Total Education Plan

Purpose: The purpose of the Total Educational Plan is to assist you in outlining your college experience into a set of activities, classes (minor perhaps), and experiences you will seek out during your time at the University that will help prepare you for your desired career. This works well in combination with the resume activity, if you first fill out your hoped for resume and then exploring those details in context of your college experience. This gives you a realistic view of what your college experience can include and allows you to fit together your experiences into a specific action plan for your time in school.

As a result of this activity you will be able to:

• Have clarity regarding ‘next steps’ in preparing for your future.
• Better understand what experiences could help you in making career and major decisions.
• Understand what type of experiences will be beneficial in gaining applicable experience for whichever career you decide on.
• Understand how opportunities for experience and involvement help you bridge the gap between the world of school and the world of work.

If you have a career goal, but not a major:

• What will help you learn about the different majors you are considering?
• What activities or groups will help you learn relevant skills for your desired career?
• What opportunities will help you learn about your desired career?
• What opportunities will help you make contacts that will be good resources for potential jobs when you finish your degree?

If you have a major plan, but not a career plan:

Consider the important role that activities, jobs, clubs, internships, and other opportunities can play in the career selection process. Consider the following questions as you create your total education plan:

• What do you need to know in order to make a career decision?
• What opportunities for involvement in your major excite you most?
• Who do you know who that is already involved that can help you connect to new opportunities?
• What activities and opportunities will give you experience that will be beneficial regardless of what career you choose?
• What opportunities will prepare you for graduate studies in your field of interest?

Process:

1. List activities you would like to try while at the University.

   1. If you do not have ambitions for involvement, identify opportunities that may be important to exploring a major or career of interest.

2. Consider what employment, internship, service, or leadership opportunities you would like to get involved with in the community or at BYU.

   1. This also can lead to informational interviews as you consider who you know who can help you obtain one of the opportunities listed above.
3. Make a timeline for when you feel it would be reasonable to include these activities in your academic career (what can you start now? What requires preparation?)
4. Develop an implementation plan that matches your timeline, and commit to some form of involvement, even if it changes from these initial plans.
5. Start on your activities today by finding out about more options, beginning preparation for leadership opportunities, or getting involved.

Note: Your Total Education Plan will be more detailed and elaborate; this example is provided to help find a place to start, not as a recommendation for how to lay it out. You should prepare your plan according to how school, work, time, and involvement exist in connection with one another for you.

Example:

There are countless others, and all avenues of developing experience should be considered. Try to become as familiar as possible with your college’s student involvement opportunities.