However, this goes through good planning to have a successful professional career. In this scenario, you can choose between “I’m going to work for myself” and “I’m going to have a formal contract”.
Whatever your purpose, your planning must be aligned with your career plan — yes, these two terms refer to different things. So how about better understanding this context and starting to program your future? Read this text and learn more!
What do you expect from your career?
To understand what you expect from your career, you need to analyze your professional plan and what your expectations are (short, medium and long term) with your future job or your current one, if you already have one. Thus, it is possible to define the best path to follow.
For example, if you want to make a career in one of the areas of Medicine , but you are working in sales, there is clearly a difference in objectives. In this case, you should think about what to do to achieve the desired goal. That is:
- study for the entrance exam;
- join a course;
- take the tests throughout the semesters;
- do the residency and possible internships;
- specialize;
- find a job or open a practice.
Realize that all these points are goals of your main objective, which is to have a career in Medicine.
What is the importance of planning your career?
Career planning is essential to know what you expect from your future. After all, this is a way to build a reputation and an image in the chosen field.
Through this planning, you also develop professionally and ensure continuous growth. In addition, it ensures that all these aspects are in line with your profile and characteristics.
Here, it is also important to highlight that having a successful professional career varies according to the person. For you, it might be equivalent to working in a big company and being in a management position. For another, the focus is on working autonomously.
None of these answers are wrong. In fact, what needs to be considered is what you really want and what your profile is.
How to plan your professional career?
There are several tips for effective career planning — you’ll get to that later. In any case, a valid recommendation is to use SMART goals .
This method requires you to define your goals and what to do to achieve them. For this, the goals must be:
- specific;
- measurable;
- attainable;
- relevant;
- temporal.
Also, you should consider which profession is right for you. See what your skills and abilities are, and what you like to study. For example, if you like the exact sciences, you can choose courses in Mathematics, Accounting, Civil Engineering, Computer Science and more.
In turn, if you prefer the humanities area, the possibilities are different. Among them are Marketing, Law, Administration, Psychology, Pedagogy and Journalism. Next, we will present other tips to put into practice. Keep reading!
9 tips on how to plan your professional career
Now that you’ve seen how to start planning, it’s time to see some tips to apply in your professional life and define what you expect from your career. Check out!
1. Make a list of what makes you happy
It’s important to like what you do. Well that idea of ”choose a job you love and you’ll never have to work”. So list everything you feel pleasure in doing. Here, include:
- your hobbies;
- the subjects that most call your attention;
- the things you can’t bear to do;
- what is really important in your life.
2. Take vocational tests
Vocational tests consist of academic and professional profile assessments. By answering the questions, you will see which professions are most compatible with your characteristics.
Therefore, the result helps to define which course is best for your reality. The best thing is that there are even free and online versions of the vocational tests.
However, you can also go deeper and have yours done with a professional. This process is usually done by pedagogues and psychologists.
3. Discover your skills
Everyone has skills and can develop others throughout their personal and professional life. Here, it is worth noting that you should think about your characteristics and skills.
For example, empathy, problem-solving skills, flexibility, good communication, etc. All these skills must be developed continuously.
Also, in this process of discovering your skills, check those that still need to be improved. For example, if you want to work for yourself, you need autonomy and decision-making. Thus, it is necessary to develop these characteristics, if you do not already have them.
4. Research the areas you most identify with
Once you understand what your profile is, research information about areas of interest. Take the opportunity to understand which courses are part of them, what each profession does and what skills are desired.
You can do this online. For example, on university websites, specialized blogs and more. In this way, you avoid wasting time and discover good distance learning courses .
5. Find out how the job market works for that area
Know the labor market for the chosen area. See what are the possibilities of action and the existing opportunities. Also check what is the salary range and the established routine of activities.
Another important point is to check the existing demand. All this can be searched over the internet. However, it is also worth talking to professionals in the field to get an idea of the perspectives.
6. Trace short and long term goals
Career planning needs to have well-defined goals. Plot short-term and long-term ones. The difference between them is tangibility.
Short-term goals are closer to being realized. For example, entering university in the chosen course after studying for the entrance exam.
7. Make a list of what you need to reach your long-term goal
Every long-term goal needs to be broken down into short-term achievable goals. They represent the path to be followed. So define what you need to do to achieve it.
This list should include graduation, specialization, company you want to work for, position you want to occupy, skill development and whatever else you think is necessary.
8. Have a Plan B
A plan B is an important alternative. After all, everything that you have drawn up may not bring the expected result. Incidentally, it is quite common to graduate in one area and end up working in another – and this happens for several reasons.
In addition, one of the main reasons for this reality is the fact that qualified professionals are not paid as expected. According to the survey, they earn 74% less than the diploma would allow.
Therefore, it is valid to have a plan B, either to improve remuneration or to seek other career opportunities.
9. Focus on your goal
Finally, remember to stay focused. You will receive several opportunities throughout your career, but they must always be aligned with your objective.
If any of them are too far from expected, you need to evaluate. Of course, you can change course. However, you need to weigh this decision.
Entrepreneurship or Employment?
In addition to all these tips, you need to define whether you want to undertake or be employed. Both possibilities are valid. It all depends on what you want. Check out the advantages of each of the possibilities.
Advantages of undertaking
Undertaking is when you start a business. You can work self-employed or actually start a company.
For those who choose this alternative, the benefits are:
- more flexible schedules;
- possibility of acting as an Individual Microentrepreneur, as long as you follow the rules. Thus, pay less taxes;
- increased innovation potential;
- ability to learn from your mistakes;
- more autonomy;
- possibility of generating employment and income for other people, contributing to the community in which you are inserted.
Advantages of being employed
If you prefer to work for someone else, there are advantages too. Check out the main ones:
- security through the guarantee of labor rights;
- guaranteed salary every month;
- pre-established working hours;
- opportunity for growth, if the company has a good career plan;
- possibility of having a little more flexibility if you work in an innovative company.
Anyway, the right answer depends on what you want. Therefore, it is essential to think and decide what you expect from your career.
