Developing Professionals, One Event at a Time

For the past 3 years, the Marketing and Professional Selling Professional Development Program (PDP) has provided Baylor business students with valuable information as they prepare to make their transition from student to business professional.

In 2010, a group of students from diverse backgrounds and disciplines came together to spearhead the PDP. Members of the Center for Professional Selling’s Advisory Board advocated for student opportunities for professional development outside of the classroom. The students on the PDP committee worked closely with faculty and staff to organize and present these events – offering a unique partnership for the students. Student leadership remains a hallmark of the PDP program today.

“From the very beginning, the PDP program has been committed to effectively preparing students for their future careers,” remarks JR Weaver ’12, who served on the PDP inaugural committee and now works for VMWare in Austin. “The opportunity to work alongside professors not only strengthened student/staff relationships, but it prepared me to effectively communicate with my current boss – and even my boss’s boss.”

The PDP presents events each month with business speakers focusing on business topics that prepare students for the college-to-career transition .. Over the past 3 years, nearly 8,000 students have participated in PDP events and grown from those experiences.

“It’s great to hear speaker’s share their experiences and insights about the business world. All of the speakers are successful executives, but we get to see them as regular people with lives outside of work as well,” shared senior Taylor Morrison who organized a First Wednesday event this year.

Each month begins with a First Wednesday event, where business executives share their experiences and provide advice to the students. Each semester also sees a Branding workshop, Successful Internship workshop, and Marketing and Professional Selling Career Fair.

“PDP showed me the importance of maturity and poise in a professional setting which is hard to learn in a classroom,” recalls Allison Marble, also a member of the first PDP committee. “I also remember learning that every networking opportunity is valuable because you never know which connections can be useful at the time.” Allison, who graduated with a Marketing degree from Baylor, is now the Social Media and Marketing Coordinator at Texas Tech University.

The spring semester also features a special event for seniors titled “Dessert and Directions for Graduating Seniors” where students learn how to prepare for the first few days, weeks and months of their career from a business executive.

About the Professional Development Program
The Professional Development Program (PDP) prepares students for a successful college-to-career transition. Developed for Marketing and Professional Selling students within the Hankamer School of Business, the PDP is a student-run program with a series of events designed to facilitate learning opportunities for students outside of the classroom. Students enhance their understanding of different fields and build a solid understanding of different career opportunities. For more information, visit https://sites.baylor.edu/prosales/pdp/.