careernav.

If you listen to your parents, then the earlier you start planning your career the better. While your parents mean well, they can be at times a little pushy on the subject of ‘careers’. I am sure you will hear many times ‘what do you want to do when you leave school? not just from your parents, but from friends and other family members also.

If you are one of the rare ones that knew from an early age exactly what career you wanted, then congratulations. But for the majority of us, we have no clue where to look or what path to take in the search for the correct career for ourselves.

This is why the earlier you start to think about a career the better. Many of you will begin to think about this around the age of 16 or 17, as you need to choose those elective subjects for school that of course will allow you to possibly enter university, or to begin a trade career.

So how do you find the right career and plan for it? Read on and apply some of these tips and you may just find that it really isn’t that hard to plan after all.

1. Design a career plan to work from. These can be extremely helpful and take you through the process of deciding the career that best fits you. There is an amazing ‘7 step career plan’ you can read about on the Careernav website. Have a read and use this tool.
2. Research as much as possible about the careers that interest you. Look at the education requirements, where the career can take you, how much you will be earning once qualified, all that sort of information. Look at any career sites you can find, such as careernav.com.au.
3. Check out the industry trends for the line of work you are researching. Is it a career that has high growth and a high demand? Is this career going to be fairly stable, in any economic climate? What areas are offered for employment in this industry and can you specialise? 
4. Talk to as many people as you can find about your chosen profession. From the university professors to people employed in the companies themselves. Their knowledge of the career itself is valuable. Listen to it and take notes on how they came to be in the position they are today, and how long it took them to get the desired position.
5. Lastly, speak with your parents. While they may not fully understand your choice for a particular career, they will always support you. After all, they were your age once and they too were just as confused as you are right now.