Personal Development Plan - Term Paper Example

? Personal Development Plan Personal Development Plan Section I: Background The of Alexandria in Virginia is rich with historical landmarks, museums and attractions. It is the ancestral place of my family. Born second from among a brood of four, with an elder and younger brother and a baby sister, I have always considered myself as a middle child. Neal (2009) in his article entitled “Personality Traits Linked To Birth Order”, has revealed that “middle children often feel like their older brother gets all the glory while their younger sister escapes all discipline. Because the middle child feels that the world pays him less attention, he tends to be secretive; he does not openly share his thoughts or feelings” (Neal, 2009 , par. 6). Appropriately evaluated, Neal added that there are initial tendencies for middle children to establish closer bonds with friends than family members and the senstive nature give them the talent to read people well. I agree to the contentions. Growing up has been spent entirely in Chicago. I remember my parents instilling discipline and the value of hard work. My father belonged to the Military and thereby, expects lot of discipline and manifests authority at home. He died ten years ago. My mother is an administrator assistant and her work directs exemplifying governance through administation and control. Siblings were expected to help in household chores and to attent church services regularly. In a study conducted by Sogomonyan and Cooper (2010), the findings reveal that “children of military families often experience multiple stressors before and during their parent’s deployment and when they come home. Without appropriate mental health support systems, children of military personnel may be at a significant disadvantage compared with their peers in non-military families” (Sogomonyan & Cooper, 2010). For me, apart from the participation in household chores and in self-discipline, being a child of a military man has driven me to be more diligent and conscientious; as well as achievement oriented and determined to succeed. I went to TC Williams High School where the school’s mission was to “provide the environment, resources, and commitment to ensure that each and every student succeeds — academically, emotionally, physically, and socially” (T.C. Williams High School, 2011, p. 1). Luckily, the school’s thrust for holistic development of each student has been instrumental in honing my personality in terms of the development of knowledge, skills and abilities that equipped me for higher education. I therefore plan to finish my degree by the spring of 2013. From the past experiences, I realized that there might have been parallel manifestations of traits of middle children, from what Neal (2009) has revealed or from being evaluated as being ; more prone to stressors as a child of a military man; but in the end, the way one lives his or her own life with what blessings and resources should be used to the best of one’s abilities. The educational background from TC Williams has broadened my personal perspectives and made me look beyond a confining traditional generalization based on common grounds. I am a unique individual, more than being typecast as a middle child or a military child. As such, I believe can achieve whatever I am determined to work for. Section II: Goals In any endeavor, goal setting has been acknowledged as one of the most critical and crucial steps to follow. Ward (2011) defines goal setting as “the process of deciding what you want to accomplish and devising a plan to achieve the result you desire” (par. 1). The secret to achieving one’s goals therefore is to define them accurately, concisely, explicitly and viably. Upon reflection, I picture myself to be married with two healthy and bubbly children and working as a computer security officer. I would have completed a master degree in the same field of endeavor to have competitively attained an officer position and aiming to be promoted to the next level in the organizational hierarchy. This goal would not at all be possible without going through strategies and objectives for the next 5 to 10 years, to wit: 1. Pursue my master’s degree after graduating from the university; 2. Receive appropriate training in the field of computer security; 3. Apply with large global organizations or government institutions (as I likewise aim to be assigned and be relocated in other international countries to gain knowledge of other cultures); 4. Manage to be committed with a special person and be determined to remain in a long-term relationship; and 5. Establish a remarkable stable and happy relationship with my family, friends, and colleagues. I believe that one of the secrets of achieving defined goals is to establish good rapport and smooth interpersonal relationships with others, through open communication, knowledge in conflict resolution strategies, development of negotiation skills, manifesting leadership skills, practicing problem-solving and living a basically peaceful and happy life by doing what one loves best. Section III: Specific Action Plans 1. Pursue my master’s degree after graduating from the university; With the defined date of graduation from the university by 2013, I plan to immediately pursue a master degree from the same university to further my craft in the chosen career: in computer security. To finance my higher education, I could apply for a scholarship or opt to work part-time. By working part-time, I would already gain some experience, knowledge and training to master my craft on computer security. This would have contributed in achieving my second goal: 2. Receive appropriate training in the field of computer security; If I applied for a scholarship and was admitted to the University for a master ’s degree, appropriate training in the field of computer security could be sourced from the program’s modules and compliance to academic requirements and projects. Further, other training development programs could be researched from online sources, such as those offered by SANS (Computer Security Training, Network Research & Resources) (SANS, 2011) or InfoSec Institute’s Information Technology Training (InfoSec Institute, 2011). 3. Apply with large global organizations or government institutions; I plan to apply at Exxon Mobil, the organization ranked third from among the Global 500 of the world’s largest corporations in 2010 (CNN Money, 2010). As reported, “the recession meant the oil and gas company faced the same challenges as its peers, but ExxonMobil still continued to expand its global reach into emerging markets. It completed a $5 billion refining complex in China’s Fujian province, which will expand production of diesel and other refined products to meet the region’s growing demands” (CNN Money, 2010, p. 1). As indicated, the prospect are both challenging and rewarding as there could be potentials to work on other countries, as deemed necessary. The fourth and fifth goals: manage to be committed with a special person and be determined to remain in a long-term relationship; and establish a remarkable stable and happy relationship with my family, friends, and colleagues would be a regular and continuing process towards one’s life journey. Through academic experiences and working in a global organization, interpersonal relationships are formed and developed. Constant communication and bonding with family and siblings, are likewise important, to ensure that there is a balance between spending time with loved ones and allocating resources and schedules for work. I think by then I would have recognized that a successful and fulfilling life means being able to provide ample time for both work and family and for personal and professional growth. Conclusion The activity enabled one to remunerate on one’s personal background as instrumental in defining goals and designing appropriate strategies to achieve these objectives in defined time frames. As I have realized and emphasized, the following lessons emerged from writing one’s development plan: (1) I am a unique individual, more than being typecast as a middle child or a military child. As such, I believe can achieve whatever I am determined to work for; (2) the secret to achieving one’s goals therefore is to define them accurately, concisely, explicitly and viably; (3) further, there is a need to establish good rapport and smooth interpersonal relationships with others, through open communication, knowledge in conflict resolution strategies, development of negotiation skills, manifesting leadership skills, practicing problem-solving and living a basically peaceful and happy life by doing what one loves best; and finally (5) that a successful and fulfilling life means being able to provide ample time for both work and family and for personal and professional growth. References CNN Money. (2010, July 26). Global 500. Retrieved August 18, 2011, from http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/global500/2010/full_list/ InfoSec Institute. (2011). Information Security Training and IT Boot Camps. Retrieved August 18, 2011, from http://www.infosecinstitute.com/ Neal, R. (2009 , February 11). Personality Traits Linked To Birth Order. Retrieved August 17, 2011, from CBS News.com: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/06/10/earlyshow/living/parenting/main511694.shtml SANS. (2011). Computer Security Training, Network Research & Resources. Retrieved August 17, 2011, from http://www.sans.org/ Sogomonyan, F., & Cooper, J. (2010, May). Trauma Faced by Children of Military Families. Retrieved August 15, 2011, from National Center for Children in Poverty: http://www.nccp.org/publications/pdf/text_938.pdf T.C. Williams High School. (2011). Learning Environment. Retrieved August 15, 2011, from http://www.acps.k12.va.us/tcw/laptop/ Ward, S. (2011). Goal Setting. Retrieved August 16, 2011, from About.com: http://sbinfocanada.about.com/od/goalsetting/g/goalsetting.htm Read More