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The Career Planning Process
from: career-planning.report-here.comIf your working life feels chaotic, you're struggling to manage everything, and your chosen career path seems to have reached a dead end, then something is clearly wrong. Perhaps you now need to consider a change of career which means you will need to embark upon a structured career planning process.
What is the definition of career? A career can be defined as the general progression of your working or professional life. It is a path of successive workplace roles and jobs which occupy you over time. Simplified, a career is seen as a series of related jobs where you earn money to support your lifestyle needs and standard of living.
If you think that your working role has not really developed or changed and your career has become stagnant, then it's time to take stock and consider utilizing an effective career planning process. Career planning is basically making a sketch of the strategic career options available to you, through your skills and experience, training and qualifications. It involves in-depth and careful preparation to choose the right career path that will bring you fulfilment and happiness; by taking the right job, working for promotions, changing career direction when necessary, and eventually securing a comfortable retirement.
How to approach the career planning process wisely. Firstly, you need to carefully evaluate yourself to understand and accept your strengths and weaknesses as an individual. Take time to assess which of your personality weaknesses you might turn into potential strong points for your career. Think about what your main interests are, your natural skills and capabilities, and your education and work experience. Start thinking about your goals and rewards; what lifestyle and standard of living are you aiming for. Possibly the most important thing to consider is your relationship with your values; how motivated could you get about working in a career that involves the issues you feel most strongly about?
Secondly, have a wide range of possible career options you could fall back on, and narrow them down to those which are most suitable for you. If you're still in high school, try to choose a major on your curriculum that you enjoy in which you could specialize. Opting for a specialization allows you to become more skilled in one area, if you're sure about your options at that age. On the other hand, if you're in the workplace already, you may need to give yourself time to discover which specialized career path you would want to take. Do you want to be a nurse in general or do you want to specialize in a specific area of nursing, such as psychiatric nursing for example.
Please note that it's a good idea to research what kind of work may suit you as an individual. Are you the type of person who'd be happy with an nine-to-five job in an office, or are you the outdoor type who loves fieldwork? Your career planning process should result in a detailed list of your options in order to identify the most compatible career paths for you. An effective starting point would be to make a detailed list of your work experience and training to date, where you've acquired significant new skills and knowledge. Such experiences include internships, relevant on the job training, seminars and conferences, short-term or part-time jobs, and any volunteer work. Look back over your previous job descriptions and review any written material or work portfolio that might contribute to your career plan in any way.
The third course of action in the career planning process is career matching. In this process you have to recognize the potential job environment that you may want to venture into. For a newbie it is recommended that you take time to fully assess the areas of work you're looking to move into. Try list all the feasible jobs being advertised in that line of work. Try to match a specific job to your chosen career plan. For those who are currently working in a career, but are planning for a better career, this process is all the more critical. Is it really a completely new job that you need, or perhaps you just need to work towards a promotion or a change to your career path within the company you're already employed by. Alternatively, maybe what you need is to retire from employed life and pursue a home or online business, and enjoy spending more time with your family. Now that's an exciting option for those who can afford it.
To summarize your process of career planning; you've developed your self-awareness through your career planning process, you've assessed career options and focused on your relevant experience, and you've established an appropriate jobsearch for yourself. Depending upon where you are in your life, you might decide that further education will be necessary for you to pursue your career path. On the other hand, after careful analysis and career planning, you may now need to take action to change the path of your career. Thorough career planning will ensure that your career unfolds in the most advantageous way for you.
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