Importance Of Career Planning Essay

Career planning plays a very important role in one's life. It helps us to manage the direction we want our career to take, the job skills and knowledge we will need, and how we can get them. A great career strategy relies on strong foundations and the following simple steps may help us to build a strong career foundation:

Step 1 Self-assessment:

. We all have been brought up by different values, needs and motivations. Our work takes up a significant part of our day - usually a third or more - and has a significant impact on other aspects of our life, including our sense of self-worth and wellbeing. This is why it is very important to carefully consider your values and needs when planning your career direction and developing your career strategy. Find the best in you and plan accordingly. Use these exercises to help you establish your life values:

*Where am I right now?

*What are the barriers in career planning?

These exercises will help you decide your career path.

It is important to understand your skills, knowledge and personal qualities so you can match them to jobs you would like to do. This will also help you identify the knowledge and skills you might need to acquire, or the personal qualities you might need, to achieve your career goals. An accurate and realistic assessment of these things is vital to an achievable career strategy.

Similarly despite working hard on your career strategy, you might sometimes come up against obstacles, here you need to The 'Examining the barriers using force field analysis' exercise will help you to explore those obstacles.

Step 2 Consider the options

Often, the most difficult part of career strategy and planning is finding out what jobs are likely to suit your best. The good news is your choice might be wider than you had realized. It's important to consider each of the options against your skills, knowledge, personal qualities, values and preferences.

Step 3 Decide on your