Ask any of the young school or college students as to what are their career plans and many of them will fail to give a specific reply. That means they are not aware of what they want to achieve in life. This aimlessness is highly avoidable because having no career plan is like standing on a railway platform not knowing which train to board. If you have not decided about your career, you will be at the mercy of your circumstances that can push you to any direction whether it is to your liking or not. This is what often happens with those who have no career decision.
Setting a meaningful and attainable goal is very important. This helps in motivating you to act rather than sitting idle. Someone has rightly said,”Everyday you have an opportunity to become better than you were the day before”. We should not let any opportunity go by . Once you have a set career goal, you ought to direct your efforts to acquire knowledge, improve your abilities and learn the skills required for a successful career.
Having established your interest and aptitude and knowing your strengths and weaknesses, next you need to know the various career options available to you. You may go through career-oriented literature which is now available in plenty in the form of career directories. Today, there is virtually a career guide available for any field you want to join. SAP has brought out a large number of career directories. The fields covered include management, computer, electronics, distance education, medical, engineering, biotechnology, foreign languages, agriculture, civil services and so on. There are separate volumes available for career guidance of students completing school and college education, “Openings After School Education” and “Openings for Graduates” respectively. These career directories do give comprehensive career information about institutes, courses, eligibility, important dates, information regarding syllabus for various entrance exams etc. Alternatively, you may also consult one of the career counselors and plan your career judiciously. Most schools, whether government or private, have career counselors to guide students to plan their career well in time.
You have to be a troubleshooter to ascend fast on the ladder of success in your career. This involves capacity to take decisions confidently and quickly, sometime at the spur of the moment.
Good communication skills are certainly an addition to the personality. At the same time, being a patient listener pays its dividends.
In any strategic position, it is always essential that you possess leadership qualities. This is necessary to forge ahead. You have to act like a role model or a leader for those who work under you.
We inflict a lot of harm and suffering on ourselves by not having the guts to say ‘No’. This is equally relevant in respect of career, e.g., at the time of choosing your career you have to exercise the right option and to say ‘no’ to those suggesting, persuading or pressing for a wrong career path, even at the cost of annoying them.
It is essential to keep yourself physically and mentally fit by adopting good eating habits, regular exercise and reading informative, knowledgeable and entertaining literature.
In this jet-set age things are taking place at a very fast speed. It is, therefore, almost indispensable that you dispose of your work quickly. This will impress your superiors and will accelerate your career advancement of your work quickly. This will impress your superiors and will accelerate your career advancement.
Having self-esteem means holding yourself in a positive self regard. It is your evaluation of yourself. It determines as to how you are going to act in a given situation-positively or negatively. If you relaxed you might face the situation in a proper way. You have to be positive. It is necessary to master the are of positive thinking. Accept and appreciate yourself as you are. To raise your self-esteem you have to focus more on your strengths than your weaknesses. We have to treat others equally even if they are not equal to our status in the society. Let us not worry too much about impressing others. Maybe they are trying to impress you.
Only you are responsible for your career growth because it is your career and the question of your ambitions, emotions and aspirations. No one else knows about what are your dreams, your personal goals, your emotions as you yourself do. You only know what is challenging, satisfying and intellectually rewarding for you. Knowing yourself determines where you stand. This process also includes being aware of the opportunities, the means available, the hurdles and challenges involved. Summing up, any one of us can achieve any heights in his or her career provided.