An Individual Development Plan, or IDP, helps students be intentional about setting goals and planning for a career while in graduate school. It also supports students in assessing their values and individual skill sets relative to career goals and documenting progress in acquiring both the depth of research and breadth of other skills sought by employers. For a brief narrated slide show introducing IDPs, click here (opens website of the Graduate School, UW-Madison).
IDP Resources
Humanities and Social Sciences
ImaginePhD was developed by experts from over 50 universities under the auspices of the Graduate Career Consortium. This newly launched career exploration and planning tool is designed specifically for PhD students and postdoctoral scholars in humanities and social sciences. On ImaginePhD, students are able to assess career-related skills, interests, and values, explore career paths appropriate to their discipline, create self-defined goals, and map out the next steps for their career. The tool has already been very widely adopted by graduate students across the U.S.A. and beyond.
Natural Sciences
A well-established interactive website, myIDP (AAAS), is designed as a career-planning tool for doctoral students and postdocs in the sciences. A four-step process involves self-assessment, career exploration, goals, and implementation.