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Tips for Career Planning

Career plan images

Abinaya Sivathanu

by Abinaya Sivathanu

2nd-Year Finance Student

It’s never too early to start planning for your career! Whether you’re in your first term of university or your last, it’s important to start thinking about what you’re going to do once you graduate.

Career planning involves identifying where you want to go and how you’re going to get there. It’s about weighing your skills, interests and values in relation to the different job opportunities out there. It is one of the most crucial — yet most often overlooked — steps before graduating. Career planning will allow you to set clear goals and be on track for success!

Now that you understand how important it is to start planning for your career, where do you start? Well, below are some tips to help you!

Understand what you like and dislike: It’s important first to understand and reflect on what you like and don’t like to do. Moreover, make a list of what’s important to you in a career. This will help you understand what type of career you would like to pursue. 

Explore options: Now, after considering your likes and dislike, explore different options that may suit you. You can do this by reaching out to professionals, either in networking events or through LinkedIn. Do your research!

Make career goals: Once you’ve done your research, the next step should be to start setting goals. Set both short-term and long-term goals. Write these goals down and maybe even share them with a friend. Hold yourself accountable for them!

Look for learning/training opportunities: After you have made these goals, research the steps that you need to take to achieve them. Usually, this would involve developing certain skills. Consider the skills you already have, as well as the skills you would like to gain or develop. Now, look for learning and training opportunities. These opportunities could come from workshops, online courses or professional development activities.

Career Centre: The Career Centre has many resources that can help you plan your career. These resources include workshops, resumé critiques, career testing and more. They are easily available to you, so take advantage of them!