What should I include in planning my career?

That's a broad question, but I will try to answer it by letting you know the things you should consider when planning a career. The first step to planning a career is to do self-assessment. What do you enjoy doing? Do you enjoy problem solving? Do you like analyzing things? Do you enjoy working on teams or do you prefer to work independently (or a combination of the two)? Most career centers have self assessment tools you can utilize, so I recommend you take advantage of that to determine what your interests are. There are probably many jobs that you are capable of doing, but it is important to find a job that you enjoy as well. There is a direct correlation between enjoying a job and doing well at it.

The next thing to consider is what motivates you. Is it money? Upward mobility? Variety of work? Figure out what is important to you in a job besides the actual job duties.

The next thing to consider is how much education and training the job your interested in require. Determine if you are willing and able to make that type of commitment (if you're really passionate about a career, you can make it happen!).

Once you have considered these things, it should help you narrow down different career that would be a good fit for you. The next step is doing a bit of research. You can Google your profession of interest or your school may have access to databases such as Vault and OnceSource. Once you read job descriptions for the careers that interest you, go back to your interests and see if it's a good match for you. You can also try to do some informational interviewing with people in the profession to see what kinds of projects and activities they do in their jobs.

Bottom line, you need to consider many factors when planning a career. Also know that very few careers are linear - you will have many twists and turns in your career and that's fine. Enjoy the journey!

Hi Stephanie! Find your passion and pursue it. Once you know your passion, get a mentor in that field that will guide your next steps. I have had mentors in high school, college, and all throughout my career life that helped me and connected me to their world so I could figure out what I love and how I could advance in my field of interest. By the way, I love your name.

I would say outline your goals. What is something you can do now? What is something that can be obtained in the next few years? What are your long term goals? Next I would foster healthy relationships in the career path you want to go.

Ditto Ms. Shark's advice.

Knowledge is the key to establishing a successful career goal. Knowing your passions (what you enjoy doing) and your proficiency (what you are good at) is a good start.

Next, keep an open mind and stay enthusiastic. As mentioned above, very few careers follow a linear path. Learn from your occupational experiences and adapt to opportunities that align with your skills/strengths and minimize your shortcomings/weaknesses.

Regarding "a time goal", address your career with a certain amount of urgency. Especially early in your career there is no such thing as failing. As it is said, "The quickest road to success is paved with many failures".

Don't be afraid. Careers are experiences that we all have and the best are those that are embraced for the fun that they can provide.

This is hard to answer because it is a broad question. Are you in school now? Have any idea what type of career you want? Remember to have a great vision of what you will become because you can go as high as you set the bar. Hard work makes for good opportunites.