Blog Post #3: How to plan for your career

Target Audience: Student

Shreya was studying in the 12

grade and doing well, but was still not sure what she would do

after her 12

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 10

or 12

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 10

? 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 10

or 12

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.