How to plan your career

The most important thing one must realize in planning his career is knowing himself first. You need to undergo the process of knowing who you are, what you can do and what you can exceed by studying your different career choices, making intelligent decisions, identifying your strengths and limitations and establish a reputation while working on your interpersonal skills.

 You also need to understand that people change and their choices change from time to time too and this is what complicates your plans. People make mistakes and you can bet that you may make mistakes at times but then,  you will learn from it and it will eventually become your basis on what you need to do next.   Planning your career can’t be done overnight but rather, it is a lifetime ongoing process whether you are employed or not. Being a professional in your own right doesn’t mean you can’t change careers and not be successful at it.

Taking time to know who you really are can help determine success in your career. Discovering your skills, passion, your personality, your values and influences can create a clear picture of where you are headed and will give you a better chance in creating a satisfying career.

Making wise decisions can be really hard but by clarifying your decision difficulties, you can bet to create a simple solution to this problem. You need to write down a progressive step-by-step plan of action in creating a goal and spend time to clarify them and thus creating a deadline to this decision as well. Allow your principles and values in life to influence and guide your decisions because nobody knows you better than yourself. No matter what you choose to do, always do the right thing.

Life is a continuous and ever-changing journey towards the unknown path of your future.  And by identifying your strengths and limitations, you get to speed up your decision in planning your career. They say that we can’t  limit ourselves to progress and change but we have to be realistic in this aspect of our life because we can’t afford to make too many mistakes and be back to square one every now and then.

Establishing a good reputation is not easy especially when all eyes are on you. But the key to this is your interpersonal skills, being good at it and being good to everyone around you. People will always have something to say but once you just do your job well, treat others with kindness and respect, you will earn a reputation that can last a lifetime. It is something that you can’t buy. If people don’t trust you, you won’t stand a chance to an advacement in your career. So, you better start early and work it.

Now is the perfect time to plan your career. Take time to breathe and start reflecting. Remember, you are responsible for who you are today and tomorrow.