Career Planning Guide
Your Guide to Finding and Keeping the Job
of Your Dreams
When To Start Career
Planning
Now that you realize
how important career planning is to your future, it is
time to find out how to plan your career. Many people
wonder what the ideal time is to start career planning.
The answer is there may never be just the "right"
time or an ideal time. Career planning depends on many
different things. Have you ever noticed that some people
seem born knowing what they are supposed to do with their
lives? The child for example, that wants to be a doctor,
and ends up becoming one of the most successful physician's
in history.
A lot of people think
that is the way they should plan their career. They feel
they should "know" what they want to do with
their life, as if planning your career was some innate
ability we all posses. It is not.
Don't feel bad if you
don't fit into that category. In fact, only 1% of the
population is born knowing what they want to do. Sure,
you may have childish notions about what you will "be"
when you grow up as a kid, but you'll find with time your
ideal job changes frequently. Your idea of the right career
will blossom and develop as you begin to learn more about
yourself, your likes, your desires, your talents and abilities.
You may even discover
throughout college that your job aspirations change as
you learn what skill sets you have and what activities
you excel in. This is one reason many college students
find they need to change their major once they start college.
It isn't uncommon for students to change their major once,
twice or even three times. With a little goal setting
and planning you can avoid this.
The right time to start
career planning is right now…
You don't have to wait
until you finish high school or college to start career
planning. You don't have to wait until you land your dream
job to start career planning. In fact, you will probably
find that you change jobs many times before you find the
right career and the right career path for you. The reason
we keep harping on this fact?
People seem obsessed
with the idea of finding a secure job, one that will "last
a lifetime." There are very few careers however,
that truly last a lifetime. Some will, some won't, but
according to trends, now more so than ever, people are
changing their career at a moment's notice.
Long gone are the days
when someone held a job for 20-years or more. Today's
modern career person shifts jobs in a systematic way,
one that allows them to climb the ladder to success in
a fun and rewarding manner. That's not to say you may
not work the same job for 10 years or more. You may. You
may find it rewarding.
You can also work with
the same company for decades, but climb the career ladder
to success along the way. By gaining new skills and enhancing
your education, you have the ability to realize promotion
after promotion.
Some people do find the
right career, and the right career path, and the right
place to work all at the same time. Again, this encompasses
a small part of the population. Keep that in mind. This
isn't said to discourage you, but rather to encourage
you to take charge of your career. Don't think of your
career in terms of a "dream job" that is sitting
"out there" somewhere waiting for you.
So wipe away any foolish
notions you have about finding your dream job. Now is
the time to learn how to plan your career right, from
the bottom up. YOU plan your career. YOU make the difference
and ultimately, YOU decide what you will do and where.
This is all part of the career planning process outlined
in this guide. So let's learn more about career planning.
We'll do that by first
learning about the career planning basics. You need to
follow these essential steps in the career building process.
By following these steps, you automatically begin your
journey toward successful career planning. These steps,
while not all encompassing, will provide you with a strong
idea of where you want to take your career in the short
and long-term.
