Finding the plan: an IDP guide

The first time I completed an individual development plan (IDP) was as an undergraduate. I will admit it was initially daunting, but at each stage of my training I learned how to better utilize it. The IDP is an NIH career development tool, and when used effectively, it is a powerful tool.

This post is primarily geared toward early stage students who may be completing an IDP for the first time or are exploring career development opportunities and trajectories, but hopefully some thoughts here are also broadly applicable.

General advice:

• Take the IDP seriously - it is academically tailored but a format that reoccurs across many sectors and is a framework for the entire year

• Take time, sit with the questions, reflect, iterate - this is not a homework assignment, it is a map built for yourself

• Define what success looks like

• Be honest and realistic - big ideas are fun and ambition is important, but define what that ambition actually entails: what does it mean and how long will it take?

• Timelines are real

• Check out your university’s resources - often there will be an IDP guide too

If you are uncertain about your next career step:

I spent a long time in this stage, moved through many reflections over time, and remained open minded about opportunities. I believe that top-tier, intellectually gratifying, scientific contributions can be accomplished through multiple routes: academic research, teaching, applied industry-level research, science policy, and beyond. However, it is difficult to experience what each of these formats entails in the scope of graduate school.

For those in a place of uncertainty, the most important thing is to not stop contributing academically. Keep going to conferences, writing proposals, and contributing to university service which build leadership and communication skills. This experience is required in academic roles such as that of a principal investigator, adjunct professor, lecturer, teaching professor, staff scientist, core facility manager, etc. If industry is on the table, rising the ranks also means being the corresponding author on papers, writing statements-of-work and grants, interfacing with partner companies and academic collaborators, building board meeting pre-reads, developing career ladders, and presenting at conferences. Before being the orchestrator, there is being the contributor, which entails managing timelines, mentees, and projects quarter-to-quarter to reach yearly goals. Other scientific paths may require a tailored set of leadership skills, but likely also require being up-to-date with the literature, emerging scientific fields, a deep familiarity of what successful research projects look like, and the resources required.

As you progress through writing publications, developing projects, mentoring, writing peer reviews, setting timelines, outlining the year, co-organizing, drafting research proposals, collaborating, and working on close team projects, pay attention to how you feel. Is there a pull to jump straight back into the proposal or paper? Are you driven by setting and meeting a number for yourself to maintain the momentum: large data collection, building a full computational infrastructure from data input to analysis? What are the questions on your mind at night? What methods and questions do you gravitate towards? What is the literature that brings out creativity? How do you naturally conduct your research day-to-day? How do you define collaboration and teamwork in practice? How public-facing do you want your work (and you) to be long-term? What do you enjoy most with your time?

Create opportunities for yourself to test this. There are structured opportunities like internships, visiting scientist roles, science policy programs, which will provide the most accurate detail into the role. However, these can be rare opportunities and by no means are the only option for exploration. If there is interest in a job title, connect with someone already in that position, setting the expectation for learning and research. Learn from them what the job entails, what the day-to-day looks like, why it works for them, what their long-term career goals are, and even how they are exploring that from themselves. This provides a lens even further out. What does a director do? What does a project manager do? Within the scope of a project, quarter, or other timeline, set goals that mirror what a target role does at its core, find a way to practice it, and observe the outcome.

If you are certain about your next career step:

Knowing your career goal is an exciting position to be in. Now, the shift is from exploration to execution, and the IDP becomes a concrete reference for what will be architected - prompting for lists of conferences, workshops, collaborations, papers, grants, and deadlines. The greatest leverage here is detail. Exhaust every idea over the course of several days, then step back, reflect, revise, and assign timelines to each goal. The more granular and actionable the items, the more useful the plan becomes.

My wish for everyone reading this is to make it! With that said, backup plans matter. There are many circumstances, out of our control, that may stall or redirect us from a first choice. This possible reality should not come at the consequence of future success or scientific fulfillment, which is why it is important to know how you operate as a scientist and what adjacent roles check the boxes. Even if the dream role is clear, don’t let that keep you from equipping yourself with the knowledge and network to pivot. I have seen scientists at every stage navigate this for themselves and for others. As both a trainee and future mentor, this is a key career development skill and strategy.