How to plan for your career?

Shreya was studying in the 12th grade and doing well, but was still not sure what she would do after her 12th grade and didn’t have any concrete plan.  She liked Biology and Math in school but was not too keen on Chemistry. Designing and drawing were her passions. She considered Medicine as both her parents were Doctors, but was not too keen on spending the next 10 years studying. She thought of Architecture, as she liked drawing. She also thought of doing a major in Math and Statistics, since everyone was talking about Data analytics, AI and ML being the careers of the future.

With so many possible career options and pathways, how can Shreya plan for her career?

Thinking about the future can be stressful; the stream or course that the student chooses after the 10th or 12th grade will play a huge role in determining his future career path. For students, common question that keep popping up in their mind are – What should I do after my 10th or 12th? Should I follow the CBSE, ICSE or State Board? Shall I take the relaxed road with ‘easier’ subjects and with a smaller amount of pressure? Or should I go in for tuition classes and entrance exam prep classes like all my friends?  Getting answers to these questions can be difficult.

Choosing a career after the 10thor 12th is not an easy task. It is one of the most vital decision the student will make in his life. Having a well thought-out career plan is vital for career success.

What is your career plan?

A career plan helps you find out your skills and interests, which career best suits your talents and passions, and what skills and training you need for your chosen career; it helps you set career goals, and put actions in place that will help you reach them. By developing a career plan, you can focus on what you want to do and how to get there.

3- step plan for an effective career 

Building an effective personal career plan will help guide you through career-related decisions.

1. Conduct a SWOT Analysis

SWOT analysis stands for your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats and can be a very powerful tool because it can help you discover something new about yourself and opportunities that you might not have been able to discover otherwise. Strengths and weaknesses are within you; opportunities and threats are in the world outside you. To perform a successful SWOT analysis, it’s important to think of your strengths in relation to the people around you.

Strengths:

• How well can you adapt to change?
• What advantages do you have that others don’t have? 
• What accomplishments are you most satisfied with?
• How creatively and critically do you think?

Remember you have to prioritize your strengths before working on weaknesses. Once you’ve discovered your strengths, think about your weaknesses.

Weaknesses:

• Do you lack focus in studies?
• Do you stay organized?
• Could your temperament get in the way of your career?
• Do you complete assignments on time?

Understanding your academic strengths and weaknesses will be the starting point for improving your academic grade and performance.

Next come Opportunities – so think about what growth opportunities are available to you.

• Is there a need for your strengths?
• Which opportunities around you best match your strengths?
• What are the current job opportunities for your subject stream?
• Does the career path you’ve chosen provide unique opportunities?

It’s also important to consider the Threats that could affect your career choice.

• What is the advanced education/training you need, to take advantage of the opportunities?
• What barriers are in your way? – finance? Location? Any other?
• Which Companies do not hire students with your major/degree?
• Could any of your weaknesses lead to threats?

2. Keep Yourself Up to Date

One of the most effective career planning tactics is to merely keep yourself updated about any information or changes that are happening around the world.Following the news, reading articles and journals, connecting with influential people in the field and being proactive about learning the latest changes, is important. 

3. Ask for help from a career expert

While planning your career it is vital to ask for help from a career expert or career counselors. These professionals are trained to help students to achieve their goals. To overcome any hitches that may arise, don’t hesitate to look for one expert that fits your needs.

Wrap up lines

Do you have any ideas on how to go about planning for your big career? If you are not certain about how to figure out a career plan, the first step is to understand what your goals are as they will serve as your compass.

Make sure that your goals are realistic and will help in creating an effective career plan. After you’ve figured out what your targets are [or even to help you figure it out] and after taking into consideration what your present situation is, approach a career counselor who can support you in evaluating, establishing and activating your career plans.