How to Plan Your Career?
Choosing a career is a difficult
matter, in the best of times. Add to this opinions of friends
and parents, and the young person is caught up in a confusing
situation where making a decision is almost impossible. We give
here a model that can help young people to choose a career,
gain competencies required for it, make decisions, set goals
and take action. The decision for each individual is different,
since everyone is a distinct individual. This model is helpful
not only for fresher but also throughout one's life.
Choosing a career is a multi-step
process. It involves gathering information on a number of things,
the first being yourself.
Self-Assessment:
The first step, involves gathering
information about you. You should develop an understanding of
yourself, including your values, interests, aptitudes, abilities,
personal traits and desired life style. You must also become
aware of the relationship between self and occupational choice.
Academic and Career Options:
In the second step, after you have completed your self-assessment,
you must identify academic and career options available. This
step allows you to investigate the world of work, narrow a general
occupational direction into a specific one through an informed
decision-making process. You will begin to identify potential
careers, gather information about those careers, and match the
career information with the results from your self-assessment.
Competency Areas:
In the third step, individuals evaluate occupational choices
and gain practical experience through internships, co-operative
education, relevant summer employment, volunteer work and campus
activities. In addition, more specific decisions about occupational
choices are made.
Occupational Choice:
After this, an initial occupational choice is made in Step four.
Individuals prepare for and begin conducting a job search, or
apply to graduate or professional schools.