text: Planning and organizing is an integral part of many jobs today. Scheduling meetings, creating deadlines, communicatitng with others, and coming up with original ideas are all things companies are looking for in employees. These are also the same skills that are used when students make their own projects. An example of a project where students are given the choice to choose whatever they want to do is the Personal Project in the IB Program. In this project students are allowed to pick something that interests them and follow a few guidelnes to complete this project. It is obvious that programs such as IB continue this activity because it has forced students to think in a way that school maybe has not taught them before. Furthermore, the creation of a student's own project is a chance for students to develop essential research skills. When teachers give students a topic for the project, it is much easier to research that already given topic. However, when students have to research multiple topics for their own project, they must learn to make decisions on what sources are helpful to them and which ones are reliable. Some people may say that a teacher-designed project will provide students with the same opportunities to develop their skills. However, it is clear that a self-designed project offers so much more.