Personal & Professional Objectives.  

Only you can make career choices that work for you. You are the person best suited to choose work that fits your own unique skills, knowledge, personality and interests. There are no right or wrong decisions with careers, but there are decisions that are 'best' for a particular time. The best decision that can be made is an 'informed' decision. It requires time to explore all the possible options.

It takes time to think. If you want to find work that is satisfying, however, there are no shortcuts -and without this knowledge, you may be tempted to react to whatever luck brings your way, instead of taking charge of your career.

"Personal Advisory Board"

A good idea when choosing a career is to create a "personal advisory board" of people to help you with your career development. It is advisable that you identify key individuals you know who are aware of your goals and have an understanding of the changes you are making in your work life. For every issue (e.g., marketing your services, finding a job, addressing cash flow problems, fulfilling a contract), identify people you know who can help you.

Changing careers

If you are considering moving into a new career, take a look at the market to see if your career change is possible. Once you have decided to move into a new career, list the skills you enjoy to see how they can help you transition into new opportunities, select those that might lead you closer to your career goals, and think about how they could be used in a new situation.

If you are planning to change your career, we suggest to read the following article:

The 10 Worst Mistakes Career Changers Make, by Barbara Reinhold

Create a career plan

Once you have chosen a career, think strategically about the steps to accomplish your goal. Understanding and accomplishing your career goal will be a lot easier if you create a career plan.

By developing a career plan, you can focus on what you want to do and how to get there. And when you are ready to write your CV for your job search, you will have a better understanding of your skills and experiences to discuss with potential employers.

Remember - Career Advisors and Associate Directors are there to help you!