The most difficult and important decisions you’ll ever make in life is choosing a career option. It is not just about choosing what career to opt for, but way more along with that. An average individual spends approximately 71% of their life working, which roughly adds up to 32 years of our lifetime.
Choosing the right career option is important to give a kickstart to your life. Some people are lucky enough and know what they are good at and what could be a better option for them, while for others it is not the same. People often tend to choose a career with high pay and end up being unhappy after a few years. The best way to ensure that this does not happen with you is to have a proper career plan.
What is career planning?
Career planning is the process of systematically blending career goals and individual capabilities with opportunities. It is the process of enhancing one’s future value.
Career planning encourages individuals to explore various fields and gather information, which helps them incorporate, gain competencies, make decisions, set goals, and take action accordingly.
How does career planning help shape an individual’s life?
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- It helps develop the skills required to fulfill different career roles.
- Career planning reinforces work-related activities in the organization.
- It helps define the life, career, interests, and abilities of the employees.
- Professionally directs individuals toward their career goals.
- It helps in developing awareness about the uniqueness in different career fields.
4 Step Career Planning Process:
Career planning can be divided into 4 steps as follows:
- Knowing Yourself: Knowing your strength, skills, likes, and dislikes is the first step in shaping your career.
- Exploring: Exploring various fields of careers is important as it gives you an idea of what role you would fit in right and whether you can fulfill all its requirements or not.
- Decision Making: Do not come up with a decision without proper inspection and exploration of that specific field. It is advised you compare all your options and then choose what would be your best option to go further with.
- Taking Action: After you have chosen what field is perfect for you, you should start working towards it to achieve your goals and excel in that particular field.
Mistakes Most Individuals Make When Choosing a Career Option:
- Following Others Footsteps: Always remember that not everyone’s the same and it is not necessary for you to be successful in a specific field if someone else is. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses and one should act accordingly. Blindly following someone’s footsteps would not be a good option when it comes to deciding a career.
- Not Doing Your Homework: Choosing a career without proper homework and research is the biggest mistake you could make. You should make sure of all job duties, educational requirements, and outlooks you need to fulfill for the specific field.
- Running behind Money: Money does matter, but the amount of payment you receive may not make you satisfied with your job. Your job should be something you love doing and not feel burdened by. What is the point of earning so much if you’re not happy at the end of the day?
- Ignoring the Future: A career option should be chosen to keep in mind the future and not solely on the occupation’s appearance. You should consider a career with a promising future and eliminate something if its future looks unprotected.
Education also is a key aspect to choose what career would suit you best. You can do online education and start your career having an edge over others. Online education grants you an added benefit because it is often completed in a shorter duration when compared to normal on-campus education. You can acquire an online degree in any field according to your interest and opt for a career in that specific field.
Online education has given people lenience with regards to their class and exam schedule and timings. This gives individuals a chance to work in the field you like and gain more knowledge in that respective field. You can never stop learning about something and working simultaneously while pursuing an online degree would be helpful for better understanding and learning of concepts.
Some of the Top Career Fields you can choose are as follows:
- Healthcare: Healthcare jobs always have a bright future. Jobs in healthcare are projected to develop more posts than any other occupational field in that particular time frame. There are many job profiles in this field like doctors, nurses, dieticians, physicians, etc.
- Information Technology (IT): As we all know that the IT sector is already so humongous, it only continues to grow. The employment rate in the IT sector is expected to grow 12% from 2018-2028 at a faster pace than any other job role. With an increasing priority to cloud computing, big data analysis, and cybersecurity, there is no doubt that this is one of the top career options.
- Architecture and Engineering: One of the mainstream career options in today’s world is engineering and architecture. Engineers use science and mathematics to build, design, and maintain structures and systems. Architects design buildings and structures such as houses, hospitals, and more.
- Business: Employment for business and financial operations is expected to project growth of 7% from 2018-2028, adding about 5,91,800 jobs. The major business develops skills and knowledge contribute to the corporate and nonprofit world.
- Marketing: Professionals in the marketing sector calculate the demand for services and products, and generate interest in potential buyers. Possible roles for individuals who take marketing as a career are Advertising Manager, Digital Media Manager, Brand Manager, and many more.
Choosing a career option with a bright future is important for you to live a stable and happy life. Proper research and exploration of all your options are advised before choosing any career. Career planning is helpful for you to achieve your goals and excel in them.
