Career Planning
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How to plan your Career?
"Work is a major source of personal identity and we are known by the profession that we pursue."
Throughout our student life we are working towards "becoming" something in the future. It is our job or work that gives us our identity.
We say it so simply that we do not realize this truth. For example that he is a doctor, she is an engineer and so forth. It is so instinctive to us that we do not even
realize that we are known by the profession that we pursue or what we do for a living. Hence planning a career becomes important so that we do not end up making
wrong choices. Career planning is not like a game of darts but is like the game of chess where you have to think before making each and every move. To explain
further planning a career is like assembling the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The key to effective Career Planning is to fit the pieces correctly.
Career Planning is a 5 Step Process
Step 1 : Discover
Knowing yourself better is essential for one to make an informed decision. This would include understanding one's Intelligence, Aptitudes, Interest, Personality, Skills,
Learning Styles and so forth. Good career planning is a match between all these.
Step 2 : Short List Careers You Think You Will Like To Do
Make a note of all the different careers you may want to do and later shortlist them.
Step 3 : Explore
Exploring the options that you have short listed is the next step.
You may need to do several different activities in this step:
Research about the careers which have been short listed by you
Update yourself about the current career trends
Read career newspapers
Summer Jobs / internships
Visit a career counselor
Step 4 : Match
Match your interests, aptitudes, intelligence and personality with your choices.
Imagine what it would it be like if you selected each option?
Rank your top 3 career choices
Step 5 : Act
Define your plan
Set short term and long term goals to help you reach your final goal.