What is Career Planning & Why is it Important?

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• What Is Career Planning?
• Importance & Benefits Of Career Planning
• Best Careers For The Future And Skills Needed
• Step By Step Process Of Career Planning
• Conclusion
• Bonus Points

Introduction

As kids, we often were asked the question, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ Most of us didn’t really give it much thought and threw out enthusiastic answers like Astronaut, Doctor, and Athlete. But now that we actually do need to pick a career path, we often get stuck with all the choices ahead of us. This is where career planning comes in.

What is Career Planning?

Career planning is the process of choosing a career path that aligns with your interests and aspirations and creating a plan to achieve those goals. This usually involves picking which subject you want to study, which degree you want to get, and which entry-level jobs you will need to pursue to get to your goal.

Having a proper career roadmap can help you make the right choices for your future and ensure that you are learning all the skills necessary to become successful in your career.

Importance & Benefits of Career Planning

1. Helps Make Better Decisions:

Career planning ahead gives you time for career exploration and deciding which path is more suitable for you. Then you can make your future decisions accordingly. You can choose the degree you want to pursue and the jobs you want to apply for once you have a clear view ahead.

2. Gives you a Direction:

You are able to set long-term goals for your career with career planning. This helps you get a better sense of direction and purpose. This way you can stay focused on your goal and choose to gain skills that will help you in your future career.

3. Helps you Plan for Retirement:

Another reason why a career plan is important is because you eventually want to retire and be financially stable and independent. This goal becomes easier to achieve when you start your career at the right time and keep achieving your goals on time.

Best Careers for the Future and Skills Needed

Now that you know the benefits of career planning and development, let’s look at some career paths for the future and what skills you can gain to pursue these careers:

1. Data Scientist:

Nowadays, a lot of businesses hire Data Scientists to help them collect and analyze data for the company to help in the decision-making process.

Here is what your career path will look like: Data Analyst / Business Analyst → Data Engineer → Software Engineer → Data Scientist.

Skills Required:

• Data analysis
• Statistics
• Computer science
• Maths

You can learn the fundamentals with this free online Basics of Data Science course and get a free certificate from CIQ, UK.

2. Healthcare Manager:

If you want to pursue a career in the medical field without being on the front lines, you can become a Healthcare Manager. You will be tasked with administrative duties and will be responsible for the efficiency of the healthcare facility.

Here is what your career path will look like: Administrative Assistant → Healthcare Analyst → Healthcare Manager → Hospital Administrator.

Skills Required:

• Knowledge of Healthcare Operations
• Data Analytics
• Operations Management
• Leadership skills

To get started in the field of healthcare, you can explore this free course Diploma in Healthcare Management. 

3. Epidemiologist:

With the risks of unexpected health crises and epidemics, the demand for Epidemiologists is on the rise. You will be responsible for investigating diseases and conducting research to help mitigate the risks.

Here is what your career path will look like: Internship → Fellowship → Epidemiologist → Principle Investigator → Director of Public Health.

Skills Required:

• Maths
• Statistical analysis
• Public health knowledge
• Disease investigation
• Data analysis
• Research skills
• Leadership skills
• Critical thinking
• Communication skills
• Problem-solving

You can get started in this domain with this free course Diploma in Public Health Administration.

4. Software Developer:

If Computer Science and IT is your strong suit, then you can pursue a career in Software Development. You will be creating websites and mobile applications for anyone to use.

Here is what your career path will look like: Internship → Junior Software Engineer → Software Developer → Senior Software Developer → Tech Lead → Principal Engineer → Chief Technology Officer.

Skills Required:

• Maths
• Programming
• Computer Science
• Database Management
• Software testing
• Quality Assurance
• Communication skills
• Problem-solving

You will have a lot of growth scope in this field. If you are a fresher, you can start by learning the Basics of Python from UniAthena for free and get your free certificate from CIQ, UK.

Step by Step Process of Career Planning

• Step 1: Explore Career Options: Understand the various career options in front of you and become aware of all the possibilities.
• Step 2: Conduct Deeper Research: Select a few scopes that interest you and learn more about what opportunities those fields offer.
• Step 3: Assess your Goals: Determine your goals for the future and narrow down your options to fit those goals.
• Step 4: Build your Resume: Start gaining skills specific to your career goals through short courses as well as on-field experience.
• Step 5: Start Job Search: Start applying for jobs at an entry-level position and build your network while gaining experience.

Conclusion

Career planning can help you map out your career development plans and gain skills along the way. While it is an important step to start your career with, you can still create a career plan when changing careers. Explore UniAthena’s Free Short Courses to get started.

Bonus Points:

• Careers in Data Science and Engineering are some of the most in-demand careers for the future.
• If you want to futureproof your career against AI then pursue careers in Art, Software Development, Data Science, or AI and ML.