Academic Skills & PDP: Personal and Professional Development Goals

This report explores personal and professional development through goal setting and the implementation of a Personal Development Plan (PDP). It defines personal development as a lifelong process of learning qualities and skills, while professional development focuses on career-related skill enhancement. The report classifies goals into short-term (e.g., establishing a morning routine, improving communication), medium-term (e.g., developing leadership skills, saving money, completing graduation), and long-term (e.g., owning a company, writing a book, buying a house). It emphasizes the importance of PDP in clarifying goals, setting benchmarks, and providing direction for achieving objectives, encompassing short, medium, and long-term aspirations. The report concludes by highlighting the role of PDP in guiding individuals towards their desired future and encouraging continuous effort towards achieving life goals. Desklib offers a variety of resources for students.

ACADEMIC SKILLS AND
PDP

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
Personal development..................................................................................................................3
Professional development............................................................................................................4
Short term goal............................................................................................................................4
Medium term goal........................................................................................................................5
Long term goal.............................................................................................................................6
Personal development plan..........................................................................................................7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................1
APPENDIX......................................................................................................................................2

INTRODUCTION
Goals are the end results and the benchmark that encourages an individual to move towards
it so that it can grab it and achieve success. Personal and professional development also take
place with the attainment of aims of life and professional field. As per the situation the
determination of goals are to be made implemented. However, in order to attain the aim, it is
essential that an individual need to clarify its mind and set the targets or the aim. This can be
easily performed and done through the adoption and implementation of PDP in an individual life
under which by making a proper plan the objective of life can be achieved (Rizvi, 2018). This
report will study about the concept of personal and professional development along with
classification of goal on the basis of short, medium and long term. A discussion about the PDP
will also be included in the report.
MAIN BODY
Personal development
It is a long life process that is concerned to an individual and enable them to learn the real
value of life. Here an individual learn lot of qualities and skill with respect to its life. Personal
development also refers to the development of personality where an overall personality of an
individual will enhance and grow (Duboust and Knight, 2018). Here an individual sets goals with
respect to its life and make it’s efforts in the direction of the goal so that the per determined goal
will be accomplished. Personal development includes the development of personal qualities and
skills which will make an individual to be efficient and skilled. Personal development is a long
term and be very ending process wherein an individual need to continuously puts its efforts so
that it will become more flourish and efficient. It enables the individual to maximise and go
beyond its potential. Here an individual realize it’s actual potential along with the loopholes
which it need to work in order to become more efficient and skilled. In short it would be right to
said that the personal development includes the overall development of personality and skills of
an individual.

Professional development
Professional development is wholly concerned with the professional perspective of an
individual it is also a continuous process in which an individual is professionally equipped and
developed. Under professional development an individual need to pursue through various skill
development training programme under which development of skill is being emphasised.
Professional development makes an individual to be professionally active and fit for various
profession and job (Webb, Diamond-Wells and Jeffs, 2017). Professional development is
concerned with the professional life and career of an individual. It makes an individual equip to
enhance its career. Applicability of this development is not universal for example an individual if
trained for the post of marketing will be focussed towards sales of product and make it
professionally a good market executive. However, in case of any shift and shuffle in career it is
to be noted that the skill that is being developed during the job of marketing executive may not
be suitable for example a job related with cashier in a bank. Thus, skill and development depends
upon position and job. Hence, it is also counted as a continuous process because it need to be
performed during the entire professional career of life.
Short term goal
Goal:
It refers to the aim or the objectives towards which every efforts and activities of an
individual is directed. This are the end results which an individual want to achieve. It is to be
noted that the goals are not only related with an individual but it is applicable to everywhere
including an organization and a company too (Sadykov, 2020). Goals are also act as a source of
motivation that direct an individual to inculcate its efforts so that those objectives can be grabbed
and achieved.
Short term goal:
As per the name itself suggest its meaning that the short term goals are those goals that
can be achieved and accomplished in a short span of time. These goals are not too much
futuristic but they are slightly related to the near future. It can be a day, week or a month goal
(MacCosham and Gravelle, 2017). As their time of achievement is less so it would be not be
wrong to said that the short term goals are easy to achieve and are not too complex.
For example:

 An individual short term goal may include an establishment of morning routine of early
wake-up and running. This is counted as a short term goal because it can be implemented
from a day or a week. This is valuable because it will lead an individual to make its life
healthy.
 Another example may include strengthening the communication skill. This is also
counted as short term goal because it will not require less time around 1 or 1.5 month. It
is essential to strengthen this skill because it enable an individual to be more compatible
and efficient.
 Likewise, another example may include develop the habit of meditation is also counted as
a short term goal. This is because this habit can be developed in a short span of time. In
the same way this is valuable for an individual because through this habit the level of
concentration.
Medium term goal
This goal is related with the medium time period. This means that these goals can be
achieved in long time but not longer than long term goal. Likewise, time period is more than
short term goal too. Medium term goal also make the person motivated because through taking
small steps it direct an individual towards the achievement of its goal. These are the sequence of
goals that are to be achieved after the accomplishment of short term goal and proceed an
individual towards the attainment of long term goal (Rahnev and et.al., 2021). It enables an
individual to evaluate that whether it is actually headed towards the direction of the achievement
of its dream and long term goal too. These can be achieved between a period of month to year.
However, the time period is usually low. This can be understood with an example:
 An individual medium term goal is to learn leadership skill and qualities. It can be
counted as medium term because it need time to accomplish. Likewise, development of
leadership traits is not an easy task or goal that can be accomplished in a short period.
This is valuable for an individual because it will prepare it for the future attainment of
goal and make an individual to be ready.
 Development of money saving habit is also a medium term goal because it also need time
to develop this habit among individual. One more reason of being counted as medium
term goal because through this habit it can purse and attain the long term goal too. This is

valuable for an individual because it will enable it to have a development of knowledge
regarding the value of money.
 Grabbing high marks and passing the graduation is also a medium term goal. This is
because in the completion of graduation a sufficient level of time will be required.
Likewise, passing the graduation is very essential for a student because upon this it’s
entire career and life is dependent. As graduation passing require a period of around two
to three years so it is categories as medium term goal.
Long term goal
Right from the name the meaning of the goal can be understood. This means those goals
that require a long term are called long term goal. Being a continuous process the need and goals
of an individual is always raise but long term goal is like the dream or want of an individual
which it wants to achieve with regard to its future (Karimov, 2020). It is like the dream come
true even of an individual in which the main goal of its life can be achieved and an individual get
everything that it want to grab. These usually accomplish above a period of more than 5 years.
The example may include
 To own a company or to become the head of the business in the dreamed company is the
best example of long term goal. This is because in order to become the head an individual
need to draw it’s entire efforts towards the company along with it require a good
percentage of time because of attainment of such high position is not to be achieved in
short span of time. As it is the dream of an individual and it’s life so it would not be
wrong to counted as long term goal.
 Writing own book is also an example of long term goal. This is because in order to write
a book an individual need a great level of knowledge along with time. As a book can be
written after a thorough research which can be done in a long period of time. Likewise,
acquiring that level if knowledge may also need long time. Thus, it is counted as long
term goal. It is also valuable for an individual because those who dream to make career in
academic, writing their own book is like a dream.
 Another example may include buying an own house. This is also a long term goal
because in order to purchase an own house, an individual require a lot of time and efforts
so that it’s dream regarding the house can be accomplished. Possessing a house under an

individual name or the house own by them is like a big dream and goal of an individual
which will initiates it to put its efforts towards the achievement of its goal.
Thus, by taking small steps an individual can move and achieve its long term goal too.
Personal development plan
It refers to a plan that will lead to the development of personality of an individual. Under
this plan various activities and steps are being determined that will lead to the development of
personality of an individual. Here as per this concept an action plan with regard to an individual
is created on the basis of awareness, values, goals, reflection along with making of planning in
the context of career, education and self-improvement (Kivimäki and Meriluoto, 2018). It will
enable the individual to direct its moves with regard to the attainment of the goal of the
individual. This plan will not only enable an individual to target its goal but it will also assist an
individual regarding the way by which the targeted goal can be accomplished. It will bring
clarity in the mind of an individual and enable it have an analysis that where it need to be. If the
clarity will come then it will automatically lead an individual and assist it to take required steps
so that the goals and the objectives can be accomplished. As it is a fact that if the benchmark are
set in advance and if they are well clear then it will directly assist and individual to give its
efforts towards the benchmark.
In order words it can also be said that the PDP will includes an inculcation of all the
benchmark and the goals which an individual want to accomplish. Along with identification and
determination of goals a standard time will also be included and inculcated as a part of PDP.
Development of PDP is important because it will provide a direction on which an
individual need to walk and direct its efforts. Likewise, it enables an individual to accomplish the
goal of life that may include all the short, medium and long term goals. PDP will also encourage
that it need to give efforts so that its objective regarding the future can be achieved. As PDP
enable a clear vision regarding future so it will help an individual to clearly locate its aim
regarding the place or the target which it wants to achieve and reach.
CONCLUSION
From the above report it is concluded that development of an individual in terms of personal
and professional is closely related with the directing of individual towards making them efficient

moves with respect to attainment of goals. This report also summarizes the various forms of
goals in terms of short, medium and long term on the basis of the time attainment. Likewise, it is
also understood that how by determining the small steps and activities according to PDP will
direct an individual towards the attainment of its goal. As there is no life without the presence of
aim so the determination of objective and initiating efforts towards it will lead to success along
with development to an individual.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Duboust, S. and Knight, P., 2018. Group Activities for Personal Development. Routledge.
Karimov, S., 2020. priorities of educating young people's life goals. Архив Научных
Публикаций JSPI.
Kivimäki, V. and Meriluoto, S., 2018. Holistic perspective to individual study plan: Personal
Development Project Plan. Transforming our world through design, diversity and
education, pp.514-526.
MacCosham, B. and Gravelle, F., 2017. A model for achieving short-term and long-term goals in
a leisure career. Loisir et Société/Society and Leisure. 40(3). pp.388-400.
Rahnev, and et.al., 2021. Consensus goals for the field of visual metacognition.
Rizvi, F., 2018. Integrating competency frameworks and goal setting in an individual
development plan process.
Sadykov, I.A., 2020. Goals and Objectives of Legal Economic Policy of the Social State:
General Theoretical Aspects. Bull. Kazan L. Inst. MIA Russ.. 40. p.164.
Webb, T., Diamond-Wells, T. and Jeffs, D., 2017. Career mapping for professional development
and succession planning. Journal for nurses in professional development. 33(1). pp.25-
32.
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APPENDIX
Personal Development Plan (PDP):
Skills and exposures
that are needed to be
developed
Development plan to
implement
Resources Target date
Written skills Try to write simple
essay and cove
towards complex.
Participate in essay
competition.
Books, newspapers,
articles, journals,
internet.
15-06-2021.
Time management
skill
Adopt the practice of
scheduling. Develop
plan making habit.
Perform work as per
planned work and
schedule.
Internet, tutor,
articles, video lecture
on time management.
25-08-2021
Development of
patience
Participate in critical
situation. Engagement
in heavy work load
Video lecture,
internet, reading
articles
30-09-2021
Team work Participate in team or
group activity. Try to
participate and work
in a team with team
leader.
Books, lectures on
internet, articles,
practical exposure
with tutor.
02-08-2021
Commercial
awareness
Engaging in
workplace and related
activities. Work with
competitors and along
with association of an
Videos, internet,
reading newspapers,
articles, journals.
30-06-2022.
2

industry or sector.
3