I can continue to forge my professional and academic development by always keeping an open mind to the new concepts, ideas, theories, and information that I encounter. Certainly, there will always be immeasurable amounts of information available, but if I learn to seek out what is pertinent and connect it in some way to my previous body of knowledge, then I can truly become an efficient student and professional. Something I am not afraid of is asking others for help or offering my assistance to someone in need. I think it will be wonderful in the future to create a network of other SLP's and related professionals who can rely on each other for new ideas, advice, or assistance with a certain issue. In addition to creating a network to advance my development, as an SLP, I will make it a point to never stop learning. I will take continuing education classes, attend seminars and meetings, possess a good collection of reference books, read books and magazines on a variety of diverse topics in the field, and continually advance my research and computer skills. Through continuous exposure to new opportunities for advancement and growth, my professionalism and knowledge as a clinician will further evolve. As aforementioned, I will respond to opportunities for inquiry/research with an open mind. As long as the topic is remotely interesting to me, I will make an earnest effort to internalize the new information and use it to make myself a more productive and well-informed clinician/human being. Currently, I meet my own learning needs through completion of my school work. In school, my learning is often directed by the objectives a particular teacher has for a certain class. This is understandable (and actually helpful) for the time being, but I will most definitely look forward to being a professional and inquiring about specific subject areas which really interest me. It's not that I can't currently inquire into these interests, but time is a factor when I have all of my other coursework to think about. Without a doubt, taking charge of one's own learning is a very empowering thing and it is a skill that will greatly influence the quality of my future as a professional, as well as, a lifelong learner.