An individual career development plan is like a map that guides you to building your career and making a living for yourself.
A individual career development plan (sometimes known as a career action plan) helps you to decide what career to pursue and eventually how to become employed in that career opportunity.
This process can take a couple or many steps. Also as lives change daily, it can become an ongoing process where you revisit previous steps as you progress onward with your life.
Those beginning a new career will find a career development plan extremely useful, as will those who already have an established career. This is usually done after you assess your present skills and explores career options you are qualified to pursue.
So what is involved in setting up an individual career development plan?
Once you decide on an occupation it is advisable to sit down and plan how to go about it. Write down a list of realistic short term and long term goals. The worker will most likely add onto the list, as he or she gets closer to completing the other goals. Studies find that once a person writes a list of their intended goals the person tends to remain on track to completing them in a timely manner.
What sort of goals goes into an individual career development plan?
That is really up to you. Examples include continuing education, working toward degrees, meeting with company representatives, learning to write grants and resumes, working with a life coach, learning new ways to complete a project, and the list goes on.
The point is to add anything you think will help steer you towards the career of your dreams and keep you striving for more once you get there. The more a person plans their career development the better they will become at their chosen occupation - an expert.
An individual career development plan is for more than deciding how to go about starting an occupation. It shows you how much work is involved to get there and allow you to decide if you are ready to walk the new path.
Many schools, colleges and universities hold classes to teach how to construct an individual career development plan for enrolled students. Some include a day, or weekend class opened to the public for free, or low fees. Some booths at job fairs give out free information booklets on career development and how to plan.
Call about classes, or search online to learn how to create your own individual career development plan.
By Ray Baron
A individual career development plan (sometimes known as a career action plan) helps you to decide what career to pursue and eventually how to become employed in that career opportunity.
This process can take a couple or many steps. Also as lives change daily, it can become an ongoing process where you revisit previous steps as you progress onward with your life.
Those beginning a new career will find a career development plan extremely useful, as will those who already have an established career. This is usually done after you assess your present skills and explores career options you are qualified to pursue.
So what is involved in setting up an individual career development plan?
Once you decide on an occupation it is advisable to sit down and plan how to go about it. Write down a list of realistic short term and long term goals. The worker will most likely add onto the list, as he or she gets closer to completing the other goals. Studies find that once a person writes a list of their intended goals the person tends to remain on track to completing them in a timely manner.
What sort of goals goes into an individual career development plan?
That is really up to you. Examples include continuing education, working toward degrees, meeting with company representatives, learning to write grants and resumes, working with a life coach, learning new ways to complete a project, and the list goes on.
The point is to add anything you think will help steer you towards the career of your dreams and keep you striving for more once you get there. The more a person plans their career development the better they will become at their chosen occupation - an expert.
An individual career development plan is for more than deciding how to go about starting an occupation. It shows you how much work is involved to get there and allow you to decide if you are ready to walk the new path.
Many schools, colleges and universities hold classes to teach how to construct an individual career development plan for enrolled students. Some include a day, or weekend class opened to the public for free, or low fees. Some booths at job fairs give out free information booklets on career development and how to plan.
Call about classes, or search online to learn how to create your own individual career development plan.
By Ray Baron
