Career Planning Guide
Your Guide to Finding and Keeping the Job
of Your Dreams
Introduction
(extract)
The most important
step in career planning is the one step that will help
you decide what you want to do for the rest of your life.
It is also the simplest…
The first step you
should take, before you read on, is to write down your
goals and objectives for your life. The key to success
is planning for the future, so don't look just one or
two years ahead.
To successfully plan
your career, you have to look two, five, ten and twenty
years ahead. You may find your objectives and goals change
with time. That is a normal part of the growth process.
But, by starting out with a list of goals, you are already
one step ahead of the pack.
When you set your goals,
one consideration you should take to heart is current
trends in technology, the workforce and the labor industry.
Why pay attention to these matters?
Modern changes in the
workforce and technology have made hunting for the perfect
or ideal career harder than in times past. With so many
stories of massive layoffs in the technology industry
one day, and then similar stories of growth in the technical
sector, it can be hard for one to figure out just what
job is right for them. How do you figure out what job
will provide you with the most stability?
Keep in mind that trends
change all the time, so what may be popular now may not
be in the near future. What jobs are needed in one region
may not be as important in another. These are all important
considerations for the avid job seeker.
Thoughts like this
often bog down the honest career seeker. They can make
you overly concerned with finding a job that will last
for years to come, when chances are high that during your
life you will change careers or advance in your career
at least once or twice. So while thinking about trends
is important, there are many other factors that will determine
your success when selecting the perfect career.
Finding the right job
involves many important considerations.
The right job doesn't
necessarily have anything to do with a particular industry.
One of the biggest mistakes people make when planning
their career is trying to make their personality and skill
set fit a job, rather than finding a job that fits their
personality and skills. If you jump into the technology
industry just because it is doing well now, you may find
you regret your decision later. How do you find the path
to the ladder of success, and then climb it without much
effort?
The simplest way to
climb the ladder of success is to find a job that matches
your skills, interest and abilities. I'll say that once
more for emphasis, because many people forget this when
seeking a job or trying to plan their career.
Being happy in and
prospering in your job is all about matching your skills
and abilities to a job.
Once you do that, you
will find it easy to plot out a career path that will
lead to fulfillment and security. Whether you make $10
an hour or $100 an hour, the most important aspect of
career planning is securing your happiness, your financial
security and your future.
You can do that in
virtually any field, if you play your cards right. That
is what this book is all about. Teaching you to play your
cards right. It may not happen overnight, but if you do
take the right steps, in time you can find the ideal job
that suits your financial and personal needs. You just
need time, patience and a proper education.
You've already started
in the right direction by reading this book. Consider
this book your education in career planning. This book
serves as your first step toward building a rewarding
and successful career.
