INTERNSHIPS CAN HELP YOU WITH YOUR CAREER PATH

 

What do you want to be when you grow up?

 

Hey, with all businesses closing down, how do you make a decision? You want to make sure that you have a job when you graduate!

 

And once you know what career path you want to follow, how do you get there?

 

I tell my clients that one way to answer questions about your future career is to develop a career plan. A career plan outlines the steps you need to take to reach your career goal.

Fool Proof way to Developing a Career Path

To develop a career plan you must determine your interests and skills. Thinking about your skills and interests is a good way to help you find a satisfying career. Why go to college if you wont like your career?

When you’re trying to determine what your interests are, think about what you like and dont like to do. Think about experiences you have enjoyed. Evaluate what you liked, what you found challenging, and what you may have learned from those experiences. Make a list of activities you have enjoyed during the past few years.

List your skills that will help you in your career. Your skills may include training you have gained through part-time or full-time jobs. Even if you haven’t been employed before, you do have some skills which will help you find a job. For example, you may have skills you learned through typing class or photography.

Evaluate those skills and interests you have listed. Are there similar activities on the two lists? Are there any experiences that could turn into a career? For instance, if you volunteered at a hospital and enjoyed the experience, you may want to consider a medical career.

Research the types of careers available to you. If you don’t research careers, you may not know about the best occupations to fit your interests and skills. There are MANY more jobs that you can even think about

It’s also important to decide if the career you are considering is really what you expect and whether it offers the salary and benefits you want. The Best way to learn about a career is to get an internship in the position. (Internships are also a great way to gain experience in your selected career field). Another good way to find out about a job is to network—talk to someone who is in the career now.

When you have decided what career path you want to follow, figure out what you need to do to prepare for your new career. Do you need technical school training, or training at a college? If so, research the schools that offer the kind of training you need. What kinds of experience will you need to be successful in the career? Think of an internship as a way to get work experience in the career field.

When you develop your career plan, you can focus on what you want to do and how to get there.

And when you are ready to write your resume for your job search, you will have a better understanding of your skills and experiences to discuss with potential employers.

 

Technorati Tags: Career Planning, College Financial Aid, FAFSA, Fafsa help, fafsa hints, fafsa tips, internships

Ten Steps to Guide You to Planning Your Career

1. Create a Career Plan. Think about what you want and like to do. Than research more about the education, skills and training you will need to achieve your career goal.

2. Review your Skills and Interests. Think hard about what you enjoy, what you are good at, what kind of personality you are, and the values you hold. Also think about the things you dislike. If you faint at the sight of blood, you shouldn’t want to be a doctor.

3. Research occupations. Find out more about the nature of the jobs that interest you, such as educational requirements, salary, working conditions, future outlook, and anything else that can help you narrow your focus. A good career planning website should open your eyes to all the career possibilites.

4. Compare your skills and interests with the occupations you’ve found. The career that matches your skills, interests, and personality the closest may be the career for you, even if its not what you had originally thought.

5. Choose your career goal. Once you’ve decided what occupation matches up best with your likes and abilites, then you can begin developing a plan of attack to reach your career goal.

6. Select a school that offers a college degree or training program that best meets your career goal and financial needs. Picking a school based on popularity or because your boyfriend/girlfriend is the wrong way to decide.

7. Figure out how much it will cost you to get your education. Find out your options with financial aid and student loans. Start saving for college, even if you think its too late

8. Get an internship in your chosen career field as soon as possible. An internship can be cheap insurance that you like your career. If you like it, continue on your path, if you don’t than get out asap and re-think your major selection.

9. As you prepare to graduate, start thinking about employers you may have a chance at getting a job at. If you have followed step 8, you will have great references and maybe even a job!

10. Prepare your resume, a good resume is esential to the job application process. Practice job interviewing techniques. You can guarantee you will have at least 1 job interview.

 

Technorati Tags: Career Planning, College Financial Aid, FAFSA, Fafsa help, fafsa hints, fafsa tips