Failing to Plan is the same as planning to Fail !!
If we don’t know where you are going, we are likely to wind up somewhere else!!
***
One
of the toughest issues in making a good career choice and career goal
setting is identifying what we want. Even when it seems that we know
what you want, we may still have doubts on our career choice.
A career goal
helps us focus on what we want to do for a living. When we have a clear
goal for our career, we only focus our time and energy to achieve that
goal and avoid wasting our time and energy on activities that will take
us further away from our goal.
For
instance, if we know our long term goal is to be a world class dress
designer or carpenter or musician, a sensible career path would be for
us to start working in a shop or under a mentor so we can learn from him
or her the basic skills. Without setting a career goal we might be
tempted to jump from one job to another without consciously thinking of
how it will affect your long term career goal.
Choosing
the right career goal requires a lot of soul searching. At the end of
the day our career goal should be one that we truly want and not what
others want for us. Most importantly we should have a compelling reason
why we must achieve this career goal.
Usually a career goal is based on our skills, education, experience, interests and job trends.
Self is MOst important:
Gather information about self (self-assessment)
-
Determining talent, skills/Aptitudes, abilities. interest and passion
(What is something we would do happily even if we are not getting paid for it?)
It
is important to recognize driving values of self because they have a
lot of influence on what provides the most motivation and gratification
in a job. Some of the most common values that drive people are: ( Love,
Money, Health and fitness, Fun, Growth, Contribution, Security, Power,
Freedom, Recognition in Indian Philosophy Values that drives people are -
Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha)
Once
we have ascertained our life purpose, skills, passions and driving
values, we can begin to explore the various career options open ahead.
Options
- Explore the occupations in which we are interested
- Research the industries in which we would like to work
- Research the Labour Market and world of work
Get more specific information after narrow down options by:
- Job Shadowing
- Part time work, internships
- Informational interviews
- Seeking guidance
After
we have chosen a career, think of all the steps that we need to take to
get us closer to our goal. Determine what skills we need to develop
further and what other resources are required to accomplish our career
goal.
Match
During this phase of the process, we will have to:
- Identify and Evaluate possible occupations
- Explore alternatives
- Choose both a short term and a long term option
We will accomplish our goal faster if we write down career action plan.
Career action plan Must be in written.
Action
Have to take steps in order to achieve our goal, for example:
- Working on a job search strategy
- Writing and refining resume
- Researching about companies
- Preparing for job requirements and interviews
- Working on our core competencies
- Honing our skills Continuously
- Becoming a life long learner
To
keep track of our long term career goals we have to keep setting new
short term career goals. Start with Baby Steps. If our long-term career
goal is to become a dress designer or an entrepreneur than some of the
short-term goals to consider should be building strong communication
skills and being proficient in a specific computer program to acquire
marketing skills, trade specific skill basic cutting and designing and
learning some software related.
The best method to realize our goal is to take action. Even a small step at the beginning is a good start.
Create a vision so powerful, so desirable, so compelling that it draws all our energy and motivation to it.
Arise, Awake and Stop not till the Goal is Reached.
PS:
“Career planning is a lifelong process, which includes choosing an
occupation, getting a job, growing in job, possibly changing careers (if
we are on wrong track), and eventually retiring.”
1.
Today’s Generation Students.…
