A great career doesn't just happen by itself. Like anything else you want to achieve in life, a successful career takes time, effort, and, most importantly, planning. The process of writing a professional action plan not only demonstrates your commitment to personal and professional growth and continuous development, but also serves as a benchmark for measuring your progress. The plan you will develop throughout your time in this course includes evidence of your knowledge, skills, and behaviors at this point in time, along with your plans for continuous development. Creating and following a plan will help to ensure you have the knowledge, skills, and behaviors necessary to secure and advance within your desired career. For early childhood