A professional development plan for a career in campus activities is presented, along with suggestions for implementing the plan. Attention is directed to: professional development as an ongoing process, steps to develop competence, how people learn, personal qualities needed by a student development professional, areas of knowledge and traits that the ideal professional would have, concepts of specific and transferable skills and their significance to the professional student development staff member, how the various components of the model are integrated and examples of how this model can be applied to specific jobs at various stages of a professional's career; practical information about how to assess one's professional competence and design a professional development plan, and the implications of the use of this model for the campus, professional associations, and in the field of student development. The model can help students decide if they would like to be a student development professional and to plan their course of academic and practical experience. Appended are an annotated bibliography, a skills chart, and preparation standards and guidelines at the master's degree level for student services/development professionals. (SW)