Career Planning

Summary: Have you ever thought about whether your job is an outcome of planning or of chance? Studies show that people change career at least a couple of times in a lifetime. However, the success of these moves depends on how well one has planned them. 

Career planning is a process which starts while one is going through higher education. Planning ahead eliminates the probability of simply landing in a job because it was the first option that presented itself.

Some tips to plan a career are listed below: 

• Make an objective choice by not allowing career barriers to pop up
• Visualize yourself in 5, 10 and 20 years time and map these possibilities out based with the competencies you have
• Identify the kind of job you would love to do. If your job is your passion, then your mapping process is apt to generate happiness
• Analyze your skill sets, strengths and areas needing development
• Gather information on available careers which can be achieved with present skill sets and your current situation
• Most importantly, develop a plan to acquire qualifications to match your career vision

 Career planning is a dynamic process; while some changes could be a leap forward, mostly one experience a series of small changes over the course of a career. Many of us have made career changes, and for many different reasons. When we spoke with professionals at various levels of their careers, we found that the primary reasons for changing careers were: 

•  A change in marital status
•  The sector a person is working in may be badly hit economically
•  The job is too stressful
•  Health considerations
•  A person doesn’t enjoy his/her current job - either because of the job content or the people he/she works with
•  A desire for financial improvement

 All these reasons can trigger a job move. Whatever the reason, there is still a need for planning while making a job change. Think like an economist when you want to change your career – think of the opportunity cost that a move can incur. If the benefits outweigh the cost, then just make the change.

 

Networking is part of the planning process. Some of the key positions in a field are usually not advertised, they are filled through professional networks or referrals. Accordingly, it becomes very important that one builds up links with various professional networks. Eventually one can leverage these to convert some into social networks.