How to Write a Career Plan

Writing a career plan can be an important step in identifying or reaffirming your goals in life. Career plans can give students direction in their course of study or help current professionals expand their career choices. Career development plans are beneficial because they give a sense of direction and purpose. Here are some steps for writing a career plan.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Pencil and paper or computer

1. Evaluate yourself. Identify your interests, values, personal needs and goals. This will help you better understand the career you chose or will choose, and how it can be tailored to you.
2. Develop career objectives. Get an idea of what jobs you are in the market for, how you plan to obtain these jobs and what abilities you have to offer to employers.
3. Explore your potential career. Explore the field you want to work in and research the industries involved.
4. Match yourself with a goal career. Decide which career is best suited for you by narrowing down your occupational choices. Evaluate each option, identify any alternatives, and look at your short- and long-term options.
5. Write down the actions you can take to reach your goals, for example registering for college courses or enlisting in specialized training classes.
6. Analyze the career you’ve chosen. This will help you to get an outside view of how you are going to meet your expectations and what skills are necessary to achieve them.

Tips & Warnings

• When exploring your career, actions like job shadowing, part-time work, internships, interviews and volunteering are good steps to getting more involved in your chosen career.
• This is the rest of our life you're planning, so take every detail into strict and serious consideration.

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