Module 2: Self-Directed Learning Plan Assignment 

To complete this assignment, you will need to first identify if your targeted career goal has changed and note this at the top of the SDLP Form

. Once you have made your determination, complete your assignment as described in the following dicta:

1. You will want to revisit your PA636 SDLP, and any others you have completed in the program, and determine if your career goal has changed. If your goal has changed, identify your new goal and the relevant competencies for success in that career. You might also comment on whether the experience in this program was a factor in your goal change. Also, in Module One you explored professional and managerial positions and careers in various government sectors, as well as insight on how one advances to the top level in the relevant position. The latter information will be helpful in identifying key competencies to focus on.
2. Describe your professional goal in a sentence or two. In other words, please provide enough specificity so that readers can give you useful feedback. For example, it is not enough to list "executive director" as your target position. You will want identify the industry and sector (e.g., government or non-profit health care and in a hospital setting). Other characteristics that be useful include the size of the organization and geographic setting. The size could be helpful in determining whether there may be interim positions to experience before achieving the target goal.
3. In Column 1, identify salient competencies. In Column 2, indicate program learning relevant to the competency and, in Column 3, the gap between current learning and ideal learning to achieve success in your ultimate position. In other words, what do you still want to work on to feel comfortable in your target career? To help in assessing your needs, the competency scale in the Web Field Trip may be helpful.
4. Column 4 focuses on your next steps—that is, your proposed action plan for the next stage in your career. The MPA program is an important milestone but not the last experience with learning and development as described in the module introduction. Several of the readings in this module (e.g., Newell and McCauley) contain valuable information on various ways to continue your development, including but not limited to additional college courses, workshops, formal self-assessments, on-the-job training, journaling, special assignments, acting assignments, mentoring, and involvement in professional associations.