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University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Graduate Student Development

Academic and Professional

Taking Charge of Your Professional Development

Introduction | Using this Framework | Moving In | Moving Through | Moving On

Introduction

Taking Charge of Your Professional Development is a strategic framework designed to help graduate students prepare for their future faculty roles, professional practice, or careers in business, government and industry. It is based on three guiding principles:

  • Graduate student professional development begins the day students enroll in graduate studies and extends beyond into the early professional years; therefore, graduate students must be encouraged to reflect on their career goals early — and often — and be given the opportunities to develop as professionals.
  • Graduate student professional development involves multiple components, including instructional development, career, leadership and academic development.
  • Graduate student professional development requires collaboration among campus services and resources to help graduate students develop the knowledge, skills and abilities to pursue a full range of careers.

Graduate student professional development is ultimately about choice and decision-making, determining what is the best path to follow based on individual needs and goals for the future. The Taking Charge framework is constructed so graduate students can identify the skills they need to acquire now in order to prepare for entering the job market once they've completed a graduate degree.
Tip: One way to gauge professional development needs is to develop a draft of your curriculum vitae.

As you categorize your accomplishments (awards) and experiences (teaching, research, publications, presentations), look at the gaps. In which areas do you need to strengthen your skills?

If you're not sure what skills you need to acquire for a particular career, browse job announcements. For example, The Chronicle of Higher Education lists a range of faculty positions at both doctoral and non-doctoral institutions. A quick scan of various job announcements provides information about the qualities hiring institutions are seeking in job candidates.

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