Create a Personal Learning Plan for 2025

We’re nearing the end of January. If you’re the type of person who makes resolutions when the calendar turns to a New Year, those resolutions might just be forgotten by now. Resolutions and goals need a solid structure or plan to become more than just hope.

If you’ve finished with formal education like college or university, and are looking for paid work, you’ve probably discovered that while you might have finished with “school,” you have just begun your lifelong journey of learning.

The good news? From now on, what you learn doesn’t have to be random. It can be something you plan and achieve. You can choose to create a structure for learning. You can intentionally fill gaps in your knowledge and explore subjects that interest you.

Where you are now is not where you want to stay

You are the only one who understands what you want to become in life. Only you know your personal and professional goals. You can’t rely on learning institutions or employers to provide you with all the tools you need to develop into the person you want to be—that’s your job.

Creating your own opportunities

When you’re enrolled in formal education, you have little choice about what you study. There are choices to be made, yes, from a list of offered subjects. But someone else ultimately decides what your choices will be.

When you curate your own “school”, and put together a curriculum for yourself where you can pursue both what you need to learn and what you want to learn, you get to be in charge of (and take responsibility for) what you learn.

If you’re focused on learning skills and ideas rather than gaining certificates, your education doesn’t have to cost more than an internet connection. If certificates are valuable to you, courses through organizations can be an option (like our WorkWell courses.)

Gaining practical hands-on experience through internships and volunteer positions, even if they’re unpaid positions, can be a game changer for anyone trying to enter the workforce and being ready for opportunities when they come.

Creating a Personal Learning Plan

1. Determine a position you would like to hold in the next 1-5 years.
   This doesn’t have to be your dream job—it could be a role that gets you closer to your dream job. 
2. Research the skills needed for that position.
   You can talk with people who are already working in the field, or look at a range of job postings for similar positions to compare (specifically look for the section that lists duties and responsibilities).Make a list of specific skills—general descriptions won’t serve you here. If it’s helpful, you can think in terms of technical skills and soft skills. A few examples of skills categories are listed below.Technical Skills
   -coding, programming, software development
   -project management
   -data analysis and cloud computing
   -UX design

   Soft Skills
   -communication, interpersonal skills
   -conflict management, negotiation skills
   -critical thinking, problem-solving, adaptability
   -time management, reliability
   -teamwork, leadership

3. Complete a skill inventory.
   Once you know what skills you need to successfully land the types of jobs you want, you need to determine what skills you already have. Some will be obvious to you, perhaps because they are skills that someone else has recognized in you. But there are skills you have that you discount because you think everyone has those skills. Not true!-For general skills, there are worksheets available online that can help you do a self-assessment (like this one, or this one.)
   -For specific tech skills, searching the internet for particular roles will be helpful (like this article on essential programmer skills.)
4. Compare the list of skills you need to the list of skills you already have. This is where the gaps in your knowledge will become obvious. 
   You don’t need to have 100% of the skills listed in any job posting before applying, but you will want to be competent in the key skills. Once you know what you’re missing, you can begin to close those gaps. 
5. Create your Learning Plan—Set and Prioritize Goals.
   1. What do you want to achieve first? What will be most helpful to you for entering the job market? What skills do you see listed in job postings most often? When you’re first starting out in your career the list of skills to learn might be very long. Don’t allow yourself to get discouraged—focus on the most essential skills first.
   2. Create SMART Goals (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-based). What experiences or resources do you need to achieve those goals?
   3. Break down your goals into manageable tasks.
   4. Some skills are easiest to learn inside a concrete framework. Consider developing a tangible project–a personal project–to focus and show off learned skills.
6. Work your plan.
   1. Make a schedule. Add it to your calendar. Start with one skill—there’s no one right choice here, the most important thing is to start.
   2. Tap into your network to find out what resources are already available and useful.
   3. Step around roadblocks. Problems will come up. Things will distract you. Stay focused. 
7. Measure your progress.
   Put yourself to the test. If you’re learning to build websites—build a website. If you’re studying graphic design—design a branding package. Share your work. Gather feedback. You’ll discover either that you’ve mastered the skills you wanted to learn, or that you have more work to do. 
8. Reassess.
   When you’ve mastered a skill, move down your list. As you move forward in your learning plan, ask yourself if the plan is still serving you. Does it need to be updated or overhauled completely?
9. Celebrate wins.
   As you are making progress, pause to recognize your accomplishments. Enjoy the process of learning.
   

The tool you can use for the rest of your life

Your Personal Learning Plan exists to serve you, not the other way around. It is meant to keep you focused on your current state and your future.

If you find it difficult to stay on track despite your best intentions, consider building in accountability. An accountability partner or study group could help to keep you on track with your learning goals.

As your needs change, the plan should change. As your skills develop in one area, your plan should be modified—with either additional challenges in the same area or related areas to master. And if your plan proves to be too much, make adjustments. It’s important to prioritize mental health and avoid burn-out.

If your interests change, your plan can change. This is a tool to organize and manage your goals, whatever those goals are at any particular point in time.

If you get serious about strategically building skills over 2025, you will be in a much better position in December than you are today. Your efforts will serve you for the rest of your life.

Note: With thanks to Dalia, WorkWell graduate and self-learner, for helpful feedback and input.