We live in a highly competitive era where all of our career choices and efforts decide the quality of our future lives. The competition is continuously increasing and has become brutal where there is no room for mistakes, which creates a lot of pressure on students. Some of them are still in a dilemma of what career they should pursue. We know dreaming has always been free, but reality makes it hard to achieve. As a result of these challenges, they carry too much burden as they take their first step towards their dream.
For some reason, I find career planning somehow related to traveling. Before leaving to travel, we always prepare our stuff to bring ahead of time. We do not want to leave important things behind. At the same time, we also make sure that every place we visit is worth it. Concerning career planning, we prepare ourselves first and check the paths that will serve as our road in achieving our dreams. But the difference is that career planning is not just a 3-day trip but a long journey to walk on.
"Where do I excel?" This might be a simple question, but to students, it means a lot. Nowadays, we expect students to be clear about their career choices and the path towards them, but the struggle of not knowing where they excel gives them a hard time. It could lead to giving up, which was not the best course of action. Why don't they give themselves enough time to do some self-discovery? This process may help them to visualize what they want to be in the future and the purpose of achieving their dream. If you are good at painting and you see yourself as a future painter, go for it. But, if you feel you do not want to because something is missing out, it is time to try something new. Things always come at the right time. All you need to do is to prepare yourself while waiting for that time to come.
Following the discovery of oneself, the next step is to determine one's resources for pursuing one's career choice. A better understanding of the academic tracks will help students to be encouraged and enlightened about the possible resources and paths they may consider and use in pursuing their dream careers. At this point, if they want to learn more about the career they want to pursue they can conduct research or ask people they know who are already in that field.
Finally, they can now chart their course. This stage will make them decide what possible careers aligned with their abilities they can pursue. They could list their career choices and start to achieve them as they choose the inclined academic strand on it. At this stage, they are now guided on the path they are taking in.
As I mentioned earlier, dreaming has always been free, but reality makes it hard to achieve. In most cases, some students already know what their dreams are but, it is difficult for them to fulfill. Probably, because of their parent’s decision or financial problems. We know some students who can’t be on their chosen career because of their parent’s decision not to, or maybe, because they cannot afford which leads them to choose another line, sometimes they call it practicality over passion. Fortunately, some lucky students are wealthy enough to achieve their dream careers.
Career planning is a series of decisions. Before reaching the peak of success, you must take a single step at a time. The process of career planning can be a long one, but once you arrive at your destination, it will all be worth it. Imagine how satisfying to wake up every morning knowing you are working at your dream job. Even though you achieved what you wanted, it doesn’t mean you should stop there. You should not also forget your purpose. As I am destined to be a teacher, I know I should guide and teach every student to become a better individual as they grow up. The path in attaining their dreams might be full of obstacles, but this should stop them from achieving their goals and ambitions. However, let this be their guide to bring out the best versions of themselves.