Stories

"It is often said that you do not plan for failure, but you fail for lack of planning,” says Young Expert Marius Jose Boko. Marius is really enthusiastic about his Personal Development Plan (PDP) and tells us about it in this piece.

The Young Expert Programmes gives me the opportunity to live an unique professional and human experience. It allows me to gain real professional experience in an international and multicultural context. It strengthens my professionalism, my expertise in the water, food and energy sectors. Thanks to the experienced professionals and specialists, I can share my experience with young people from all over the world and continue to develop my professional network.

A good trip needs a good plan, especially if it has a goal, specific objectives. These to me are, among others, to improve my knowledge, to get a better version of me. The Personal Development Plan (PDP) serves as a compass for me. A compass that helps me define, monitor and evaluate the professional and personal goals I have set for myself by participating in the YEP Programmes. My PDP defines what I am pursuing, how I am going to achieve it, who the stakeholders are, what I will need and how I will measure my progress.

Taking part in the YEP Programmes is a journey of sharing, and for sharing to happen, a better knowledge of my peers is needed. Therefore, getting to know fellow Young Experts is the first step in this journey. Meeting my peers, discussing and learning more about them, their culture, their country, their professional experience, their motivation for the YEP Programmes, is already building a bridge for interaction. I remain convinced that each and every Young Expert, alumnus, and personel from the YEP Bureau team can help me grow.

Part of the professional growth also means to acquire knowledge and I do so by exchanging views with more experienced professionals as well as by participating in online training sessions and courses provided by the YEP Programmes. Another important element that counts enormously is the mentoring aspect, the coaching that each Young Expert benefits from during the programme. Finally, making the most of this opportunity is for me essential to the success of this programme