Summary The Professional Wandering Map provides a chance to dream, fantasize, and examine your thoughts, ideas, and plans for the future. Creating your Professional Wandering Map is very similar to your Personal Wandering Map, except instead of looking back, you are looking forward. After learning about the different academic programs available at McDaniel College, you want to start thinking about your own academic program. This map will help you identify possible majors that you might like to pursue and help you connect different majors to possible career paths. Your Map From your three possible lives create a map to showcase the different paths you might take to get there. Use the following three "lives" or professional paths to create your map: The thing that seems most logical or likely given the direction you're currently moving. Name this possible path "Plan A." The thing you would do if the first thing was suddenly gone or not available. Name this possible path "Plan B." The thing you would do if time or money (or other constraints) were not a concern. Name this possible path "The Dream Life." How to create your map On a sheet of paper draw three circles and write the name of one possible life in each circle (for instance: Plan A, Plan B, The Dream Life). Map out 1–3 career options that you could pursue in each possible life. From each career connect at least 3 majors that you could chose for that career (be sure to include unlikely or “nonlinear” majors to career path options too!). Additionally, map out other experiences and skills needed for that career (internships, study abroad experiences, leadership/management skills, etc.). Find at least one person with each of the majors and/or careers you listed and add them to your map (e.g., Michele Obama was a Sociology major, Jeffrey Veregge is an artist and writer). Reflection: Write a 2–3 page reflection (double-spaced, size 12, Times New Roman Font, with one-inch margins). Explain the possible paths you want to explore and where those paths are taking you. Use the following questions and prompts to guide your reflection. You don't have to address all of the questions and prompts below. Write about the ones that seem most relevant to your experience creating the professional wandering map: When you look at your professional wandering map, what stands out to you? What seems most relevant, and why? What is the most interesting part of the map? Why? What themes emerged from your map? Explain what you found. Identify three skills or characteristics you will or have developed as a result of a given major and other experiences while in college? Why are those skills important and how do they connect to the skills/characteristics employers are looking for? The skills needed for your possible careers to achieve your possible lives? What skills beyond the traditional writing, research, and/or communication skills will you acquire or have you acquired as a result of your major, extra-curricular experiences (internships, study abroad, clubs, sports, jobs, etc.), and the McDaniel Plan requirements? How can you “sell” this to employers or what connections can you make between these skills and the career paths you have explored? Which of these possible lives would you like to pursue seriously? Specific Submission Requirements Just like when you submitted your Wandering Map, please submit your reflection with a digital copy (picture) of your map. You may upload the image separately or include an image of your map in the same document as your reflection. Please submit your reflection as a .doc, .docx, or PDF file. Your reflection must 2–3 pages, double-spaced, size 12, Times New Roman font, with one-inch margins.