Career Planning

Planning Your Career

Finding a career that is right for you is just part of achieving the life you want to lead. As your life priorities change, your career plans are likely to shift too.

Throughout your life you will move back and forth between the four stages of career planning shown below, so start off with the one that is most suited to you now.

Self Assessment

The first step in making a decision about a career is understanding who you are and knowing what you want.

• Skills (What skills have I picked up so far? Do any come naturally to me? What are transferable skills?)
• Knowledge (What have I learned? What knowledge can I share with others?)
• Values (Your belief system, what do you value in life?)
• Boundaries (What are you not willing to give up, what constraints might you have?)
• Interests (What do you choose to involve yourself with in your spare time?)

Research Opportunities

• Research career options
• Research self employment opportunities
• Find suitable training
• Find an employer that is right for you

Make a decision

• Clearly state the decision to be made
• Assessing information
• Identifying alternatives
• Considering consequences
• Making a choice
• Evaluating the decision

Plan and Act

• Now that you have made a decision, think about how you will get there
• Arrange to see a Career Development Advisor to go over your action plan

Good preparation leads to success.

Personal Circumstances

Your individual situation has a big impact on the opportunities that you can take up, so start by taking stock of all the aspects of your life which affect your decision. These include financial commitments.

What are your financial commitments? These might include:

• Mortgage or rent
• Cost of living – bills, food, petrol
• Supporting a family
• Loan repayments

Also what are your financial goals?

• Owning a business
• Buying a house
• Saving for travel
• Paying off your debt

Will your career decision have a positive or negative impact on your financial commitments and goals? Is this in the short or long-term? How could you get financial support to help you?

Family and Friends

• This group may be able to help you identify your skills and talents
• Career decisions can also impact on them

Life Roles

• Throughout life we take on different life roles, such as parent, caregiver, worker, friend

Leisure and Recreation

• All of us need to balance work with leisure time