According to my initial PDP, communication and social skills acquisition was he main goal for the semester. I had planned to communicate more with my instructors in the areas of my weaknesses. The utilization of the instructors office hours and the taking of extra time to get in touch with them enabled deeper understanding of the concepts taught in class. This was the main change that I had to make. Social development was also a significant part of my PDP; I discovered that I lack soft skills in relation to other people.
The importance of these skills in the work place is significant, and I required developing them in order to avoid the skill mismatch in the workplace (Zinger and Folkway, 2009, p. 37). The improvement of interaction with other people was one of the main goals of my PDP. Extra-curricular activities improving my social interactions inside and outside the campus. One effective to achieve this goal was getting involved in extra-curricular activities. Choosing a sport or a club was not easy because I am not too athletic.
However, I knew the importance of this and thus decided to join the badminton team and have become an active and competent badminton player over time. Having an extra- curricular activity and a social group outside of classroom has enabled me to deal tit stress more effectively. It has also allowed me to relax actively and to live a more productive life. Joining the badminton team has proved to be helpful and beneficial in many ways. Time management On the issue of time management, I planned a weekly schedule of the things would be doing every week in order to make sure that I was not falling behind on time.
The weekly schedules have been effective but I have had problems achieving some of the overall goals set for the semester. The time schedule has been a difficult one to follow due to overcrowding and poor execution. Some of the milestones that had to be achieved by the end of the semester such as reading inspirational books have not been completed. The schedule made for the reading of inspirational literature has been too overcrowded, and I have only achieved half of what I had planned.
According to Zinger and Folkway (2009), Inspirational literature is very important for motivation (p. 24). My inability to finish the reading plan is bothering and discouraging. A reflection on my performance My academic performance during the semester has been at par with other semesters. There has not been any considerable difference in my performance, which is not satisfactory. I intended to improve my GAP performance every semester in order to graduate with honors. Therefore, more needs to be done and dedicating more time to studying is necessary.
According to my PDP, I required to achieve an average of 70% in all the tests and assignments before the end of the semester. The more time spent consulting the lecturers and instructors has only had a marginal effect on my performance. This implies that more time should be spent on doing so in order to achieve the desired results. One of my instructors said that what I needed was more practice as opposed to theory. Changes in the amount of practice required have not been implemented effectively since the results have not been satisfactory.
Personal development The plan will also integrate academic development with personal development. Personal learning activities such as spending more time in the library conducting research on some important aspects of my professional field will also be considered. This means that I will require dedicating more time to find work that is in line with my field. This learning experience will be aimed at learning from other people and encompassing the learned ideas and methods into my skill set (Naive, 2006, p. 295).
Developmental changes are necessary to ensure improvements in the overall well-being of my career prospects. I will undertake more involvement in social activities and situations to develop confidence. The goal is to attend at least one social event every two weeks. In addition, acquisition of leadership and interpersonal skills will be given proper attention since these skills are what the professional world requires. Learning habits Establishment of learning habits will become a major part of the plan since life is all about continuous learning (Fry, 2009, p. 24). Motivational literature will form a significant part of my learning culture and habits. I will improve my time management skills to ensure that I read two or more motivational books every month. In order to improve my employment prospects and recognize the weak points I need to work on, will ask one teacher to become my mentor. I will then make sure that I meet with the teacher at least once a semester. During these tenting with the teacher, I will ask for feedback on my career prospects in the field and the type of skills I need to work on.
I will also ensure that the teacher gets a chance to criticize my efforts and improvements, and suggest areas for improvement. Financial independence Another important aspect of life that has to be included in the development plan is the achievement of financial goals. This is one of my main weaknesses and it was not included in the previous PDP. The goal is to achieve financial freedom and independence by the end of the four semesters. This will be achieved by insuring that I obtain the habit of saving money. I will save half of the money that I earn during holidays.
Doing so aim to save at least E,000 yearly. These savings will be used to cover living expenses upon completion of my course of study until I get a permanent job. This goal will be achieved by ensuring that I change my spending habits to only spend on the necessary things. Avoidance of unnecessary and non-value adding activities will be the main weapon against excessive expenditures. Conclusion The personal development plan is very important in enabling the tracking of placement changes that are necessary for the achievement of set goals.
