Career planning - a deliberate process

Career planning is an endeavour that guides you to where you dream to be. It helps you to rid your thought process of vagueness and be clear of what you seek to attain in life. Therefore, if you have to spend a couple of hours on it, it is worth the effort. 

You will find that things are not that easy and you may tend to get seized up at the very initial stages itself. There will be several alternatives, with each one having different attributes and they will bewilder you, making you to disbelieve yourself. This is nothing unusual; and this is where precisely career planning will come to your rescue. The way forward has two options:

·   Bashing on regardless:  You need to identify what appeals to you the most and do it without having any second thoughts. Whether you succeed or fail, win or lose, grow or plummet – these factors are secondary. There will be very few who would advise you to exercise this option, but if you do, the voyage by itself will be your prize. There are examples of many successful persons who bashed on regardless.

·   Thinking &moving:  Here you are required to carry out some evaluation and find out what inspires you. Accordingly, a career that you think is best is selected, but before taking the actual plunge, you will have to acquire all the requisite qualifications for it. Contrary to bashing on regardless, here you are required to cautiously and with awareness make a roadmap and follow it to attain whatever you set out for – something that could well be enumerated to be an outcome of your job.

The above notwithstanding, you will still need to know what you are cut out for and hence be aware of your capabilities and vulnerabilities. You should carry out a sincere introspection by pondering over your attainments and recognitions earned till date; various actions that served to motivate you; and ppecific occasions on which you exerted with fervour.

You will realize that a set model will unfold itself and come to the fore. It will throw light on your under-mentioned abilities and which, singularly or collectively ought to be manifest your inclinations and excellence that would stand you in good stead in the years to come:

·   What you are capable of systematizing.

·   How you can put others at ease.

·   Aspects in which you can be in the forefront.

·   Crisis situations that you can resolve.

·   The degree of stress you can withstand.

·   Other matters, social and professional that you are adept at.

Having done the above, you need to make a note of aspects that inspire you – issues that you yearn for in your life. You can thus discern where you are at the moment and where you wish to be. As things become more apparent, you will become more positive and resolute. Thus, you will be able to arrive at a clear image of yourself and your unique selling points.

Contingent on your aspirations and disposition, you can also discern careers that will provide you living and working conditions that you dream of as also pecuniary benefits that you seek. You need to guard against fascinating delusions and remember that your progress, recognition and contentment spring from only one thing – putting your heart and soul into any work that you do.

  Having decided on the career path that you wish to embark upon, you should gear up for it by acquiring all requisite qualifications. Whatever be the path, you will taste success only if go about it sincerely and by leaving your personal stamp on it. Specific qualitative requirements apart, you also need to have and develop a high degree of self-discipline, an amiable disposition towards your co-workers, a professional approach towards your work and good communication skills.

To sum up, remember that if you have set a goal for yourself, you should be clear about it before you actually start working for its achievement. The journey ahead will be a learning experience too. But most importantly, it is the first step that will count.