Running head: FIVE YEAR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTION PLAN 1

Five-Year Professional Development and Action Plan

Catie Holker
Seattle University



26 February 2014
Dr. Jacob Diaz
FIVE YEAR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTION PLAN 2

In the next five years, my professional development plan is primarily to gain work
experience in the nonprofit sector working as a mentor or advisor to high school and/or college
students. I have yet to work full-time in such a capacity and that will be a crucial understanding
if I am to be successful in this field working with high school and college students who will tend
to be of low socioeconomic status and/or first generation college students. According to my
Artifact H, I need to work on my assessment, research, and evaluation skills. Because most
nonprofits can be data driven, working as a mentor with a caseload of students will help me gain
more experience in this competency area as Im required to report statistics and progress of my
students.
The other Artifact H competency that I could use more experience in is human and
organizational resources. I am mostly unfamiliar with hiring practices, supervision, and
organizational structure of higher education and nonprofit institutions. Though working in youth
development will probably help me gain this vital experience, I believe that in order for me to
comprehend it I will require additional training. I want to find resources or a certificate course
within the next five years to improve my understanding of human resources and organizational
structures.
Another part of my five-year professional development plan will include writing or
blogging that covers the reflection and critical analysis of how identity plays out in my work as a
youth development or college access counselor. Not only will this allow me to incorporate the
theories and themes that I learned from the SDA program with my work, but it will also allow
me to seek out new research and perspectives that play an important part in my role. Im not sure
if Id like to get my doctorate degree in the future, but encouraging myself to write and think
Running head: FIVE YEAR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTION PLAN 3
critically about my field will be a good way to keep my writing and ideas fresh in case I do
decide to pursue more education.
Finally, volunteering also plays a large role in my five-year professional development
and action plan. Whether I find a job outside Seattle or not, to me it will be important to use
community volunteer events to get to know my new neighbors and the population of the town Ill
be engaged with. In the past, volunteering has been a gateway to networking connections and
other employment opportunities. This will remain a crucial part of my professional development
plan not just for the next five years, but for the rest of my career.