Thoughtful Planning Must Precede Career Decision

Geetanjali Kumari

" The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
- Eleanor Roosevelt
Planning of one's career is a very important decision of an individual's life. Many young adults don't have a clue what they want to do with the rest of their lives, but they're expected to make decisions that will impact career and life choices early. 
This is one of the most important decisions of life. It requires a great amount of thoughtfulness to identify one's interests, strengths, and skills. To understand ones personality and explore the various career options available and finally select one.
Apart from the above different factors that go into choosing a career path, there are many more determinants. One needs to consider ones interests, how long one wants to study, how much money one wants to make, the type of work one wants to do, the potential for job growth and job trends in the industry. The sooner one begins to think about potential careers, the more chances one will have to explore them before making major decisions.
Most important, keeping it all in perspective: One doesn't have to live forever with any career decision, one makes in these phases of student career planning. Most people change careers several times during their lives, so the first job one chooses right after college probably won't be ones career 15 or 20 years from now -- unless one wants it to be. So don't put too much pressure on oneself to make the perfect decision, and always keep one's eyes open, and use all available resources in ones journey to find how to choose a career.
 Luckily, there are lots of career assessment tools, and people like career counsellors available to to help one decide what one wants to do. To build a good career takes dedication; one can get there with proper career planning and self-reflection
Firstly Discover Oneself
What does one like doing?
What does one want to do?
When one thinks ahead ten years, what one sees oneself doing?
When one is a teenager, it's hard to get a handle on those questions. Each day one makes many decisions - what to wear, who to hang out with, how to spend time after school. Some of the decisions one makes today can affect the rest of one's life. That's why it is important to learn how to make good decisions.
1. Know Oneself : First, get to know oneself; then explore different career options and determine what type of job would suit the best.
2. Collect Relevant Information : Collect information related to ones dream career and compile the data; analyze the skills, abilities required, then match it with ones present skills. What does one have now… what skills do one needs to gain?
3. Decide Next Steps : Discuss with seniors, professionals around to find out what one needs to do to reach the goal; there are multiple ways to get there, so map all the possibilities and take it one step at a time.
4. Be Prepared to Change : No plan, no matter how well executed, is perfect. Never be afraid to embrace change. Always be willing to take a turn, rather than holding steadfast to a plan one no longer enjoys..
5. Be Eager to Learn : Investing in new learning is to upgrade oneself, will never be a loss.
6. Keep Parents in the Loop : Parents are often the best teachers, so ones future plans should be discussed with them. Parents have experience that can help one look at a situation more clearly and provide support as one solves the puzzle. Parents are a great sounding board for important decisions.
7. Manage One's Time Well : Time Management is an art that smoothens your road to success. If one can handle time well and utilize it efficiently then it becomes easier to balance the activities one needs to undertake for a successful future. This art will help one to scale new heights throughout one’s life.
8. Stay Updated - Read, Read and Read More : Read a newspaper or blog every day, use the Internet to stay updated with the latest information and technologies .
Those who begin experimenting with their interests as early as school-through class activities, internships, career shadowing, part time  jobs and volunteering-have a higher probability of launching themselves successfully on their career trajectories.Those who didn't tended to struggle and feel unsettled for a longer period of time.
So the best way to get started is:
1. Whatever one finds interesting is a clue to ones career path.
It is very important to enjoy ones work. Think about the things one likes to do, and one can Google interest areas with the term "career" after them, to see that there is a career associated with virtually every interest one has.
2. Experimenting with internships is the best way to gain exposure to a possible career.
The only way to really find out if a career path is right for self is to try it out. It's easy to think that the particular career might be the one that one wants to pursue, only to find oneself disillusioned by the reality of actually doing the job.
Whatever ideas one has about a career, try it out through internships-more than one, if possible. Between the school years and during the summer breaks, there are numerous opportunities to try something out in multiple environments, making contacts all along the way.
3. Starting ones research early and make it a priority.
The job market continues to change so rampantly. One should know how to navigate the online world to gather the data and ideas one will need in any field.
Spend time researching career paths, and indulging one-on-one conversations with those in a field of interest.
4. Learn the art of networking.
At all stages of life, networking is the key to staying connected with interesting people both through social media and in person.
One needs to acknowledge the importance of arriving on time for work and knowing how to make good conversation with adults, these are lifelong skills that needs to be fostered… right now!
Lear to project a friendly, helpful, positive persona. - Knowing how to communicate easily and effectively will enable one to do well in whatever career one finally lands up choosing.
Career building is a long journey with many stops along the way. With careful planning, … one can give oneself a fantastic start! . On the contrary, a miss-step in choice may lead to a frustrating life without meaning.The earlier you begin to plan for a career, the more likely you are to succeed. Senior Secondary school is an ideal time to begin. And one doesn't even need a major or specific career direction in mind, yet. The key… is to get started!
I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.
- Stephen Covey 
Geetanjali Kumari is a career  counsellor.e-mail : geetanjalico17@gmail.com