for coping up with my week areas, I have developed a personal
development plan which is given below:
Goals Tactics Used Support and
resources
required
How success is
measured?
Target date for
review
Time
management
skills
I will prepare
suitable schedule
which will
include
dividation of my
time as per
different
activities which I
need to perform
throughout the
day. This
schedule will
enable me in
maintaining
balance between
professional as
well as personal
For this purpose, I
will use take
online sessions &
also take reference
from necessary
journals, articles
and books which
will guide me in
preparing a well
structured
schedule.
I will measured
the success by
assessing my
performance in
terms of
achieving set
goals within pre-
define deadlines.
There is a time
duration of 1
month has been
determined for
developing time
management
skills.

life.
Public Speaking
skills
I will join public
speaking club
where I will get
opportunity to
interact with
club members. I
will also initiate
while it comes to
speak on stage to
get rid with my
fear of public
speaking.
Public speaking
skills can be
developed by
different resources
such as books,
journals, online
sessions & more. I
will also take help
of some
experience people
to be a good
speaker.
I will interact
with different
people & grab the
opportunity of
delivering
presentations,
anchoring &
more. I will also
take suggestions
of my mentor for
making further
improvements.
This skills will
develop within
time period of 6
months.
Investment
know ledge
I am looking
forward to get
insights from
different
investment
books,
experience
people who has
huge portfolio of
different
investment
options. I will
also do the
detailed & in-
depth study
before making
investment
I will take
guidance of
brokers,
investment
advisors. In
addition to this, I
will also use
different journals,
investment articles
for developing
detailed
understanding of
investment
options.
Here, I will
analysis the
performance of
my portfolio in
terms of risk &
returns.
I have been set a
time frame of 3
years for
developing
investment related
knowledge

CONCLUSION
After going through with above stated information, it is concluded that personal and
professional development is really important for getting success and accomplishing goals in an
efficient manner. It is summarized that goals play a crucial role in terms of providing guidance as
well as direction to a person so that efforts can align in best possible way. There is discussion
regarding different time frame of goals which can be for weeks month and year. It is analysed
that goals are crucial for getting success in personal and professional life. There is discussion
about personal development plan which allows an individual to identify the areas of
improvement and further assist to look for the resources and strategies for coping up with weak
areas.

REFERNCES
Books and Journals
Dunlop, W.L., Bannon, B.L. and McAdams, D.P., 2017. Studying the motivated agent through
time: Personal goal development during the adult life span. Journal of Personality, 85(2),
pp.207-219.
Thomas, A.F., 2016. Powerful and personal professional development. Teacher Education and
Practice, 29(1), pp.27-46.
Thomas, A.F., 2016. Powerful and personal professional development. Teacher Education and
Practice, 29(1), pp.27-46.
Mastenbroek, N.J., 2017. The art of staying engaged: the role of personal resources in the mental
well-being of young veterinary professionals. Journal of veterinary medical
education, 44(1), pp.84-94.
Pendergrass and et. al., 2019. Predictors of the personal benefits and positive aspects of informal
caregiving. Aging & mental health, 23(11), pp.1533-1538.
Hunt, J.M. and Weintraub, J.R., 2016. The coaching manager: Developing top talent in business.
SAGE publications.
Hill, K., 2016. Personal and professional development: a repertory grid approach. The
University of Manchester (United Kingdom).
Walther, J.H., 2018. Developing personal course plans (PCPs) as an example of self-directed
learning in library management and project management education. Journal of Library
Administration, 58(1), pp.91-100.
Memon and et. al., 2020. Performance evaluation of conventional and hybrid woven fabrics for
the development of sustainable personal protective clothing. Environmental Science and
Pollution Research, 27(27), pp.33835-33847.
Kotze, M., 2018. How job resources and personal resources influence work engagement and
burnout. African Journal of Economic and Management Studies.