When was the last time you filled out an individual development plan for yourself? As professionals across career development and academic administration, we support and guide others toward growth and opportunity. Yet in today’s higher education landscape, marked by rapid advances in artificial intelligence, shifting institutional priorities, budget cuts and rising rates of burnout, our own growth often takes a back seat. The truth is, we face the same need for intentional career planning that we champion for our students, postdocs and faculty.

That is why the Graduate Career Consortium’s Professional Development Committee spent the past three years creating an Individual Development Plan tool tailored specifically for those working in, or entering, the career and professional development field. Adapted from the foundational IDP model that has been used for two decades to help trainees identify their goals and plan their career transitions, this version addresses the realities we face as educators and academic administrators: navigating unclear career paths, balancing evolving skill demands and working in roles that are often undervalued despite their impact.

The Value of Planning Our Own Development

Just as we advise our students and postdocs, there is value in periodically assessing our values, interests, strengths and progress. We can benefit from reflecting on our next career steps, defining goals and seeking input from mentors. An IDP process offers clear, actionable insights into your strengths and priorities, fosters a sense of agency and brings greater clarity to your career trajectory. It can boost confidence in professional decisions, help you cultivate mentor relationships and contribute to long-term career satisfaction.

A Tool Tailored to Our Field

How is this tool tailored for academic administrators in career and professional development? This IDP tool centers the realities of our field and the skills we need to thrive, giving us a practical framework for building the fulfilling careers we envision for ourselves. The IDP framework may look familiar—it follows the same structure as the well-researched IDP tools designed for early-career researchers. However, the prompts and resources in this tool are designed to address the unique needs and challenges we face.

Inside the Tool

This IDP tool is organized into four sections, each building on the last: Self-Assessment, Career Vision, Goal-Setting and Action Planning, and Mentorship.

Self-assessment provides a foundation: You are asked to assess your skills, reflect on what you enjoy in your work (career advising, workshop design, etc.) and consider your work-related values (advancing inclusive practices, collaborating within a team, maintaining work flexibility, etc.). The self-assessment step is tailored to our field by linking to the GCC’s Graduate Professional and Career Development Competencies self-assessment, which provides a list of skills and tasks fundamental to career development roles.

Next, you are invited to envision your career, such as by expanding your role or exploring new directions. The tool provides resources to help explore options, such as ImaginePhD’s “Higher Education Administration” job family. In the Goal-Setting and Action Planning section, you will draw on earlier reflections to create goals and an action plan—while accounting for common constraints in our field. With goals established, you are then encouraged to leverage your mentorship network—and the tool offers ways to expand your network, including strategies for informational interviews. Professional organizations can play a valuable role here—for example, the GCC offers a mentoring program and communities of practice. The tailored prompts in the IDP are designed to get you thinking and excited about career possibilities, all while empowering you with an action plan and field-specific resources.

Whom This Tool Is For

The IDP process is one that we can return to periodically throughout our careers. As such, we developed this tool with multiple career stages in mind—from those wanting to transition into the field to those who are midcareer and established. For example, a program manager coordinating career development programming may develop an IDP to help them take on more leadership responsibilities. An associate director interested in studying the outcomes of their programming may want to grow their skills in educational evaluation, reporting or scholarship. A graduate student or postdoc in the sciences or humanities may be interested in transitioning into a career development or academic administration role.

While designed for career development professionals, the prompts can resonate with academic administrators and educators more broadly. Whatever your goals, this IDP tool can guide your reflection and help you develop an action plan.

Taking the Next Step

As career development professionals, we invite you to take the next step in your own professional development. Set aside time to explore this IDP and complete it for yourself or with the guidance of a trusted colleague or mentor. Use it as an opportunity to pause, reflect and identify areas for professional growth. You may use it as a quarterly check-in guide for yourself to ask whether or not your work and goals are aligned closely with your career aspirations.

Whether we are advising a graduate student or mentoring an early-career professional, commitment to self-reflection and goal-setting enables us to communicate better with those who are seeking guidance and direction. Engaging in this process can not only support your own career progression and satisfaction but also strengthen your ability to guide others in doing the same.

Conclusion

In a field marked by evolving demands and uncertain paths, investing in our own growth isn’t indulgent—it is essential. We encourage you to share this IDP tool with your colleagues and across professional networks. Whether you are brand-new to academic administration or an established leader at your institution, this tool can help clarify goals, identify new opportunities and renew a sense of purpose in our work. By embracing the same career planning mindset that we champion for students and postdocs, we can model career development as an iterative process and strengthen our community of practice along the way. We ask our students and postdocs to reflect, to grow, to evolve. Isn’t it time we did the same?