Career plan: Why you need one and what to include

A career plan is not something to set and forget. Now is the time to make sure your goals are on track.

With a new financial year approaching, it’s time for everyone to look at their career plans.

Start considering your performance and position yourself for a potential promotion or a new job.

Look at your life budget and whether your wage or salary is working.

Think about what courses you should study this year to be where you want to be next year.

Career plans aren’t just for executives, they are for everyone.

If you are working at a cafe and making coffee while at university, should you make coffee at a company that specialises in an area you are studying?

If you want to work in a different industry, what steps should you be taking to make a career change? What money do you need to put aside?

Remember that if you hate your job, it is just a means to an end but you need a strategy to get out.

You need a plan and you need to start now.

Plant the seed and fertilise it now for the future.

Time will pass either way, so do something to prepare.

Business and careers expert Amanda Rose says career plans are not just for executives. Picture: Monique Harmer

I look at my career plan twice a year – mid year and at the end of the year.

I look at what is working, what is not working and at the gaps I feel I have in my skill set that need to be filled for my future.

I have a 10-year plan, a five-year plan and my immediate 12-month plan.

I think to myself “10 years from now, what qualifications do I need to be able to do what I want to do and have the opportunities that I want to have?” because education and experience open doors.

Always be looking at your next move and next goal.

You can still enjoy what you are doing but it’s like driving – you have to be looking ahead to your next turn off.

Comparing where I am now to where I planned I would be at this point 10 years ago, things have turned out better than expected.

Some things have worked out how I wanted them to, others have not, and there are also things I didn’t expect that I am doing well.

People get scared of making a plan in case they don’t achieve it but things change.

If something isn’t working, drop it and drop it quickly.

There is no shame in that.

If it’s not working move on.

Once you have a career plan, don’t publicise it – only tell people about things once you have done them.

The reality is it’s a lot easier to talk about something and a lot harder to do it.

Amanda Rose is a business consultant, workplace trainer, LinkedIn influencer and founder of six organisations – and now she is tackling your career questions for SMART Daily every week.

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