Careerlinked Education Council (Career Blog)
Career Management
Not so long ago, when most people stayed in the same line of work for a lifetime, "career" was another word for "job". In today's changing world, it's more accurate and helpful to think of your career as the sum total of all your work, learning and life roles. Planning your career has evolved into an ongoing work in progress and an important skill to have. Career Management is the lifelong process of continually:
- thinking about your values, needs and preferences;
- exploring the life, work and learning options available to you;
- ensuring that your work reflects your personal priorities;
- Adjusting your plans to manage the realities of the world of work.
- planning based on priorities and realities
If you're like most people, your priorities will change throughout your lifetime. Think about what has been important to you in the past and what might be important in the future. Career management will help you ensure your plans reflect your priorities at every stage of your life.
These days, you probably won't find one type of work that will remain unchanged or continue to satisfy your priorities until you retire. Rapid shifts in technology, society and the economy will continue to eliminate some types of work and create new ones. Career planning prepares you to manage change in positive and rewarding ways.
Building on what you have. Because career management is an ongoing process that involves both life and work, it helps you build on what you already have, such as your employability skills. Also known as transferable or soft skills, these are fundamental, personal and teamwork skills you need to succeed in every workplace. No matter what type of work you choose to do, your employability skills will travel with you.
Your specific skills and interests
Technical skills that you develop through work or on your own can become the basis for successful self-employment. Talents, hobbies and recreational activities can lead you in new directions. For example, skills that you develop now as a volunteer can apply later to paid employment or even your own small business venture.
Your feelings about your work and life
If you are bored with your job or it looks like the work you're doing now might not have much of a future, career management can help you figure out how and when to make changes. If you're passionate about one of your interests or hobbies, career management could help you turn it into a small business.
Using the four career management steps:
The four Career management steps are used for all kinds of career-related decisions and at all stages of your career, whether you are choosing a new career direction, going back to school or planning your retirement.
Step 1: Know Yourself
If you're choosing a new career direction, which of your core values do you want it to embody?
Because Career Planning is an ongoing process that involves both life and work, it helps you build on what you already have, such as:
>> If you're choosing a new career direction, which of your core values do you want it to embody?
>> If you're looking for new challenges at work, which of your skills or interests could help you develop and advance?
>> If you're considering going back to college, which type of program would make the most of your positive traits?
Step 2: Explore Options
Explore your options, discover new ones and gather information about them. What choices do you have? What does each alternative involve?
If you're choosing a career direction, find out about the occupations that interest you and then talk to people in those fields. Can you get direct experience by volunteering or working part-time?
Look for related possibilities while you explore the ones you have already identified.
If you're considering going back to school, talk to people in the occupations that interest you. Ask them how they acquired the skills and knowledge they need and which training options are most respected by employers.
Step 3: Get Ready
Evaluate your options and decide which ones are best for you at this stage of your life. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative? Consider the challenges you may face and how you can handle them.
Step 4: Take Action
Develop a plan to make your option a reality. Identify the short-term and long-term steps you need to take and tie them to specific dates. Identify things you can do to stay motivated. Then, take the steps!
The Career Planning process is a practical way to manage ongoing changes in your life and work. Building on what you already have and thinking realistically about your priorities, you can continue to use the four career management steps to create a satisfying career path.
