Importance of planning for vibrant career

Ranjan K Baruah *

All of us dream to be rich, successful and happy. The term career is very common when we are in school or in colleges. Though it is common, many of us are still not sure about our future or about our career. Absence of a strategic career planning makes us more frustrated as we may not get sustainable jobs or decent employment.

Though we dream and aim for government jobs, the fact is that all of us are not going to get jobs in the government sector which means we have to be prepared for alternate jobs like in the private sector or becoming self-employed like entrepreneurs. We need a good career plan which must be ‘SMART’ which means Specific, Measurable, Attainable , Realistic and Timely.

We should not forget that career planning is only for the students but it can be done in a team way taking ideas and help and assistance from teachers and guardians. Our guardians or parents should also know the importance of career planning.

Many parents and guardians think that getting more marks in the final exams or board exams means success which is not always correct. Qualification or good marks is only one attribute for a vibrant career as there are many other attributes for a vibrant career.

We should know that the recent estimates suggest that 600 million jobs would have to be created over the next 15 years to meet youth employment needs. The total global number of unemployed youths is estimated to reach 73 million in 2022, a slight improvement from 2021 (75 million) but still six million above the pre-pandemic level of 2019.

The youth population will grow by more than 78 million between 2021 and 2030. Low income countries will account for nearly half of that increase. Education and training systems need to respond to this challenge. An additional 8.4 million jobs for young people could be created by 2030 through the implementation of green and blue policy measures.

SMART planning and acquiring attributes are important and at the same time we must acquire skills to be successful in life. Without skills we can’t think of decent jobs or employment. Life skills, employability skills, etc are must if we want to be more successful than others in life. Successful means not absence of challenges but they overcome the challenges and become winners in life.

We are celebrating the year end with parties and fun but at the same time we should not forget about our career and the importance of career planning. The delay in planning means welcoming more challenges.

Let us all be informed and take proper guidance and mentorship and make career plans for self and encourage others to do the same . When we have good planning then there is always more chances to be successful than peers.

Hope the New Year will bring more scope and opportunities for all of us.

Happy reading and a Happy New Year.