Importance of Career Planning
It is important to come up with your career planning as it gives you the much-needed direction and makes it clear there where you see yourself in the future. It makes you aware of your strength and weaknesses and the skills and knowledge that are required to achieve your goals in the future.
A large proportion of our life is spent in achieving our career goals, thus it is very important to make sure that the right steps were taken and correct planning was done in the early years of your life. There are very few lucky ones who are born with a clear mind and who know what they want to do and where they see themselves in life ahead. But the majority of us are not sure what we want from life and so it is very important to plan out things. Thus career planning is what gives your career and in some way your life, true meaning, and purpose.
What is a Career?
Literally speaking, the definition of ‘career’ is in the dictionary as follows: “An occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person’s life and with opportunities for progress.” As it is seen, it is a profession that occupies an important part in an individual’s life and it offers many advancements and opportunities for the person. In the literature, traditionally speaking, this term used to refer to a ‘paid employment’ process in a single profession. However, this concept has changed and it is now seen as a ‘continuous process’ requiring learning and advancement.
So, the meaning of the term has moved from a static means of paid employment into a dynamic one which shows the inclination of progress and promotion in the administrative hierarchy. In this sense, a career is the combination of the activities of an individual during employment, advancements, training, responsibilities, promotions, etc. Career is more or less related to any worker, but specifically speaking, it is expected to see a momentum which is upwards.
What is Career Development?
Career development reflects a process rather than the current status of an employee. The employees try to increase their occupational qualities throughout their careers. Thanks to career development, both the employee and the employer find the opportunity to see the power of potential and labor. The individuals are not limited to the very beginning condition of themselves; they find alternatives to reach up to new positions, status, and even locations. In this sense, it is a paramount fact in persons’ lives and for the organizations.
Peel mentions that career development is not a process for the individuals limited to their employment, it also organizes personal lives of them as well by affecting individual’s motivation, effectiveness, and goals. It reflects a continuous change, because as a person reaches up to a new level, then the expectations, interests, and yields will change, too. In other words, career development is a flow process of managing one person’s life, education, and occupation. It includes improvement of individual skills, capacity, and information that will affect the decisions, training, and career preferences of the individuals. Likewise, utters that career development is a combination of processes that rebuild an individual throughout his/her professional journey.
Importance of career planning and development
Career development and career planning are very significant in the current age of technology because technology brings out changes, innovations, and newness. These alterations and changes will require teaching, training, and learning processes. As educators rebuild societies and communities, then their importance in this era has increased than ever.
However, the current century and global changes have given birth to an atmosphere in which nearly everything is in competition with each other. This case is also valid for educators. On one side, everything is changing very fast; on the other side, they are supposed to adapt themselves to these rapid changes. Such an adaptation requires some certain commitment, motivation, and planning.
Within this context, career planning is very important at the very beginning of the educational journey, but this is not a sole adventure of the teacher; it is also of learners and institutions, as well. The institutions and teachers are supposed to take required initiatives, set things in accordance with the requirements and expectations of the current age.
In this sense, being just a good teacher will not be enough. Teachers should be open-minded people, especially concerning innovations and internal or external (self) evaluations. The institutions; are supposed to set necessary settings with short and long-term goals in terms of the career development of their educators. In this way, the process of education turns into a win-win situation for teachers, learners, and schools.