Corporate personal development plans (PDP) might not always be the most exciting of topics to blog about, but there are 2 important points embedded within how PDPs function that potential career changers ought to consider:

a) 50% of the ‘big’ projects you will be ‘asked’ (more like ‘tasked’!) to do during the year will never make it onto your PDP. (That’s because nobody’s heard of them at the time the PDP is signed off and they appear out of the blue as business needs.)

b) You won’t even have enough allocated project time to complete the known and documented 50%!

What’s this gloomy scenario got to do with potential career change?

Well, if you’re going to make ANY progress at all, your major career goal for the year has to be on that PDP (or your private version of the corporate version, if privacy is warranted.)

Of course it’s ultimately your call as to whether your current employer should know anything about your plans for career change: Do-your-own-research and make sure to Cover-Your-A$$ets

There may be occasions (e.g. succession planning) where it is prudent and rewarding to be open with whatever career transition you are embarking on.

However, I do recognise that for many of you it will be necessary to keep your plans confidential while you make slow but steady progress in your spare time.

Just keep on keeping on!

- Mark McClure

There must be something in the air tonight.

Not only has Ellesse Chow published her interview of me – thanks, Ellesse, I take back everything I ever said about “bean counters”

But I also recently received Al Secunda’s kind agreement to be interviewed by yours truly. (He’s a brave man as it’s my first time as an interviewer.)

Ellesse has a great personal development site – just click for the mid-life transition interview.

The fact that her site’s called goal-setting-college is another gold medal in my book.

- Mark McClure

PS – The interview was done before Xmas (she’s a busy woman!) and at that time my IT consulting gig was not even vapourware.

Career Change can begin with some big picture goal setting.

Click the picture to see Winter give way to Spring.

- Mark McClure