What is career planning? Career planning is the first step for success with your career. Unfortunately, many professionals are not in control of their careers. They simply watch their careers unfold, not knowing how they will attain their career goals or what they want to achieve.

 

Wh

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” To answer the question, you need to plan your career. Take a look ahead and create your future. It isn't always easy or straightforward, but it’s better than just sitting back and taking whatever comes your way. You may get ahead without a plan, but it is doubtful that you will reach your full potential.

 

Fortunately, career planning is never too late. IT Managers, Professionals, trainees, newcomers or Chief Information Officers (CIO) all need to take a look into the future.

 

An “I-don’t-care” or “anything goes” approach won't allow you to reach your potential. You and other professionals have a choice; you can decide to take control of your career through planning and by taking wise decisions based on these plans. Don’t let your career happen! Make your career happen! Clearly you need to be self-motivated with a relatively clear sense of who and what you want to be.

 

In Information Technology arena, too many people focus on certification, training, other career tools and career benefits without any consideration for career growth. It’s time to stop chasing form at the expense of substance. Training, certification and work experience are best considered within the context of your unique, individual career development plan. How can you prepare for a certification when you don’t even have a clue on your area of interest? The issue of certification comes only after you have a realistic career development plan in place.

 

Assessment
A career development plan requires what I term as career self assessment and career situation assessment. What do I mean by career self-assessment?

 

Self-assessment

Career self-assessment requires to you ask and answer questions that relate to your career and life expectations. You must know who you are. Period! How can you know what you want if you don’t know who you are? What makes you tick? Know yourself – what is your passion? You must ask yourself the questions: What sort of working life do you want? What type of work or activity makes you happy? What are your career goals? What are your ambitions, personal or lifestyle preferences?

 

In terms of career satisfaction what is important to you? It is essentially about the direction you want your life to go. What matters? What is your purpose? Your love of IT is not enough. You should have a big picture. What is your purpose? What is your vision? Where are you going? Not where is everybody going? George Bernard Shaw had this say “Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were and ask why not.”  What is your WHY?

 

Generally, the areas you should consider are: Nature of work, Work interests, Recognition, Security, Income (Salary and benefits), Personal / Family life, Opportunities for growth and Responsibility. What gives you career satisfaction in each of these areas? Which areas are of top priority, which are unimportant, which are you indifferent to? Through this you can identify IT jobs and computing environments that interest you. And getting answers isn’t like instant coffee. 

 

Getting answers may not be immediate. Answers may also not be obvious. Use reliable resources available to help you learn more about your areas of interest. You may have to dig deep and be resourceful. Ask questions, talk to people in the field, network and attend professional and career forums.

 

It helps to state your goals in black and white. You may need to write down your professional short- and long-term goals. Be descriptive and edit them over and over until you are sure these goals are what you desire.

 

A valuable career self-assessment is one that is honest. Lying to yourself will not help. Also you need to drop the get-rich-quick mentality. Approach your IT Career like a marathon, not a short sprint. Be Wise. If immediate results are what you are after, then the IT field might not be for you. 

 

Be realistic in your expectations. Fulfillment is a function of expectations. Don’t copy others. Don’t run with the goals of other people. Too many people set goals and take jobs not because they really want them but because they believe that’s what others expect of them. They want to be part of the in-crowd. Whose plan is it, anyway? Career planning is very much about choosing the direction that you want to take in your life. You must own your plan, you must own your goals. Understand, and be happy, with what you want to do.

 

 

Situation assessment

Next you need to do what I would call a career situation assessment. What is your current career situation? You know where you want to get to, but how near or far are you? What stage are you at in your career? What is your current situation with respect to your work or profession? Are you in a job that will take you to your ideal situation?

 

If you are out of work, what is your background? Are you self-employed? Or are you a student? Again you must use the criteria you used for your career self-assessment to assess your current career status.

 

Are you currently meeting your expectations in terms of Nature of work, Security, Income (Salary and benefits), Personal / Family life, Opportunities for growth, Responsibility, etc? This involves assessing your current skills and experience to identify what you must learn, or experience you need to acquire to excel. What practical knowledge do you have? What are your academic qualifications? Do you have a sound technical background? How relevant are your present skills and experience to your goals? Where are you in relation to where you want to go?

Which areas require improvement? Since you know your career goals it should be easy for you to identify your career gaps.

 

 

Closing the Career Gap

The next step is therefore what you must do to address these career gaps or shortcomings.
So how do you actually reach your career goal? You need to be focused. It must be pointed out at this juncture that despite all the hype, certification or training is not the solution to all your career limitations. Some career shortcomings will not be solved through certification. There are no silver bullets. And don’t be distracted by the multitude bells and whistles that dominate the IT industry.

 

Deciding on a particular profession or job is only half the task. "A dream without a plan is a nightmare". Focus. Planning helps you with (WHY and HOW) focusing and organizing yourself. Get your priorities right. Sometimes we do things right but focus helps you to do the right thing.  What you need to do is to develop a step-by-step plan. As stated earlier, the essence of a career plan is in knowing what you want and determining how to get it.

 

To close the gap, I advise that you consider these career-planning issues:

 

1.       Choose the steps (i.e., decisions and actions) that you will take to achieve your career goals. What are the common steps that other people have taken to prepare for and to enter the particular area of IT you have chosen? Which route will you take in your journey? Your career should be a series of calculated steps that lead to an end result. There may be more than one path to reach your goal, but which is the right path for you? These actions and decisions may include training, certification, formal education, work experience or internship. Some cases require developing soft skills. Others need a change of attitude, job, location or work environment. Consider these steps carefully and choose the ones that you believe will work for you. Understand why you are doing what you are doing. But don't shy away from being creative. You may also choose steps that are entirely unique to you as long as you are sure they will get you to your destination. The decision on what these steps are and where they will ultimately lead to is uniquely yours. You must own the process; set a course and stick with it.

 

2.       Most of the time when we look at IT careers we focus only on opportunities and demand – the attractions. To succeed you have to consider the challenges and obstacles you might encounter as you attempt to reach your career goal. The road might be thorny and rocky. Nobody said it would be easy. Don’t avoid challenges. Some roadblocks could actually be opportunities in disguise. Attitude is key when challenges come. A strong WHY will carry you through such situations. But which other resources can you muster to overcome each obstacle?

 

3.       Time to achieve your goals is a serious issue you must consider. You need to have a means of measuring your progress. Since the career planning is done using a step-by-step approach, how long should it take you to complete each step you have identified? When exactly do you expect to arrive at your destination?

4.       It is not enough to identify the steps you are going to take, you must also decide on the step-by-step process you will take to achieve your ultimate career goal. In which order will you pursue your career plan? Set your priorities. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe advises, "Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least." But please be proactive and stop waiting for ideal or perfect conditions. Opportunities and resources available to you often determine the order you follow. For example, if certification is in your plan, but you presently lack the financial resources required for effective certification preparation, it will be unwise to allow the certification need stand in the way of your progress. Do other things that will still assist in moving you forward. Keep doing things that contribute positively to your growth. See beyond the surface. Be creative and display initiative. Invest in other useful areas and be creative. But make sure you focus on things that matter.

5.   Implement your Career Advancement preferences. It is not enough to plan you must follow through. Setting career goals is important. But planning is a lame excuse for unfruitful career indecision. Be Wise. Your IT Career isn't just about planning. It's about doing, not promising to do. You must follow through. Implement your career plan based on the (1)-(4). Develop a big picture mentality. It is important that you strike the right balance - understand what you need to do now, immediately and also how it fits into your long-term strategy.

Resourcefulness 

What these 5 points emphasize is that it is absolutely critical that you realize career planning involves doing an in-depth industry / career analysis with your career needs in mind. Resourcefulness is key. It is not only about decision-making but also about gathering career information in a wise and purposeful manner. You simply must do your homework - do your research.

In considering these points, it helps to talk to human resources personnel, career planners, academic/career counselors and employment agencies that hire people in your area of IT. Talk to people who have or are currently working in the IT career you're considering – professionals and entrepreneurs. Find out as much as you can about the profession and the types of skills they had to develop. Find out about the challenges and how to overcome them.

 

You can also discuss your career goals with your manager, counselors, teachers, or instructors. For example, if training is a requirement, find out about the training required to reach your goals from training schools and instructors. Participate in professional and career forums like the popular IT career seminar (http://www.jidaw.com/netseminar.html).

 

Visit websites and online career guides for the IT industry such as Jidaw.com to learn more about the career you've chosen for industry outlooks, current articles, and news.

You should also review employment adverts in newspapers, job centers, IT job openings (formal and informal) to learn more about available positions in your area of interest and the skills required to get them.

 

 

Constant Evaluation/Assessment

Career planning should be dynamic, and not static. What did you like and dislike, after implementing? Were some of your assumptions wrong? You need to be sensitive to changes in your career path by being flexible and open to new avenues.

 

IT as a fast growing and fast changing field presents a challenge for all of us who want to work and succeed in IT. Your career option matters, it works, but will it last? The key is constant renewal.

 

Lifelong Learning is not an option but a necessity. Going to sleep is a luxury you can’t afford. Monitor trends and keep yourself up to date. Opportunities can always arise from new developments, new knowledge and insights. Keep yourself informed on a continuous basis. The continual study of new technologies is necessary to keep computer skills current. It is your responsibility to keep on investing in yourself. Always look for ways to grow in your career and skills, through continuous skill development, by attending work or career -related training / seminars, reading relevant text, taking online courses or pursuing further education. 

 

In IT, the importance of managing your career and keeping informed about developments that touch on your career preferences is imperative. In this respect while your career planning must be focused, it must not “lock-you-in”, by being inflexible to changes in the environment and your desires.

 

 

It’s your life

I hope you find the ideas in this article useful. However, at the end of the day, it’s all about attitude. Are you learning or working with a purpose? What is your big picture? Let the main issue be the main issue. Know who you are, know what you’re doing, know where you’re going. Don’t run with some else’s goals - your purpose is yours and yours to own.

What is your focus? Nothing is cast in stone, so keep your options open. Career planning is all about taking your destiny in your own hands. Get out of your comfort zone. You cannot succeed with career planning if you approach life in an unplanned, careless manner. Are you coasting along just hoping for the best? “The person who waits for roast chicken to fall into his mouth will wait very long.” 

 

Wake up! Start channeling your high energy into making your career happen. Don’t be fooled by the masquerade called lethargy, it looks harmless, but lethargy is the beast you must tame.

 

Approach your career planning with sincerity and wisdom. Career planning is neither difficult nor time-consuming if done properly. You simply need to be focused.

 

In the words of William Ernest Henley, “It matters not how straight the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.”

 

All the best in your IT Career,

By:

 

Jide Awe 

Jide Awe is the Founder of Jidaw.com

Jidaw.com’s mission is to help you build and sharpen your career focus. Time permitting, we would be glad to answer your career questions, but before sending email, please check the IT Career Resource Center first to see if perhaps your question or problem already appears there or can be solved using the resource center 

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