CAREER PLANNING

1. Career Planning

After reading this section, you will become familiar with the key steps of career planning, understand the importance of career planning, and have the opportunity to assess the level of your career planning skills.

1.1. Steps of Career Planning

Career planning is the conscious creation and development of one's life path. It is like a map that helps us understand where we want to be in the future and how to get there. At the same time, it is a lifelong process, taking place in an ever-changing world. Everyone can be successful if they know their strengths and engage in activities that bring joy and meaning.

Career planning is a lifelong process aimed at directing one’s professional journey and achieving career goals. It includes:

1. Self-awareness
2. Exploring career opportunities
3. Career planning
4. Career implementation

1.2. Self-awareness

Self-awareness is one of the most important aspects that determine the success of career planning and development. It is a process through which a person deepens their understanding of their personality, strengths, weaknesses, interests, values, and goals.

The process of self-awareness is crucial for personal career planning because, by understanding their strengths and interests, a person can choose a job they enjoy and in which they can achieve the best results. Such a job will bring more satisfaction and motivation. By knowing themselves, individuals can make it easier to make important career decisions, such as choosing a particular field of study, changing jobs, or taking on new projects. Self-awareness also helps individuals be more flexible and adapt more easily to a changing job market.

Watch a short video about the first step of career planning – self-awareness. Think about:

Did you know in the past what you wanted to be, what to study, or what work you wanted to do?

Does your current situation align with what you dreamed of? If it doesn't, what changed that led to this?

Why is self-awareness important for personal career planning? 

How well do you know yourself?

Good self-awareness is the key to a successful career.

This short test will help assess how well you know your interests, values, and strengths, and how they relate to your career choices.

Test source: https://karjera.lt/web/guest/saves-pazinimas

Self-awareness is like a compass that helps navigate the career path. By understanding oneself, an individual can set goals, choose the right path, and make decisions that bring them closer to success. Self-awareness is not a one-time process, but a continuous journey of self-improvement. The better you know yourself, the easier it will be to make decisions that will lead to professional success and a sense of personal fulfillment.

Perform the practical task

Practical Task: "I Can and I Know How"

1.3. Exploring Career Opportunities

Exploring career opportunities is the process of gathering information about various career options that align with your interests, skills, and values. It is an active and purposeful collection and analysis of information about the job market and career choices to plan and manage your career. This process includes searching for new information about professions, jobs, organizations, and study opportunities. By collecting and analyzing this information, an individual can envision themselves in different career fields, evaluate possible choices, and, by testing them, better understand specific opportunities.

Watch short videos about exploring career opportunities. Think about:

How many of your past career decisions (regarding profession) were based on reliable information?

What type of career information do you feel is most lacking?

What career decisions require the missing information?  

Having information about a career is just the beginning. What is truly important is the ability to analyze, evaluate, and apply that information to your situation. Without motivation and an active approach, even a large amount of information will not help you make the right career decisions.

Check if you are exploring career opportunities.

This short test will help you assess how much attention you are giving to your career planning and how well you are prepared to make important decisions.

Test source: https://karjera.lt/web/guest/galimybiu-tyrinejimas

There are many ways to explore career opportunities. It is important to find the most suitable methods. Here are some tips on how to get started:

Exploring career opportunities is an ongoing process. Even if you have already found a job, it is important to continue learning about new career possibilities. The job market is constantly changing, so it’s crucial to stay informed about the latest trends.

By dedicating some time to exploring career opportunities, you can increase your chances of finding a job that you enjoy and that is meaningful to you.

1.4. Career Planning

Career planning is the conscious creation and development of one's life path, consisting of consistent and individual actions and decisions aimed at professional development and self-realization.

The success of career planning efforts depends on many factors, but it all starts with an individual's attitude toward their career, specifically how they perceive their career as a phenomenon.

Check how much you are planning your career.

This short test will help you assess how much attention you give to your career planning and how well you are prepared to achieve your goals.

Test source: https://karjera.lt/web/guest/karjeros-planavimas

Career planning is a continuous and quite complex process, but to make it easier, it is important to know that career planning can be approached in two ways:

     When a career plan is systematically planned and then implemented.

or

     When one follows a path of trial and learning, and after gaining sufficient experience and knowledge, chooses a career path.

1.5. Career Implementation

Career planning is just the beginning. Career implementation is the interaction with the real world. This means that it’s not enough to just have knowledge about yourself and the job market, but also to know how to apply it in practice when facing real situations. A true career begins when you start acting according to your plan, i.e., when you begin to implement what was planned. Career implementation means taking the necessary actions to achieve career goals. With a personal career plan, executing these actions becomes much easier.

Watch a short video about career implementation. Think about:

How did you manage to search for your first job?

Do you have a prepared resume? And a cover letter?

What mistakes did you make while job hunting? What can you learn from that?

 Source: Education Exchange Support Foundation.

The stages of career implementation may vary depending on your personal career plan, but typically this process includes the following steps:

Career implementation is an ongoing process. Even after finding a job, it is important to continue learning and improving. The job market is constantly changing, so it is necessary to stay updated on the latest trends and be prepared to adapt.

Getting hired is an important career milestone, but it is also crucial to settle into the new job. For a successful career, one must be able to manage personal finances, plan the learning and job-search processes. Only in this way can a person feel satisfied and successful in their career.

Additionally, during the career implementation stage, you may face changes that can be caused by external factors, such as increasing competition, company relocations, or reorganizations. Changes can also stem from shifts in your own perspective, such as a desire for a more meaningful career, a wish to experiment, or the pursuit of more flexible working conditions that allow balancing work and personal life.