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All career plans
are subject to change as life seldom runs along a predictable path. Career
plans must be flexible to account for changes in market needs, the economy,
globalization and overseas competition, company priorities, and required
job skills. All can affect what your current job consists of, and what it
might be in the future.
The best advice may be to embrace a positive, flexible, forward-looking
attitude. Be prepared for the next job, whatever and wherever that
may be. Downsizing, layoffs, and gaps between projects can transform into
positive growth, new opportunities, and expanding skills if flexibility is
part of your career plan. Other considerations for your career plan
may include:
- Personal interests and values
- Skills you have; skills you need
- Personal goals for the next 5, 10, 25
years
- Financial needs or goals
- Preference for large or small company
or work environment
- Geographic preferences
- Goals for growth (skills,
experiences, finances, personal)
Career management does not end once you secure a job; it is
a life-long effort. Once you are on the job, take control of your career.
Seek advice from managers, mentors, peers and
colleagues, but keep control of your own career. Only you can decide what
paths and choices are best for you. You need to discover what training and
education will increase your value and your satisfaction.
Please be sure to use the resources of the Career
Cornerstone Center in conjunction with the guidance of a counselor,
teacher, or other who can help provide you with advice on career
planning. While we strive to make sure our data is current, we
recommend that you check data, accreditation, tuition levels, and
employment opportunities in a specific field with other sources before
finalizing a career path.
 Understanding Fields
Part of planning a career is determining what field you might
like to work in. Click here to explore the
wide range of degree fields to choose from within science, technology,
engineering, mathematics, computing, and healthcare.
Understanding Academic Degrees
A wide range of careers are available in science, technology,
engineering, mathematics, computing, and healthcare for those with
different types of academic degrees. Find
out more about different academic degrees including associate's,
bachelors, and master's.
Job Hunting
Many factors should be considered during the search for a
position. Salary, location, size of company,
opportunity for advancement, scope of work, projects, educational support,
and others should be evaluated. In any market, networking is an excellent way to surface job
opportunities. Also, professional associations
can sometimes offer insight into market concentrations and available
positions. There are a variety of websites that can help in identifying
positions and narrowing a job search:
University/College Career Centers
Many colleges and universities have good
online career centers that can help you not only explore the resources of
the school, but also find out about school-based support for career
research and job hunting. Click here to
sample some online university career center sites.
Coops and Internships
Coops or internships provide a great opportunity to gain
real work experience in the field you are studying or considering. Find out more...
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