Let me be perfectly honest with you, I've had a bit of a palaver this academic year in terms of career planning and thinking about where I want to focus my efforts as I head towards my second year of university. Slowly but surely, however, I think we're getting here. I'm aware of how stressful it may be to start thinking about career planning and your post-university endeavours, which is why I wanted to share some of the tips that have helped me out immensely. Of course, I am no expert on the matter —but sometimes it's nice to have a chat with someone that's closer to a friend than a careers adviser! On that note, I hope you enjoy this post and, as per usual, feel free to leave any thoughts in the comments section below.
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Get to know what the job economy of today is really like and go into it with the right mindset
Fifty or so years ago, a career was for life. Nowadays, however, that's simply not the case. The truth of the matter is that our world is changing at such speed that it is predicted that 85% of jobs that will exist in 2030 still have not been invented yet (Credit: Leo SaLemi). Indeed, this means that, as our careers progress, many of us will either want or need to re-train. This might prove a little frightening at first but let's take a look at the positive side of things: there's less pressure now to have it all figured out from a young age. For me, understanding this significantly changed my perspective when it came to starting career planning.
Similarly, we've all heard of the doctors and the teachers, but you can be sure that there are hundreds of jobs out there that you didn't even know existed in the first place. This is why it is also important to keep an open mind, consider fields you may not have previously considered and complete your research thoroughly.
Similarly, we've all heard of the doctors and the teachers, but you can be sure that there are hundreds of jobs out there that you didn't even know existed in the first place. This is why it is also important to keep an open mind, consider fields you may not have previously considered and complete your research thoroughly.
Make a table and work out what's truly important to you in a career
Earlier this year, I attended a talk at my university led by the author of the bestselling book "How To Go To Work", Steven Haines (I really do recommend it, if you haven't read it already). In this talk, Steven gave a fantastic piece of advice which was, among all these steps, arguably the most helpful overall. What was this advice? You may ask. Draw up a table and rank the career options you're considering out of 10 based on factors including, but not limited to: salary, sense of social impact, and how well it plays to your strengths. I don't know about you, but I find that visualising concepts can give me a lot of clarity — and that's exactly what this activity does.
Consider your strengths/weaknesses and how they align with your priorities
I briefly touched upon this point above, but there's no harm in a little bit of reiteration — particularly when considering your strengths and weaknesses is so crucial moving forward in terms of your career. At the end of the day, if you're not a people person, what are the odds that you will enjoy, or even be any good at, a position that relies on human interaction? This is the point where you have to grab your pen and paper and be brutally honest with yourself.
In fact, while speaking to others may be helpful, the most important thing is to have a conversation with yourself. It's true that your parents, friends and peers probably have your best interests at heart, but they do not know you the way you do, and our opinions are often skewed by what we 'think' we should be doing based on the rhetoric delivered to us.
In fact, while speaking to others may be helpful, the most important thing is to have a conversation with yourself. It's true that your parents, friends and peers probably have your best interests at heart, but they do not know you the way you do, and our opinions are often skewed by what we 'think' we should be doing based on the rhetoric delivered to us.
Network, gain experience and get to know the industry from the inside
There is no getting around it: the best way to get to know if a career is really for you is to get practical experience. By way of example, during my GCSE and Sixth-Form years, I was highly considering a career in diplomacy. However, having had the opportunity to complete work experience in the field —as fantastic of an opportunity as it may have been — led me to realise that it simply was not for me. And you know what? That's okay, for it's better to find out sooner rather than later. A couple of top tips for work experience:
1. Stay immersed in your field. Social media is a truly beautiful thing, and cultivating the right 'Following' list can lead you to find out about a plethora of opportunities — be it virtual or in-person.
2. Be intentional and strategic in your approach. It's better to apply for fewer positions with a tailored, competitive application than to send off the same document in batches that will not saying anything to the recruiter.
3. Reach out directly. Granted, this may be a little bit daunting, but the worst they're going to say is 'no'. Moreover, being the one to reach out first in itself says a lot about you. For instance, you're clearly able to take initiative and are enthusiastic.
The above being said, there are certain industries in which gaining work experience is not an option. Never fear, however, for I have several alternatives for you:
1. Network. You may not be able to experience the industry first-hand, but you can get to know what it's like from those currently working there. This doesn't have to be scary either, it can be as simple as messaging somebody an email on LinkedIn or your university's alumni network.
2. Attend panel events held by your university. At the beginning of the year, I was very unsure about the career path that I wanted to take, and found that attending panel events gave me a surprisingly detailed insight into what certain positions looked like.
3. Again, utilise social media to its fullest. There are plenty of people documenting their lives working in certain professions on, say, YouTube. This may, again, help to give you a feel for what a particular role looks like.
1. Stay immersed in your field. Social media is a truly beautiful thing, and cultivating the right 'Following' list can lead you to find out about a plethora of opportunities — be it virtual or in-person.
2. Be intentional and strategic in your approach. It's better to apply for fewer positions with a tailored, competitive application than to send off the same document in batches that will not saying anything to the recruiter.
3. Reach out directly. Granted, this may be a little bit daunting, but the worst they're going to say is 'no'. Moreover, being the one to reach out first in itself says a lot about you. For instance, you're clearly able to take initiative and are enthusiastic.
The above being said, there are certain industries in which gaining work experience is not an option. Never fear, however, for I have several alternatives for you:
1. Network. You may not be able to experience the industry first-hand, but you can get to know what it's like from those currently working there. This doesn't have to be scary either, it can be as simple as messaging somebody an email on LinkedIn or your university's alumni network.
2. Attend panel events held by your university. At the beginning of the year, I was very unsure about the career path that I wanted to take, and found that attending panel events gave me a surprisingly detailed insight into what certain positions looked like.
3. Again, utilise social media to its fullest. There are plenty of people documenting their lives working in certain professions on, say, YouTube. This may, again, help to give you a feel for what a particular role looks like.
Above all, the important thing is to take action. It's perfectly okay to not know what it is you want to do, as long as you are putting in the work to find out. Equally, there's nothing wrong with changing your mind along the way. I hope you have found this post useful, and I hope to see you again on Every Little Thing Blog soon.