The day of your graduation is the day you know all the fun, carefree days are over. All those days now have to be turned into serious days. You know now that you have to start planning for your career. You can’t just lay around in your room and mess around with your friends. Life’s about to get serious. Once you step out of college, you will feel a burden on your shoulders. That burden is the responsibility you will be taking on in your life from now onward.
Stepping into this adult life is something exciting yet can be exhausting. All the career planning and landing your desired job. Or planning your new startup since you don’t like working for others. All of this needs proper planning and your 100% desire to do so. However, this process needs time and should be started from the beginning. You can’t simply leave this behind and go with the flow of your life. Career planning needs determination and your full focus.
So now you are standing at the front door of the college and thinking about your career. You didn’t give it much thought back in college, but now you have to. Don’t worry because we have the best career planning strategies for you penned down. Just go through them and begin your future planning.
Look back at your hobbies and pastimes
Well, when it comes to planning your career, you need to look into your hobbies as well. No matter which degree you have, many people tend to change their careers and pursue their hobbies. For example, if you are a business student but your hobby lies in writing books. So, if you are passionate enough about writing, then you can pursue that hobby. Make your passion or hobby into a career. So, look into your hobbies for career planning; chances are you might see your career in one of them.
Look at your past accomplishments
When you are working on your resume, also take note of your past accomplishments. See what you have accomplished all those past years. When looking back at your past accomplishments, you might see something that made you happy and proud. It can trigger a career change. So, it’s always great to see your past achievements for your career planning.
Needs and wants likes and dislikes
A person changes throughout their life. Their hobbies their likes, and dislikes change constantly. Something you loved doing before, you might dislike it now. So, reflect back on your hobbies, likes, and dislikes. Maybe you wished to be an artist in your childhood, but you weren’t much good at it, so you stopped. With time you started doodling and got pretty much good at it. This could be a career path you could follow. Or maybe you liked designing before, but now you don’t get the same happiness from doing it. When you go for career planning, make a list of things that you like and dislike. Always settle for that career that gives you happiness.
Annually plan your career
Some people stick to one job while others change jobs and even careers. It all depends on you. The best thing you can do is plan your career annually. You should plan a break every year if you feel like changing your career. Focus on your career planning and block out any distractions. Map out everything so that you will be ready for any difficulty waiting for you ahead.
Adopt other skills
There are people who get so stuck in job titles that they don’t see that there are other career opportunities as well. Don’t stick around with one skill only. Change and grow. See where your interest lies and learn those skills. You can change your career according to that instead of sticking to one job title. For example, if you are good at editing, then you must be good at writing, researching as well. So instead of just sticking around to editor title or job, you can move onto other opportunities as well. It’s the most important part of career planning.
Seek further job opportunities
Ask yourself this question:
Where do you see yourself in a year or five years? Sitting at the same desk behind the same computer for the past five years? If no then start seeking other job opportunities as well. Don’t just settle at one job. There is no harm in looking for other job opportunities to grow your career and brighten the future.
These were the few career planning strategies you can apply when you are out of college. Plan out everything and see where your interest lies and go for that job. Don’t settle for something you hate. It’s not necessary to always choose a career based on your degree.
So good luck with your career planning. Life is waiting ahead for you to take a leap into adult life.