Personal and Professional Development - Essay Example

Personal and Professional Development Name: Course: Instructor: Institution: Date of Submission: 1.0. Summary My career line is in engineering, which stipulates I need high technical skills among others as will be presented. The report is intended to present my path to the professional and personal lifelong development. Thus, it presents my current skills, and how they help me in reaching my desired goals in my career path. The report presents the need to improve goals and how they all matter in achieving a lifelong development. 2.0. Introduction The report begins by analysing m current skills, and how they are linked to the relevant professional standards and organizational objectives I will meet. Thus, I will present the professional standards and objectives that and how my skills are relevant for the given professional and personal development. The report also identified the developmental needs and opportunities needed for my skills to assist in the professional and personal development. The report then gives the professional and development plan that will assist in my growth to meet the future needs to succeed in my career path. 3.0. Report and Analysis Tasks 3.1. Current Skills a. Evaluate current skills and competencies against professional standards and organizational objectives Some of the professional skills I currently possess include communication skills, self-management is a skill I have acquired through studying, researching, speaking and reading various objects, and professional knowledge attained through self-managed learning, and structured learning in the university besides the general society. Others also include problem solving where currently my problem solving skills are attained through experience. I have to learn to solve problems through creativity and reflection among other strategies (Lizzio & Keithia, 2005). Presentation skills is a professional skill needed in meeting the objectives of the company against others. I have sufficient presentation skills acquired through experience by making presentations before a class and many other groups. Planning and organizing are professional skills acquired through the increased participation in the various activities. Leadership skills, and listening skills are skills I need to advance on for the professional standard. The time management, and technology skills are skills I have acquired through having to manage my own time against given goals, and using the technology to attain other goals. b. Identifying professional standards and or organizational objectives My future profession is working as an engineer, where most of the working opportunities and responsibilities revolve highly on certain professional and organizational objectives. Thus, one of the main professional standards needed to succeed in the industry is integrity. Integrity involves honesty and one been responsible with all members involved in the industry, business and beyond the company (Day, et al., 2006). Some of the skills I possess that are needed as professional standards includes working experience, which I intend to gain through part time working, and internships prior to completing my study (Beijaard, et al., 2000). Organization and designing skills are skills I possess for the industry, but intend to improve on them. Others include the communication skills, knowledge gaps, technical skills, problem solving skills, and written and verbal English communication skills, as it is the international language. c. Evaluating current skills against those identified above Professional Skills Personal Current Skills Attained Level (1 very low - 5 very high) Work Experience Currently worked as an intern 2.5 Integrity Am an honest and responsible person 4.5 Organization Skills Through taking part in several participations in school and other areas 3 Designing Skills Through studying and participation in projects I have gained sufficient skills on designing 3.5 Communication skills I speak English a lot and read new vocabularies, which has improved my skills for communication 4.5 Knowledge Gap Through keeping up with the new technologies that impact the business and industry in general among others. Including strategic initiatives and engineering skills 4 Technical Skills By education and work experience I have the technical skills needed to succeed in the industry   Written and Verbal English competency Through speaking and writing English issues and projects, my skills have increased, also based on presentation skills 4 Problem Solving Skills My problem-solving skills are based on experience and learning. I need to improve the problem solving skills through creativity, as it is a high needed skills in the engineering industry 2 Based on the comparison table given above, my professional and personal skills are high and sufficient to succeed in the industry (Moon, 2013). However, I need to aggressively engage in self-managed learning to improve my performance and development in the professional and personal development for further benefits in my lifelong development. 3.2. Own Development Needs One of the main development needs I will require include the organization skills, capacities and aptitudes. My weaknesses are poor problem solving skills, where I only use experience of what I have learned and skills to solve problems. I need to develop my problem solving skills for a lifelong professional development. Additionally, my development need is reliant on improving my personal strategy to learn and grow professionally and personally. My personal strategy will be attained through self-managed learning process. I will learn as a pragmatist mainly, however, others such as the activist’s process of learning and theorist learners will be beneficial. Integrating this three factors will benefit me to learn effectively from individual experience and situations (Moon, 2013). I will also learn from the world, the society, groups, community and the organizations I will work in, as an employee or interns. However, learning will include learning through the experience and using the reflexive modernization theory as well. That is, my development need is to improve my learning strategy as depicted and include both experience and modernity processes to learn to ensure professional and personal development. Through using the self-managed learning strategy and its activities will help meet these professional and personal development needs. The professional and personal skills needed to promote the career and future personal skills is given through improving the current skills identified above. That is, to develop some of the skills such as communication skills, listening skills, presentation skills, self-management skills, technological skills, time management, and professional knowledge among many others. Through the application of self-managed learning, all these skills will be developed leading to lifelong professional and personal development. 3.3. Development Opportunities The development opportunities will increase the chances of increased success and performance in the business. The future needs will be met through engaging in training and development. That is; training is attained through educational learning, internships and the training offered in the different organizations I intend to work in the business. The training in association with self-managed learning will improve my chances of meeting the professional developmental skills (Day, et al., 2006). The developmental opportunities can also be attained from the feedback from teams and groups working on a project. The feedback presents an opportunity for development since it creates a platform where one gains information on the skills to improve on, and those that are key strengths to help one attain professional and personal lifelong development. Self-management will help attain the skills needed for professional growth through increased team management to help in arming each other and improving one’s skills by learning from each other also, which highly increases the objectives of the organization and general performance individually and as a company. It also supports that the self-managed learning process will be advanced by learning from each other, the world and projects among other levels of learning. 3.4. Personal and Professional Development Plan Planning is the ultimate strategy to succeeding in every goal one sets. Planning ensures one succeeds in both professional and personal (Lizzio & Keithia, 2005). It helps one identify their current and future needs, strengths and weaknesses as everyone expands on their abilities to ensure lifelong personal and professional development. Personal Development Plan What do I want/need to learn? (specific and realistic) Where was this need identified? What will I do to achieve this? (achievable) What resources or support will I need? (awareness of limitations and opportunities) What will my success criteria be? (measurable) Target dates for review and completion (time constrained) *Engineering Skills *Engineering PHD certifications This was identified in my early years when I learned and decided on what I want to study *Educational learning *Self-managed learning *Training and engaging in internships to learn about the goals To participate in school projects and others to attain the educational learning requirements needed. Engage in internships to gain more knowledge and training to attain these goals Define my goals and set timeframes to determine what has been achieved. That is; I will compare my goals with what I have achieved to determine the success attained. The time frame is divided for long and short term goals. The short term goals timeframe is three months for each goals set. The long term goal is the timeframe for the entire course, which is about five years Initial Self-Appraisal Skill Area Description of Specific Skill A lot of the time Some of the time Never Further action required Self-Awareness I understand different personality types and use that awareness effectively when I interact with others Feedback Appraisal I seek feedback from others on my strengths and limitations and modify my behaviour accordingly Communication I effectively convey information verbally and in writing to a variety of audiences (peers, authority figures, groups, individuals) Listening Skills I listen effectively and can identify key issues that require addressing I demonstrate respect for other’s opinions Conflicts Handling I effectively handle conflict Negotiation Skills I can effectively negotiate and persuade Microsoft Word Skills I can use email, word, excel to communicate effectively Self-Management I plan my workload effectively (set objectives, prioritise, use time effectively, meet commitments, demonstrate self-discipline) Time Management I make and keep appointments (reliability) Team Working I understand team-working theory and use that understanding to be a more effective team member (social skills/adaptability) I understand the difference between assertiveness and aggressiveness and display assertiveness appropriately Leadership I understand what it takes to become an effective leader and display leadership traits to motivate others Self-Audit Areas for Development Skill Area Description of Specific Skill What I need to do to develop in this area for the future (and why!) Self-Awareness I understand different personality types and use that awareness effectively when I interact with others Though I understand different personality, I need to develop self-awareness in regards to identifying and describing personal emotions, through emotional intelligence. I need to improve self-awareness through psychological personality identification. Feedback I seek feedback from others on my strengths and limitations and modify my behaviour accordingly I need to aggressively seek feedback from all people including the managers from places I get internships and colleagues including teachers Communication I effectively convey information verbally and in writing to a variety of audiences (peers, authority figures, groups, individuals) I need to continue learning to convey information effectively; my challenge is conveying negative information mainly when there is pressure. Thus, I need to learn to convey information verbally and in writing despite the condition in the environment I listen effectively and can identify key issues that require addressing Even though am good a listening, I need to learn to provide feedback. I should not listen and act only when the issues been addressed are linked to me, but also provide feedback that can help others. I demonstrate respect for other’s opinions It is important to continuously learn to respect others opinions. However, despite respecting others opinions, I need to learn and develop on standing on my opinions, mainly when they conflict with those of others. I effectively handle conflict Though am capable of handling conflicts, I will develop on the possible strategies to improve my conflict handling issues I can effectively negotiate and persuade I need to improve my presentation skills to charm and effectively persuade the audience despite the level of the audience. I can use email, word, excel to communicate effectively I need to improve on the additional application of other Microsoft office activities to improve my performance and skills in the industry. Self-Management I plan my workload effectively (set objectives, prioritise, use time effectively, meet commitments, demonstrate self-discipline) Self-management goes hand in hand with time management. Therefore, I will develop my time management skills and use self-managed learning to increase my learning skills to support my goals I make and keep appointments (reliability) - Team Working I understand team-working theory and use that understanding to be a more effective team member (social skills/adaptability) To improving team working, I will develop my skills on the following issues Social awareness so I can communicate and work effectively with teams Emotional intelligence to ensure that my feelings and other emotions do not interrupt with the professional needs and activities needed to succeed in various factors. I understand the difference between assertiveness and aggressiveness and display assertiveness appropriately Assertiveness is occasionally identified in a negative light. To ensure this is not the case, I will develop my personality awareness to ensure that my personality is well distinguished even during the times when am assertive Leadership I understand what it takes to become an effective leader and display leadership traits to motivate others I need to develop my capability to delaying self-gratification and managing irrational emotions Self-Audit My Strengths Skill Area Description of Specific Skill Evidence (why is this a current strength?) Self-Awareness I understand different personality types and use that awareness effectively when I interact with others It is an important skills since it improves the emotional awareness of an individual and self-confidence while ensuring self-assessment. Thus, it is a current strength since it helps one determine their personal strengths to be used for professional development. It also helps in identifying the personal weaknesses, thus areas that need to be improved I seek feedback from others on my strengths and limitations and modify my behaviour accordingly It helps improve my performance and what I offer in the business. More importantly, it increases the capacity of communication of one Communication I effectively convey information verbally and in writing to a variety of audiences (peers, authority figures, groups, individuals) Communication skills are the ultimate skills to communicating effectively, which ensures others understand and can be persuaded effectively. I listen effectively and can identify key issues that require addressing Listening is a current skill and strength since it helps one to effectively pay attention to detail and make accurate assessments including offering feedback that can be used to advanced one, or a company I demonstrate respect for other’s opinions Respect is important; if you treat and respect others, they also learn to respect you. It is a current skill and strength since it helps one to socialization, and productivity in the organization. I effectively handle conflict Handling conflicts is important since it ensures making conflicts are constructive and ensures teamwork remains productive. I can effectively negotiate and persuade Negotiation skills ae important since they determine whether the business or individual encounters a loss or performance benefits in different occasions. I can use email, word, excel to communicate effectively It is an important current skills since it ensures that one can make their assessments presentable and more efficient Self-Management I plan my workload effectively (set objectives, prioritise, use time effectively, meet commitments, demonstrate self-discipline) Self-management is an important skill since it develops an individual’s personal skill, which in turn benefits the organization and industry. Self-management is important for personal and professional lifelong development I make and keep appointments (reliability) It revolves around time-management where one is better at making decisions and meeting goals efficiently, while living a successful life. Team Working I understand team-working theory and use that understanding to be a more effective team member (social skills/adaptability) Team working is an important skill since it allows one to learn from others and during problems, through creativity, better and efficient solutions are attained. I understand the difference between assertiveness and aggressiveness and display assertiveness appropriately It helps me to use my personality to ensure my assertiveness is not misjudged. It is important since it ensures that I earn respect among others, and communicate effectively as well, leading to professional and personal lifelong development Leadership I understand what it takes to become an effective leader and display leadership traits to motivate others It is an important skill since it guarantees the success of the company or an individuals through the development of the appropriate decisions and goals that improve the lifelong development. 4.0. Discussion Personal and professional development is highly reliant on the development plan that one possess. Based on the section above, one must recognize the professional standards needed to ensure that one recognizes their weaknesses and strengths and how they support one on attaining the skills needed by my career path requirements (Beijaard, et al., 2000). More importantly, the personal and professional plan presents a guide on the skills I need to improve to succeed in the industry. The professional and personal plan will help me reach my goals by specifically showing me the skills I need to improve on and learn to meet the current and future needs. The report presents that self-managed learning is the best way to learn and attain skills to ensure personal and professional lifelong development. Leadership skills, communication, self-awareness and self-management are some of the skills that ensure one succeeds in their careers and businesses. The career I choose requires one to have skills on time management, educational and work experience, and technical skills among other requirements. To meet most of the skills and developmental needs identified, I will engage in training mainly in work internships and through self-managed learning to develop all the appropriate skills to meet my goals. 5.0. Conclusion Everyone is responsible for their personal and professional development. It is important to identifying one’s skills and improve on some while learning others that will be beneficial to their employers and personal lives by ensuring positive development. One should ensure they have attractive skills, mainly those that will be a benefit to their professional development, which can be attained mainly through the self-managed learning process. References Beijaard, D., Verloop, N. & Vermunt, J. D., 2000. Teachers Perceptions of Professional Identity: An Explanatory Study from a Personal Knoweldge Perspective.. Teaching and Teacher Education, 16(7), pp. 749 -764. Day, C., Kington, A., Stobart, G. & Sammons, P., 2006. The personal and professional selves of teachers: Stable and unstable identities. British educational research journal, 32(4), pp. 601 -616. Lizzio, A. & Keithia, W., 2005. Self‐managed learning groups in higher education: Students' perceptions of process and outcomes. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 75(3), pp. 373 -390. Moon, J. A., 2013. Reflection in learning and professional development: Theory and practice. New York: Routledge. Read More