Career planning

If you are thinking about a new career or if you would like to progress in the career you are in, take a step towards achieving your goals by setting out a career plan.

As Benjamin Franklin once said “failing to plan is planning to fail” so if you’re seriously considering a change in your career, it’s worth spending some time planning what you want and setting out actions for how you can make it happen.

An action plan is a series of steps that can take you towards your goal. Action plans can help you to work towards your target and stay on track by breaking your ambitions down into manageable pieces.

Where do I start?

Think about what you can do already, what you'd like to do next and what else you might need to learn to enable you to take on a new role.

If you know you want a change but you’re not sure what it is, why not ask your family and friends for advice about the kind of career they think would suit you? Try also to talk to someone who is already in your chosen career field so you can hear what it is like first hand.

Once you know what you want to achieve, you can start building on your action plan. Consider what actions you’ll need to take to achieve your goals (e.g. extra training) and how long you expect it to take. Set realistic target dates for achieving your goal and have a back-up for how you might achieve them with an alternative method.

Taking action

To make a career change work you need to take your time and put the hard work in while you still have an income. Depending on your ambitions, you may need more training to bring your knowledge and qualifications up to speed. This may involve taking evening classes or signing up to an online course to gain experience in your spare time.

Change won’t happen overnight but if you’ve set a realistic action plan, you will achieve your goals.