Step One | First Draft via Questioning
Whether you are working alone or in a group, the individual process of developing a PTOP starts with questions, and a lot of them. Some of these questions you may already be mulling; others may be refreshingly new, opening different angles through stale visions. Your first step here is to sit with questions that resonate and to collect your thoughts about them. Note that we did not say answers. You may not feel like you have answers yet — dig into that tension; it’s a great start.
Pair this reflection with some kind of externalization: get it out of your head, or onto the page, the (digital) tape, the canvas. You can decide on a possible structure by asking: How do I learn best? What format is most memorable to me or easiest to carry around as a reference point? It can take the form of a combination of media, and it can, and will, change. Whatever it is, we have found developing a ‘thing’ to build on and reference in the future to be an important step. In short: start a rough draft.
Responding to the Guiding Questions below can help you to start that draft. They are structured around broad and interrelated domains often addressed in a PTOP: your personal life and identity, your professional experiences, and motivations for education. You do not need to answer all of them, and don’t think too deeply about which you select at first. Choose a few that draw you in, or that you think may be the most revealing. What do you want to articulate to yourself? Then start writing, drawing, and conversing. (For simplicity, we’ll use the term “writing” to stand-in for the process of drafting a PTOP, but as we’ve said, it can take many forms).
Step Two | Share Out
If you are working alone, you’ll benefit from speaking about this process with someone. You might share your actual draft, or just share verbally about where you are in the drafting process, and what is coming up for you. If you are working in a group, prepare a draft of your PTOP in whatever form or level of completeness that you feel is helpful to you at that moment, and bring them to the group. These first drafts will vary widely — some will look put together and coherent, others will be fragmented and incomplete. All should be rough! If you are comfortable doing so, consider sharing your drafts with one another ahead of meeting. If not, no worries, however come ready to share verbally. Session One is primarily about checking in, being accountability partners in moving through the process, and considering how others are doing so as a means to unlocking possibilities for yourself. Pose questions you are carrying, and take in the thoughts, feelings, reactions, and questions that your PTOP brings up without a need to respond. Short shareouts for this first session work well, though future sessions benefit from longer, dedicated focus on individual PTOPs.
Step Three | Iterate & Clarify
Take back what you heard following your conversations with others, continue to work through some of those questions, and knock out some additional drafts. You might review suggestions for what to do In Between sessions and/or review the Techniques well-suited for the Beginning phase of developing a PTOP. As you continue to draft your PTOP, revisit the question: what do you want the PTOP to be for you? Or, in other words, how do you want to use it in the future? That can inform the way it takes shape.
If you are working in a group, bring that reflection to the group in Session Two. We also recommend everyone work through a Values Identification exercise that can help to clarify some pieces of your PTOP. Use time in Session Two to do that together, and leave with a commitment to narrowing those to a core set of personal and professional values before you meet again.
Scroll down for Guiding Questions. Otherwise, onward to the Middle →
Guiding Questions
Personal Life
What is my origin story? How did I get to where I am today?
How did my childhood, family, neighborhood inform: who I am; how I relate to others; what I value; what kind of life I want for myself?
What is my trajectory?
Where am I currently in the arc of my life?
What were moments that altered, shaped, or changed my trajectory?
How will my personal context impact my next steps and career?
Geographically, where do I have ties? Under what contexts would I consider relocating?
What obligations do I have in my life? How do I negotiate/co-plan geographies, job decisions, etc., with my partner/family? Consider how this may change over time.
How much risk can I tolerate?
Can I afford this? How does my career align with my financial goals?
When did I first become aware of salient features of my identity?
What moments were critical to my identity development?
How has my identity changed?
Who was I a few years ago, who am I now, and who do I want to be in a few (or more) years?
Professional Experience
What was my first real job? What was I looking for in this job? Why did I make this choice?
What were my long-range ambitions and goals that started my career?
How did the first job work out in terms of my goals?
What were the most important things I learned in my first job?
What was the next job change/life event? Why did it occur?
What professional moments (positive or negative) particularly shaped me? What were major turning points in my career? What were they and why did they occur?
What are some things I especially enjoyed in my career so far? Why?
What were some things I did not enjoy and would like to avoid?
In what way have my ambitions or career goals changed over time so far? What do I now see as my long-range goals?
What is the ideal final career goal or ultimate job I would like to have? Consider not only job titles, but also job functions or skills.
In describing myself to others, how do I identify my work?
What do I see to be my major competencies?
What are some critical values that guide my choice of jobs and organizations to work for?
Do I see any pattern in my career?
What kind of skills do I want to gain in the next five years?
Education
If you're currently in a program:
Why did you want to join this program, specifically?
How has your time at school shaped you so far? Consider how your understanding of your planned field has changed from your studies/practice, and what may have influenced your aspirations/expectations.