Career Planning. It’s Starts Earlier Than You Think
Posted on July 30, 2009
Filed Under Uncategorized
I’m a planner by nature, it’s just the way I am. I like to have things mapped out, drives my wife nuts. But I find it helps me accomplish my goals. Career planning on the other hand is a little more elusive, but I’m working on it. Like most of you, it hasn’t always been something I spent enough time on. I know weird. But in reality career planning should be a constant and ongoing endeavor for all of us and for today’s young professionals this is crucially important. It’s a total cliche, but all too true that ‘people don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan’.
Most experts are saying that the twentysomethings or Gen Y will likely have 4-5 different careers in their lifetime. Career planning will be a constant in their lives, hopefully they started a long time ago.
This week my son Chad started high school, still not sure how that happened. With high school now under way so has his career planning. That’s because starting in high school, everything counts. The grades, the activities, the other programs, they all go on the college application; the first resume. For Chad, I began coaching him on his career four years ago. I know crazy, but bear with me. Chad struggled with reading in fifth grade, along with his teacher, we took steps to help him get back on track. The next year, Chad made huge strides academically making straight ‘A’s most of the year. I saw the light in his eyes as he excelled in school. He began to believe in himself, he knew he could do anything.
Over the last few years Chad has consistently done well and has continually challenged himself. For my part I’ve encouraged him to do his best, congratulated him when he was successful and helped him re-group when he wasn’t. We also began talking about the future. College, careers, etc. Chad, like many boys is money motivated and wants the best things in life. We’ve tried to teach him two things; one, there’s more to life than money and two, that keeping doors open will allow him options in the future both personally and professionally. He knows if he does well the next four years, that he will have almost unlimited options, he can go to any school he wants and that he’ll be able to achieve the type of success he desires.
To motivate him over the next four years, this wee I bought him a Harvard T-shirt, which I plan to mount on his wall. I purposely ordered it several sizes too big, but in four years it should be just right. Now it’s not that I expect him to go to Harvard, that decision will be his alone, but rather that I want him to see that shirt when he wakes up everyday and remember why he’s working so hard. And most importantly to be reminded that he can do anything. Eventually career planning will fall on his shoulders, my role as coach will diminish, hopefully I will have given him the tools he’ll need to be success in all aspects of life.
So what does all this have to do with career planning? Everything. Career planning should start early and it never really ends. In reality career planning is life planning. To neglect it means to wander through life and miss out on some of the best it has to offer. What we sometimes fail to see is that everything is intertwined; family, career, finances it all goes hand in hand. From career to family, to finances failing to plan is planning to fail.
Until next time…
No comments yet.