Hello everyone, welcome to my career guidance class. Today, we will discuss a crucial topic—career planning.
What is career planning? Why is it so important?
Career planning is a continuous and systematic process of planning for our career and even our entire life. A good career plan will profoundly impact our life's trajectory.
Imagine life as a journey. Before setting off, we would carefully create a travel plan to ensure we don't miss the sights we long to see, nor stray onto the wrong path to places we dislike. A detailed plan also helps us avoid unknown risks, making the entire journey smoother and more enjoyable. Career planning is the same; it safeguards our life's journey, and its importance is self-evident.
In many developed countries, children begin to learn about career planning from a young age, thinking about their future direction and making plans and efforts for it. However, in our country, many people have never seriously considered what they want to do in the future before the college entrance examination, or even throughout their university years. Schools, parents, and society as a whole seem to have overlooked the importance of career planning. It is widely believed that the sole goal before the college entrance exam is to get into a university. After entering university, students rarely have a plan, and many universities lack corresponding courses to guide them.
Therefore, when graduation season arrives, most students can only "find a job first, then choose a career," or temporarily escape the pressure of employment by pursuing postgraduate studies. Many people are willing to spend months or even a year planning a trip, but are unwilling to spend a moment planning the career that affects their lifelong happiness. Isn't this a tragedy?
A life without a plan is confusing, muddled, helpless, and anxious. Do you feel anxious as graduation approaches? Are you tired of your current job? Do you often feel lost, as if you like everything but are not interested in anything? Do you feel you are worthless? The root of these negative emotions is that you don't know yourself well enough and don't have a clear plan. Your life is shrouded in fog, unable to see the road ahead or your true self.
Pavel Korchagin once said: "Man's dearest possession is life. It is given to him but once, and he must live it so as to feel no torturing regrets for years without purpose, never know the shame of a cowardly and trivial past." We cannot grope our way forward on a path without direction, only to struggle on a road that is not right for us. Nietzsche also said: "If life has no meaning, then give it a meaning." We must use our own hands to create a meaningful life.
So, don't let your life be dim. Use career planning to point you in the right direction and make your life's journey more brilliant and colorful.
What can career planning bring us?
Perhaps you'll ask: "Can career planning really help me clear the clouds and walk out of confusion?" The answer is yes.
First, it helps you understand yourself more deeply.
Currently, many people don't truly know themselves; they might define themselves through popular means like horoscopes or numerology. But everyone is unique, and we should refuse to be labeled and live out our true selves. In the process of career planning, you will gain a clearer understanding of your personality, interests, and values, thus getting to know the real you.
Second, it stimulates your potential and enhances your strengths.
Once we truly know ourselves, the path ahead will gradually become clear and open up. By analyzing your strengths and weaknesses and assessing your current abilities, you will identify your shortcomings and create an improvement plan to fill the gaps, thereby enhancing your professional competitiveness. At the same time, clear career goals and ideals will inspire you to discover new, more promising career opportunities and strive for them.
Third, it makes your future more controllable.
"Success depends on preparation; without it, failure is certain." Entrusting your future to luck is by no means a wise choice. Career planning is like preparing for a rainy day, allowing you to face the uncertainties of the future with composure, always prepared. You are your own most solid foundation.
Fourth, it allows you to be more composed and calm in competition.
"Natural selection, survival of the fittest." This is vividly reflected in the workplace. Although we are in an era of unprecedented change, under the pandemic, businesses are struggling, and the employment situation is severe. Many graduates send out resumes everywhere, wasting a lot of time, energy, and money in the process, and finally lament that "graduation is unemployment."
Admittedly, the current overall environment is challenging, but have you ever thought about why others can find good jobs while you can't? "Mass-sending" resumes may bring some responses, but the offers that come are often for positions you don't desire, like customer service or sales. Career planning, however, gives you clear self-awareness and definite goals, allowing you to targetedly seek positions that match your abilities. Isn't this job-seeking method more economical and scientific?
How to do career planning?
Since career planning is so important, how should we start?
Step 1: Know yourself.
You can explore yourself by asking the following questions:
- Who am I?
- What are my personality, interests, and strengths?
- What are my emotional intelligence and values?
Based on these answers, confirm a suitable career direction for yourself. For example, if you are good at dealing with people, you can consider positions such as salesperson or employee relations specialist; if you are sensitive to numbers, then analyst or accountant might be more suitable for you.
If you find self-exploration difficult, you can also use auxiliary tools such as the MBTI personality test. Generally, extroverted people are more suited for sales, management, and training positions, while introverted people may excel in technical, skilled, and research fields. Of course, you can also get to know yourself more deeply through the professional career assessment we provide.
Only by knowing yourself can you know what you want, what you want to do, and what you can do, and thus formulate a career plan that is truly suitable for you.
Step 2: Understand the professional environment.
When making a career choice, in addition to considering "whether you want it" and "whether it is suitable," we must also pay attention to the professional environment. Does your chosen career direction have prospects? What types of talent does the industry need? Can the market size provide enough room for development?
When making decisions, you can pre-plan your desired industry, company, and even position, positioning yourself in a place where you can both leverage your strengths and receive considerable returns. After all, if a career cannot bring enough income, even the greatest passion may be gradually worn away by reality.
Step 3: Set reasonable goals.
You can set a long-term ultimate goal for yourself and break it down into several executable small goals. For example:
- Phase 1: Improve necessary professional skills.
- Phase 2: Target companies and positions that match your abilities.
- Phase 3: Plan the growth path from a newcomer to an industry expert.
Breaking down the overall goal allows you to know clearly what to do and what not to do at each stage, thus moving towards the final goal with more confidence.
Step 4: Continuously update your plan.
The economy and industries are developing rapidly, and your career plan is not set in stone. Remember that goals may change over time, and you also need to make timely adjustments to your plan based on actual situations and unforeseen factors.
Conclusion
"Without a firm will, nothing in the world can be accomplished." Friends, stop walking the path of life in confusion. You really need a career plan!
Alright, that's all for today on the importance of career planning. In the following lessons, we will delve deeper into how to apply for state-owned enterprises and various other career path choices. Please stay tuned for the next session!
Thank you all, goodbye!