Are you looking to make a career change or gain the skills needed to take the next step in your current field? Creating a professional development plan is the perfect way to do just that. With this guide, you can learn how to assess your skills, find in-person classes and online courses, track your progress, and utilize resources like PDF tools to stay organized. The Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce understands that it can be challenging to start on a plan, so we've compiled a list of tips to help you begin.

Assess Your Skills

Before creating a professional development plan, it’s important to assess your existing skills and knowledge. You can do this by making a list of what you already know, what experience you have in other roles, and any certifications or qualifications that are relevant to the job or field you are interested in pursuing. This list will serve as a reference point throughout the process of setting goals and objectives as well as tracking progress.

Find Classes or Online Courses

The next step is to find ways to develop those skills further. Look into taking classes at community colleges or universities if possible, or find online courses on websites such as Coursera or Udemy that offer affordable learning options from experts in their respective fields. Taking in-person classes or participating in online courses often provides an opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience, which can be beneficial when applying for jobs down the road.

Find a Mentor

Finding someone who has had success in their industry can be incredibly helpful when mapping out your path toward career success. A mentor will not only provide valuable insight, but they can also provide guidance and advice based on their own experiences, which can save time by helping you avoid costly mistakes. Make a list of attributes you'd like to find in a mentor as well as some goals they might be able to help you achieve.

Revise Your Resume to Reflect Your New Skills

As you progress with each milestone achieved, it’s important to update your resume accordingly by including any new certifications, qualifications, or work experience gained throughout the journey. Doing so allows employers to see how far you have come since starting on this path and makes it easier for them to visualize what value you can bring to their organization if given the chance. This will also help boost your confidence as you go out for interviews.

Use Free Online Tools

Free online tools such as Trello (for task management) and Google Docs (for document management) make it easier than ever to focus on your goals. You can also use PDF tools to stay organized and keep documents secure, since PDFs allow you to encrypt and password protect them, security benefits not offered by Microsoft Word or Excel. If you’re more comfortable creating and updating documents in Microsoft, going from Word to PDF is simple with a tool that lets you drag and drop the file you want to transfer to PDF format.

Keep Track of Your Progress with a Professional Journal

It’s easy to forget about all of your accomplishments over time, so keeping track of your successes with notes written down in a journal can help you remember where you have been. Writing down thoughts along with areas that need improvement will also help keep you motivated. Not only that, it will allow you to keep track of things like deadlines.

Taking control of your career path is possible when armed with the right information and tools. By utilizing PDF converters and a professional journal, you can keep track of important goals and documents as you work on building your confidence and skill set. Be sure to do some research before using new tools so you can find the best fit for your needs.

The Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce is ready to help you succeed! Check out the resources available on our site.