Today's world offers a vast array of exciting career opportunities in a wide range of challenging fields for students. In this highly competitive world, in order to get an edge in the rat race one has to select a career by choice and not by chance.
In a recent survey conducted by Montana Career Resource Network, it's found that only 41% of adults report that they started their career through a conscious choice or plan and 69 % say that if they were starting over, they would try to get more information about the job and career options open to them than they got the first time. This clears suggests that the majority of people are leaving their career decisions, at least partially, to chance.
Economic self-sufficiency is one goal most of us want to achieve which is nothing but to have a job that earns enough to own a house, pay the bills and have some for saving. This may not seem to be an unachievable dream. However to attain this one has to have satisfaction in what he or she does. From the existing to the new, there are vast and wide career opportunities one can choose from, but "Are you really doing what you wanted to do?" is the question one has to ask. To secure a satisfied job, after a certain level of education "Career Planning" is very important. Successful people have always opted for what they want to do.
Career Planning - A Step by Step Process
Basically, planning your career begins after the secondary level of education and continues throughout your life. Pre-planning helps to evaluate you personality and achieve your educational targets effectively. In fact today's focus is on acquiring multiple skills and not just on specialization. With proper career planning one achieve great results and secure safe future.
• Choosing the right direction - To begin the journey, first choose the right direction. It starts with discovering the essential "you": Ask yourself "Who am I and what do I want to do? Once you unmask, your journey continues with a specific career goal that allows you to make good use of your talents. In fact, by taking a talent-based approach path you keep heading towards the right career and move on to work as this journey never ends because the career that you chose itself is all about change, learning, growth and development.
• Measure hidden traits - When trying to figure out what you really wanted to, traits such as personality, attitude, intelligence and beliefs are some important characteristics which has to measured and assessed. One way to gather this information is through the online psychometric tests which help to measure interests, personality, and aptitude. These tests provide objective data for otherwise subjective measurements. For example if you want determine a person's ability to perform certain tasks, online aptitude tests can be used. Likewise psychometric tests can be used to make personnel and career-related assessments. In short a good way of objectively assessing people's "hidden" traits.
• Speak/Listen to Experts - Goals have some things in common which are specific, attainable, realistic, and timely. There are thousands of careers to choose from; hence to put together all these elements in a career plan, clear information is needed. Seeking advice from career experts can help narrow down the career choices most suited to individual. Teacher, professionals, career guidance websites, can also guide you to a secure career path.
• Avoid opting for a forced career option - A pilot's child need not necessarily aim to become a pilot, simply because his father was a pilot. A forced career of this kind will later may lead to dissatisfaction at later part of the life. No doubt, parents have some wishes, but you have your own too. In such scenarios, it's good to take guidance from an educational counselor to get better guidance towards new dimensional fields as well.
AssessPeople pioneered the concept of online career planning by launching CAREERWISE, aimed at high school students in late 2001, and has offered this service to a large number of schools across the country since the launch. CAREERWISE is a programme that has been validated by eminent experts in Psychology.