How To Prepare For Your Future Career

Pay Attention In Science And Math Class

STEM careers represent one of the fastest growing industries. Technology is booming, making it an oil field of wealth. While you don’t have to major in math or science to benefit from STEM revenue, learning the basics will help you understand this growing field and impress employers with your analytical side. Visit the science and math Dean’s office, and speak with a counselor. Explain to them you aren’t majoring in STEM but want to learn more about the field and gain analytical skills. They know the best classes to help you learn.

On the other hand, don’t pass up opportunities to learn the arts, including visual and performing arts. Performing arts teaches communication skills. Every professional benefits from communication, especially public speaking. These classes help build self-esteem, teach you how to overcome the fear of speaking and hopefully prepare you for various, spur of the moment scenarios. Taking arts classes helps build creativity, teaches structure and discipline, cultivates patience and encourages students to think outside the box.

Students Optimistic About The Future

Despite the uncertainty that emerges from a rapidly changing world, students remain optimistic about the future and the new-age industries, experts said.

Students today have learnt to look at challenges from a fresh perspective with better situational and social awareness.

Nargish Khambatta, principal of GEMS Modern Academy and vice-president for education at GEMS Education, said: Since you don’t know what tomorrow holds, to be prepared for the unknown is actually quite frightening for the children. But I think they feel well prepared only because they’re such agile thinkers’.

“I think they are building skill sets and educators are doing a fabulous job building skill sets that are not aligned to jobs.”

Earlier, learning has been geared towards jobs. Now, since the jobs of the future do not exist yet, students are learning a “completely different skill set”, Khambatta said.

“They’re being agile, they understand the importance of decision-making, being future-focused, can think on their feet. They are critical thinkers and problem solvers.

Keep A Clear And Open Career Path

Review your options for career progression and be proactive about responding to a lack of opportunities, even if it means changing your job, or your career.

You may be fortunate enough to work for an organization where there’s a clear and attractive career path ahead of you but, for many people, this will not be the case.

This may not be a problem if you’re in a fast-growth industry, where opportunities appear frequently. But, if you’re in a slow-growth or declining industry, there may be no onward career path and your development may be blocked, however hard you work. This can lead to frustration, boredom and failure to achieve your potential, and you may choose to try an alternative path.

You can find tips about keeping open a clear career path in our article, Managing Your Career .

Remember, it’s important to deliver on your existing job description, but don’t be limited by it. Our article, Job Crafting , explores how you can change aspects of your current role to suit you better, and to the benefit of your team or organization.

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Volunteering Interning Or Part

Getting hands-on experience in a field where you want to work in the future might be quite beneficial.

Volunteering, taking up an adult internship, or being open to freelance can help you gain job-relevant experience.

In addition, it can help you decide if this is an area in which you truly want to work. Furthermore, you can also form new connections in the sector.

This could lead to recommendations, career references, or perhaps a job.

If youre transitioning to a new career field, even if its not full-time employment, this experience can have a major impact and position you for success.

It’s Never Too Late To Start

Most of this student career advice requires a few years of planning to become effective. Don’t worry though, there is still time for students getting ready to walk the stage. The first step is optimizing your resume. While it is best to plan for your future and have the ammunition ready for your resume, most skills and experience are easily rewritten. Look for transferrable skills Highlight those attributes and similar accomplishments. Use strong action verbs, and draw attention to what you can achieve for the company. Treat your abilities as merchandise for sale. Make the employer want you.

Ready to find your dream job? Hire a TopResume writer today!

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Make And Follow A Learning Plan

When youve identified your learning needs and explored your options, create an action plan to ensure that you follow through on your intentions. State your goals, timelines and resources, and then set up a series of steps to start you on your way to a successful learning experience.

When you recognize the importance of learning in a rapidly changing workplace, youre in a good position to take action. Whatever, wherever, and however you learn, having goals and a plan will make you a happier lifelong learner. Learning for work will help you meet, and even benefit from, challenges in your workplace.

Develop Skills To Carry With You

Continue your professional development by learning the transferable skills that all employers seek. Skills such as leadership, communication, innovation, and stress management, for example, are core competencies in the jobs of today and tomorrow.

Developing a broad range of competencies, skills and abilities can help you to secure a new job or open the door to working in a new industry. That’s why you might see, for example, a nurse with business skills, and a web designer with financial experience.

Here are some ways to do this:

• Develop broad cross-functional skills . Beyond a certain stage in your career, and in uncertain environments, specialization can pay off, but you run a high risk of your skills and knowledge becoming outdated.

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How Career Planning Works

Each time you face a major decision, youll need to:

• Think about your values, needs, and preferences.
• Explore your learning, work, and life options.
• Ensure your decision reflects your personal priorities.
• Adjust your plans to manage the realities of the world.
• Break your plan down into manageable, ordered steps.

In the following examples, youll learn how high school students Demi and Joshua have planned for their current occupational choices. Youll also see how Dwayne has switched careers and is retraining for a new field of work.

Exploring Career Paths: Pediatrics

Demi is interested in pursuing a career as a pediatrician, a type of specialist physician. Through volunteering and job shadowing, she discovers how important it is to have an interest in science and enjoy working with children.

Exploring Career Paths: Engineering

Joshua would like to become a civil engineer. Watch as he explores his interests by attending a pre-engineering camp. He learns to build small-scale models and discovers the importance of communicating his ideas.

Changing Career Paths as a Mature Student

Dwayne attends a technical institute as a mature student. Learn how he’s approaching his shift to a second career and exploring the possibility of gaining work experience through a co-op program.

Its a good idea to read more about planning for your future if:

Take a look at this fast, 5-minute exercise for some fun, easy ways to figure out what you want and how to get it.

Learn All You Can About Your Future Career

Immersion in your prospective profession can help you become a more knowledgeable job search when the time comes.

Therefore, look for blogs, podcasts, YouTube videos, and books that are relevant. Additionally, learn about the hottest themes and issues in the industry.

Who are the decision-makers and game-changers? Further, follow them on social media and engage with them as needed.

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How To Use The Career Center Effectively

It is likely that while you are managing course assignments and moving along your educational journey, you have had little time to consider all of your career options after graduation. While you probably have career goals you want to accomplish, you may not know where to start. This is when the Career Center is helpful. The primary purpose of this college resource is to help you master the required skills necessary to succeed in your search for a new career after graduation. The Career Center is the perfect starting point for finding your career path and preparing for your future job search success.

Identify What You Want To Learn Over Time

Build skills and knowledge that support your future goals:

• Develop new skills that will be useful beyond your current position. For example, if youre interested in management and have an excellent supervisor, pay attention to your supervisors skill set and begin learning or improving those skills.
• Volunteer for projects that challenge you to learn new things or work with new people. Youll not only improve your employability and networking skills, but also gain valuable information about your organization.
• Talk with your mentor about learning goals that will help you advance your career. If you dont have a mentor, consider finding one.

These suggestions will help increase your value to your employer or help you get a promotion.

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The Career Planning Process

EACH OF US POSSESSES A TOTAL OF WELL OVER 500 INDIVIDUAL SKILLS.

STEP 1: Self-Assessment

What you will do for a living depends a lot on who you are. This may sound obvious, but many people neglect considering this important side of selecting a career. You can avoid joining the ranks of people who are dissatisfied with their work by making a conscious effort to assess yourself. There is no way you can be absolutely certain that a career will meet all of your needs, but there are things you can do very easily that will help you learn more about who you are. Once mastered, techniques of self-assessment can be repeated throughout your life.

What is self-assessment? Essentially, it is a way to enhance self-understanding. It is being able to describe your unique characteristics clearly and accurately regarding what you do well , what is important to you , and what you like to do .

Since there is no better source of information about you than yourself, the easiest method of increasing self-understanding is to review and analyze your past and present experiences with a career counselor. Increasing your knowledge of your skills, values and interests will help determine the type of work which fits you best.

IN EMPLOYMENT SETTINGS, VALUES PROVIDE THE EMOTIONAL SALARY OF WORK.

STEP 2: Career Exploration

AS YOU LOCATE RELEVANT CAREER MATERIALS, KEEP THOROUGH NOTES ON WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED AND WHERE YOU FOUND THE INFORMATION.

STEP 3: Targeting

STEP 4: Career Preparation

Join A Professional Networking Group

Joining professional networking groups, platforms and online communities can help you get insider knowledge about the field of your interest. Most often, some of the most renowned experts from an industry tend to share their knowledge, experience, best practices and tips to make your career future-proof.

You can also meet potential colleagues, discuss ideas, ask questions and seek feedback on your projects from industry leaders on such communities, thereby improving your chances of getting high-paid jobs in future.

Check which websites are useful for government jobs here.

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Study Hard But Dont Forget To Focus On Soft Skills

A short survey conducted among students at the Ban Ki-moon Institute for Sustainable Development at KazNU found that 74 percent of respondents believe that soft skills are very important for success in professional life after graduation, while 26 percent believe that hard knowledge is more essential.

These survey results reflect the realities of today and the need to find a balance between learning hard and soft skills. We should bear in mind, though, that this issue is complex. I believe that hard knowledge in a specific professional field is still highly valued in the world outside universities . Yet, you have to acquire soft skills as well. I usually suggest devoting at least 25 percent of your time to learning various soft skills.

Use The Right Tactics And Tools

To put your strategy into action and finish future-preparing your career, youve got to connect with others. However, dont go the traditional networking route. This, too, has gotten an upgrade for the exponential age. Instead of networking, which is fundamentally rooted in what we can get others to give usthe slimy, icky, business card hawking of yesteryearseek to build a community. Professional community building is about discovering the kind of value you can add or bring to others. Make outreach and connection a routine part of your work. If you are interested in learning about a burgeoning market sector, reach out and connect with someone whose work you admire in that space. Once youve connected, look for ways to lend that person a hand or provide value in some capacity.

Finally, in the face of all of this change, we are all receiving an invitation to become subject matter students. Even if we think we know everything about a thing, the world is changing so quickly that that is, in fact, impossible. The more we can employ curiosity to learn what is changing, how it is changing, and what it means, the better we and our careers will be prepared to thrive, no matter what happens in the marketplace.

Elatia Abate is a futurist, educator, and consultant.

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Hone Your Soft Skills

While sought-after technical expertise will continue to evolve, certain soft skills will remain a constant prerequisite for most jobs in the future.

Why? Because these are the human skills that cant be imitated by technology, such as the ability to connect with people and form professional relationships, a willingness to learn, and respect for the ideas of others.

Being aware of the core soft skills employers will require in the future, and developing these job-ready skills now, will help you stand out in the job market. In turn, these soft skills will help you keep your digital literacy and relevant technical skills up to date also essential in the future of work.

Icipate In Informational Interviews

If your next career move involves an industry or job change, consider participating in some informational interviews with professionals in those roles. You’ll get to learn what it’s like to perform the tasks of the job, build your professional network and determine if it’s the right career move for you.

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Strategies For Planning Your Next Career Step

The Indeed Editorial Team comprises a diverse and talented team of writers, researchers and subject matter experts equipped with Indeed’s data and insights to deliver useful tips to help guide your career journey.

Job seekers take positions for a variety of reasons, from financial security to the provided benefits. While some people diligently plan out their career progression to ensure they meet their long-term goals, others focus exclusively on the job they currently hold. Knowing how to plan your next career step can help you find a satisfying, long-term position. In this article, we explain why it’s important to plan your next career step, provide a list of ways to prepare for your next career step and offer tips for effective career development.

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Stay Inquisitive And Willing To Learn

To do this, you need to stay on top of current trends and changes relevant to your profession. Technology is advancing at a faster rate than our skills. The subsequent technical skills gaps have created demand for highly skilled professionals and this trend will intensify in the years ahead.

Keep on top of current trends and changes relevant to your profession by reading reports, journals and news articles, watching videos, listening to podcasts, attending networking functions and seminars, and participating in online discussions.

In short, keep your eyes open for new trends that will lead to skill or knowledge gaps.

Next, take action to upskill, be it via formal courses, self-teaching outside of the workplace or on-the-job learning. One way to future-proof yourself is to become a subject-matter expert in a skillset thats in emerging demand.

To a large extent, you will learn the most from doing the doing, so say yes to new opportunities that push you out of your comfort zone, and dont silo yourself. Be as adaptable and widely employable as possible.

I would also urge you to consider how forward-thinking your employer is. Are they innovative, pioneering and consistently bridging their skills gaps? Do they upskill their staff in line with technological advancements, helping you to ensure your skills stay relevant?

Having said this, for the most part, it is your responsibility to ensure your skills are up to date dont expect an employer to do this for you.

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Tips For Effective Career Development

Use these tips to ensure you’re effectively working towards a satisfying long-term career:

• Make wise choices. When you have the option, take your time when selecting a job. Look for something with growth potential that will fulfill you professionally.

• Listen to yourself. While some people may love a certain type of job or work environment, if you don’t, then look for something else. Know yourself and what brings you joy.

• Know what success means. Identify success for yourself. It may look different from how it does for your friends or colleagues.

• Ask others for help. Seek out help and guidance when you need it, whether you’re looking for a new position, deciding what steps to take next or identifying potential professional development opportunities.

• Look for the positive. In the course of your career, you’ll likely face some challenges. Despite this, maintain a positive attitude and find ways to use the challenges you’ve overcome to benefit your long-term career.

• Consider the thoughts of others. While you know yourself best, it’s often helpful to seek advice and guidance from trusted peers when considering career development.