Career planning can help you identify an employment pathway that aligns your interests and abilities with the tasks expected and one that supports your preferred lifestyle. You might take a job primarily to earn income. When you start looking for employment positions in your career path, you consider income, of course, but you also keep in mind opportunities for continued training, personal growth, and advancement. A career that suits you will give you opportunities to display your abilities in jobs you find satisfying while providing balance between work and your personal life.
Career planning and financial planning go hand in hand. You can’t advance very far in planning your financial life without also planning a career that will pay you adequately. We include a chapter on career planning quite early in this book so that the principles and other information in the remaining chapters are relevant to you personally and to the way you want to make your living
Career planning doesn’t stop when you take your first career job. Rather, career planning is a vibrant process that lasts throughout your life. Every time your life circumstances change, you will likely reconsider your career. But first you have to start. As you plan your career, you need to perform several steps, and you should take care to carry each step out to the best of your ability. Why? Because your actions and the impression you make upon prospective employers will affect the probability of getting a good job in your field that satisfies your interests and provides an income to meet your financial needs. The time and effort you put into your career planning effort will affect how much income you earn and how far you advance in your career. First, let’s take a look at the key steps to successful career planning
Create Your Career Goal and Plan
The workplace has changed dramatically. People used to take a single job and remain at the same company until they retired. Now, people change jobs five to ten times during their working years. You are not likely to remain with one employer a lifetime let alone ten years. You probably will completely change careers two or three times
Thinking about a career goal helps you focus on what you want to do for a living. A career goal can be a specific job (e.g., cost accountant, teacher, human resources manager) or a particular field of work (e.g., health care, communications, construction). It helps guide you to do the kind of work you want in life rather than drift from job to job. Formulating a career goal requires thinking about your interests, skills, and experiences and learning about different careers and employment trends. The process of establishing a career goal motivates you to consider career possibilities that you may not have thought of otherwise
The workplace has changed dramatically. People used to take a single job and remain at the same company until they retired. Now, people change jobs five to ten times during their working years. You are not likely to remain with one employer a lifetime let alone ten years. You probably will completely change careers two or three times
Thinking about a career goal helps you focus on what you want to do for a living. A career goal can be a specific job (e.g., cost accountant, teacher, human resources manager) or a particular field of work (e.g., health care, communications, construction). It helps guide you to do the kind of work you want in life rather than drift from job to job. Formulating a career goal requires thinking about your interests, skills, and experiences and learning about different careers and employment trends. The process of establishing a career goal motivates you to consider career possibilities that you may not have thought of otherwise
To create a career goal, explore the jobs, careers, and trends in the employment marketplace that fit your interests and skills. Ask people about careers. Search websites such as those for the Occupational Outlook Handbook (www.bls.gov/oco/) and the Occupational Outlook Quarterly (www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/ooqhome.htm). Research the education requirements. A career plan identifies employment that interests you; fits your abilities, skills, work style, and lifestyle; and provides strategic guidance to help you reach your career goal. It includes short-, medium-, longer-, and long-term goals as well as future education and work-related experiences that will serve to advance your career interests. Figure 2.2 provides an illustrative career plan
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