Career Planning & Professional Development

It’s extremely difficult to know where you want to be in the long term with your career, particularly when there are so many options.

The most important aspects to consider when trying to plan your career are:

• What aspects of your work do you enjoy?
• Are there any areas of interest that you’d like to focus on to a greater extent?
• Do you want to branch out into other roles or sectors?

Once you get an idea of where you might like to be in 10 years, it’s then essential to make a road map so you can plan on how to get there.

If you want to move into corporate areas, you may wish to consider further study in business or finance, e.g. MBA or a Certificate in Applied Finance. Or if you wish to continue on a technical path, it’s a good idea to continue specialising in your area of interest (e.g. postgraduate study by research), provided there’s a market for your skills!

When you switch jobs, it’s essential that you consider your next move in the context of your career road map. Is my next role going to give me greater responsibility? Will I get to learn new skills? Will I get the professional development I need? If you ask yourself these questions, the glamour of some roles can quickly slide away in the realisation that it won’t help you progress your career in the right direction.

So think about where you want to be and consider how you’re going to get there. Anything’s possible…