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Choosing a career is one of the most important decisions you will make in life. It's about so much more than deciding
what you will do to make a living. To start with, think about the amount of time we spend at work. We are on the job
approximately 71% of every year. Over our lifetimes, this comes to roughly 31½ years out of the 45 years most of us
spend working, from the beginning of our careers until retirement. The importance of selecting a career with which we
are satisfied cannot be overemphasized.
While some people are lucky enough to just know what they want to do and end up in satisfying careers without
giving it much thought, most of us are not. Many people don't put enough effort into choosing occupations or pick
them for the wrong reasons. Maybe they choose careers that seem secure or pay well. They then end up unhappy.
The best way to make sure that doesn't happen to you is to make a well-thought out decision.
Finding Out
Making Decisions
Comparing options
Taking Action
Career planning is an ongoing process that can help you manage your learning and development.
You can use the four step planning process whether you are:
at school;
at college;
continuously fine-tuning your work and learning plans to help you manage the changes in your life and the world of
work.
You can revisit and make use of this process all the way through your career.
Begin by thinking about where you are now, where you want to be and how you’re going to get there.
Once you have thought about where you are at now and where you want to be, you can work on getting to know your
skills, interests and values.
Where am I at now?
At the end of this step you will have a clearer idea of your work or learning goal and your individual preferences. You
can use this information about yourself as your personal ‘wish list’ against which you can compare all the information
you gather in Step 2: finding out. Your personal preferences are very useful for helping you choose your best option
at this point in time, which you can do in Step 3: making decisions.
This step is about exploring the occupations and learning areas that interest you. Once you have some idea of your
occupational preferences you can research the specific skills and qualifications required for those occupations.
Explore occupations that interest you and ask yourself how do my skills and interests match up with these
occupations?
Where are the gaps?
What options do I have to gain these skills or qualify for these occupations?
At the end of this step you will have a list of preferred occupations and/or learning options.
This step involves comparing your options, narrowing down your choices and thinking about what suits you best at
this point in time.
Ask yourself:
At the end of this step you will have narrowed down your options and have more of an idea of what you need to do
next to help you achieve your goals.
Here you plan the steps you need to take to put your plan into action.
Use all you have learnt about your skills, interests and values together with the information you have gathered about
the world of work to create your plan.
What actions/steps will help me achieve my work, training and career goals?
a plan to help you explore your options further (e.g. work experience, work shadowing or more research); or
a plan which sets out the steps to help you achieve your next learning or work
Decide which step is relevant for you right now and start from there.
http://www.careercentre.dtwd.wa.gov.au/
Mistakes to Avoid When Selecting a Career:
Listening to People Who Tell You That You Should, or Should Not, Do Something: Many people think they
should have a say in what career you choose—your parents, your friends, your significant other. They don't. In most
cases your decision will have little impact on the other people in your life. You, however, will have to deal with your
choice for years to come. Make sure the career you choose is something you want to spend your day doing.
Following in Someone Else's Footsteps : You may be haunted by your parents' expectations to go into the same
occupation they are in. You may know it as the one that helped put food in your mouth, kept a roof over your head
and even paid your way through school. As hard is it is to do, ignore the pressure you may feel to please your mum
and dad. Remember, and if necessary, remind your parents, that they made their own choices and now it's your turn.
What was right for them may not be for you. In the long run, there's a good chance they'd rather see you happy in a
career of your own choosing than unhappy in one you picked to please them.
Not Doing Your Homework: Don't choose a career without taking the time to learn about it. In addition to a job
description, you should make sure to gather information about typical job duties, educational requirements, earnings
and job outlook.
Not Talking to Those in the Know: Your homework isn't complete if you skip talking to someone who currently
works in the career field you are considering. Those who are engaged in an occupation can provide you with a
truthful account of what it's really like to work in it. If possible talk to a few people to avoid individual biases.
Going for the Money, Honey: Bringing home a paycheck is important, but the size of it isn't actually a great predictor
of job satisfaction. In other words, you can make six figures, but if you hate what you're doing, you'll find it hard to
enjoy the fruits of your labour. Look for a balance between making enough money to support yourself and work that
fulfills you.
Ignoring Who You Are: Your personality type, interests, values and aptitude make you better suited for some
occupations than others. These traits are intrinsic, which means you can't change them. If you don't take them into
account when selecting a career, there is an excellent chance you will wind up in an occupation that is unsuitable for
you.
Not Considering Location, Location, Location: Jobs in certain occupations are concentrated in specific cities—
Dublin or London for example—or in certain types of locations—such as cities versus rural areas. If you live
somewhere that doesn't offer many opportunities in your field and you aren't willing to relocate, you will have trouble
getting a job.
Not Looking Beyond a "Best Careers" List: Lists that tell you what careers have the best opportunities of the year,
decade or whatever, can be a helpful guide when it comes to selecting a career. However, making a decision based
solely on one of those lists is a terrible idea. Even an occupation with a great outlook can be a bad fit, so you have to
scratch below the surface to find out whether you and a career are a good match.
Ignoring the Future: While you shouldn't make your choice solely on an occupation's appearance on a "best careers
list," to ignore employment outlook is careless. There's a good chance you don't have a crystal ball that can tell you
with certainty whether an occupation will grow, or at least be stable, during the course of your career. However, you
can do more than hope for the best. You should consider whether a career has a promising future before you begin to
prepare for it. You can at least eliminate something if its future looks bleak. http://careerplanning.about.com/
Next, call or write a letter requesting an information interview or job shadowing. People who
like their jobs tend to enjoy talking about them. You compliment the professional by
expressing an interest in the career. In your phone call or letter, explain how you found the
person you want to interview and request time for an appointment. Emphasize that you
want to find out more about the career—you’re not looking for a job. If you’re lucky, the
professional you contact may have other colleagues you can interview also.
Asking Questions
Takes notes during your time with the professional. Here are some questions you might
ask:
Take your thoughts and concerns to the career center staff and get feedback on the next
step to take in your career exploration. You may want to do additional information
interviews in this career path or you may want to reexamine your goals and find a different
path for your interests.
No matter what you decide, send a thank-you note to anyone you interview or shadow.
Whether you decide to forge ahead on that career path or find another one, this
professional may be a good person to network with when you begin your job search.