Why Should You Create a Long Term Career Plan: How to Decide Upon Your New, Long Term Career Plan

Why you should create a long-term career plan has to do with what you will be doing in the future. In other words, what do you want to do with your time and talents, for the rest of your life?  

Creating a long-term career plan entails setting positive, constructive and pro-active goals. Defining your personal goals can appear problematic, particularly if you are uncertain about the kind of a long-term career you would like to pursue. You may already have set some short-term goals that you can expand upon.

The article, “Choosing the right career path for long-term job stability” concerns the predictability of job growth and suggests looking at “careers that are predicted to be in high demand over the next several years.”

There are other factors for you to consider when creating a long-term career plan.

What kind of a career would you like to have?

Your prospective long-term career is yours, not that of someone else, so the decision-making process about a long-term career goal is your task, not that of your parents, teachers, peers or friends. No one can map out your career or future for you, although there may be those who can give you some good ideas or suggestions about long-term career planning.    

What are your main interests?

Long-term career planning becomes easier and more realistic when you start to consider your personal interests. If you are seriously excited about something, your motivation level is likely to be higher than if you are not interested. Begin to visualize or picture yourself doing something that you love to do, for the rest of your life. When you do, it becomes more than just work.   

Consider your long-term career options.

Depending upon where you are academically, you may have any number of viable long-term career options. At times, talking to an academic counselor about directives for further, academic studies can prove beneficial with respect to career choices.  Your adviser may be able to advise you in regard to potential income levels that will become increasingly important to you.

Associate with realistic role models.

Association with realistic role models like parents, teachers or others pursuing specific long-term careers, can make the decision-making process easier. (At the same time, be aware that not every role model is happy in terms of his or her career choice, as long-term career choices have been limited to some extent, over the years.) Finding a role model who is excited about his or her work and spending quality time together, will help you to decide whether this is a viable option for you.

Are there potential, new horizons in terms of long-term career choices for you?

Being resilient or open to transition is important in terms of long-term, career choices. Changes take place in terms of long-term careers and what may seem perfect for you now, could be different ten or twenty years down the road.     

Remember that your long-term career choice can be the most important decision of your life, so make your long-term career choice wisely.