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6 Steps to Successful Career Planning

© Deborah Lapoint

You're looking ahead, and what do you see? Will you go to college? To a vocational or technical program? What major will capture your interest? Will you carry on the family business? These decisions will shape your future, so they must be made carefully.

There is no magic formula for choosing the right career. But there is something you can do to maximize your success: know yourself and know the world of work. Use these 6 steps to get the information you need to make an informed career choice:

1) Assess Your Strengths:
Make a list of your strongest skills and abilities. Ask your friends and family members for input. Remember, there are many kinds of intelligence. Are you good with words? Are you skillful at building or fixing things? Is math or music a strength for you? Maybe you have an artistic gift, or you have a natural ability to help people.

2) Gather Career Data:
A very valuable resource is the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH), developed by the U.S.Department of Labor. The OOH describes over 250 jobs, along with their earnings, training and skill requirements, working conditions, schedules, advancement opportunities, and projected growth. It's in the reference section of the library, and can also be found online at http://www.bls.gov/ocohome.htm.

3) Tap Into Your Network:
We usually don't know much about the day-to-day realities of most occupations. Yet this is exactly the kind of information you'll need to find a good career fit. Ask relatives, neighbors, or anyone you know about the details of their jobs.

Consider scheduling an "informational interview" with a professional in your field of interest. Ask whether the job involves working mostly with other people or alone. What education or training is required? Is the work done independently or under close supervision? What kind of paperwork is involved? How much of the job is indoors versus outside? Is it repetitive, or does it involve varied duties? Is this a "desk job," or is more physical activity involved? Discuss wages, advancement opportunities, and the best and worst parts of the job.

4) Research Your Labor Market:
Sometimes students will earn a degree, only to discover their community is already saturated with qualified workers in their field. For example, if you're thinking of training as a medical assistant, call the school to find out where graduates are placed. Ask local hospitals, clinics and nursing facilities how many medical assistants they employ, their turnover rate, openings anticipated within the next year, and any expected growth or decline.