“What is career planning and how can it help me?”

Career planning is the ongoing process of thinking about and managing important decisions about your work and life. It helps you identify your interests, preferences, and strengths. It gives you the tools you need to consider priorities and evaluate options. And it helps you build a plan that gets you where you want to go.

Career planning involves 4 steps:

1. Learning about yourself and your needs, values, interests, abilities, passions, preferences, strengths, and skills
2. Exploring your options in learning, work, and life
3. Making decisions that reflect your goals and priorities, your resources, and the realities of your situation
4. Taking action in planned, manageable steps you can adjust to suit changing times

Career planning is an important skill that you’ll use throughout your life—as your goals, interests, and the world around you change. It can help you:

• Explore and navigate your path any time you want to take a big step or make a major life change
• Stay in control and help you get what you want out of work and life
• Turn your dreams into reality
• Set goals that keep you motivated, focused, and organized

What would you like to know?

An alis staff member will review your question and respond via email. If it’s something that can help others look for work, explore careers, or succeed on the job, a version of your question and answer may even be added to the site.