There has been increasing interest within the biosciences community on career plan- ning, particularly non-academic career planning. As the number of biosciences graduate students in the United States increases, the reality of obtaining an academic job is bleak. Data from the National Science Board show that the percentage of doctorate recipients holding tenure and tenure-track appointments in the bio- sciences 3 to 5 years after receiving their PhD has decreased from 17.3% in 1993 to 10.6% in 2013. These percentages are worst in the biological, agricultural, and environmental life sciences relative to computer and information sciences, physical sciences, psychology, engi- neering, mathematics, and social sciences. The challenging landscape of the current research establishment has been reviewed and discussed by many. In the setting of limited ability to attain academic jobs, as well as competing interests including mental health concerns, financial pressures, and personal stressors, the individual development plan (IDP) was created in 2002 by the US Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) to address many of these issues.  Read more.