Developing your self-awareness will help you to assess your skills, discover your strengths, find out what motivates you and to help you to explore your options.
You may have some ideas about your career path but you could find these start to evolve or change.
It is good to research your options as there are lots of possible career choices.
Career planning is like a cycle and one that you enter and exit at various points during your working life.
What are you looking for in your future career?
You need to think about who are and what you want. It can help to visualise your ideal job or working environment and what makes this appealing.
Do you want to use the skills and knowledge gained during your studies or do something totally unrelated?
Ask yourself the following:
- Are you looking for a job with structured career progression or something more flexible?
- Do you want variety, with the option to move between functions, offices and perhaps countries?
- Is salary really important? Long hours and a social life often tied to the office?
- Are you prepared to work towards professional/vocational qualifications?
- Do you want to work in a city or would you consider jobs in quieter areas?
By understanding what you want to do in the future, and being willing to change your thoughts as you develop new skills and have new experiences, this will help you decide on the most appropriate route to your future career whether this be through university, apprenticeships or directly into employment.