How to start planning your career path

如何着手规划你的职业路径

Affected by the pandemic, some of our careers have been smashed at different levels. It is high time for us to plan our career paths carefully and attentively.

受疫情影响，我们的职业生涯在不同层面上受到了打击。现在是我们仔细而专注地规划职业路径的时候了。

1.Learn about potential career options了解潜在的职业选择目标

Start gaining knowledge about career options by asking friends, family and colleagues about their jobs. Next, research top companies and seek out professionals in the field. Attend in-person or online networking events or set up informational interviews with experts. To gain hands-on experience in a potential profession, try pursuing volunteer opportunities, internships or job shadowing experiences.

通过询问朋友、家人和同事的工作情况，开始了解他们的职业选择经历。接下来，研究顶级公司，寻找该领域的专业人士。亲自参加或在线网络活动，或与专家进行信息访谈。要获得潜在职业的实践经验，请尝试寻求志愿者机会、实习或工作跟踪体验。

2.Discover growing job markets 发现不断增长的就业市场

Growing job markets tend to offer the most professional potential. Try talking with experts in your field to learn about some of the most exciting opportunities they foresee. Read the top publications and online news sources for your field, and watch for emerging careers that interest you.

不断增长的就业市场往往提供最专业的潜在职位。尝试与您所在领域的专家交谈，了解他们预见到的一些最令人兴奋的就业机会。阅读你所在领域的顶级出版物和在线新闻来源，关注你感兴趣的新兴职业。

3.Identify careers that match your skills 确定与你的技能相匹配的职业

To choose a field that makes you feel confident and successful, consider the technical skills that you learned in school or at work. Next, think about your soft skills , which are behaviors and traits you have acquired. Match your list of technical and soft skills against career paths you are considering to see how well they fit.

要选择一个让你感到自信和成功的领域，请考虑你在学校或工作中学到的技术技能。接下来，想想你的软技能，这是你所获得的与众不同的就业行为力和个人特质。将你的技术和软技能列表与你正在考虑的职业道路相匹配，看看它们是否适合。

4.Understand career qualifications 了解不同职业需要的资质

Begin by reviewing the degrees you will need to work in your field of choice. Identify whether you will need a bachelor’s degree in a specific subject, and determine whether you will need a graduate degree to pursue advanced positions.

首先回顾你所选择的领域所需的学位。确定你是否需要某一特定学科的学士学位，并确定你是否要获得研究生学位才能获得高级职位。

Next, examine the professional certifications that could help you excel in your field and review the licensure requirements for your profession. Take note of the licensing process in your area to make sure you are legally qualified for the job.

接下来，检查可以帮助你在你的领域中脱颖而出的专业证书，并检查你的专业的许可要求。请注意您所在地区的对你谋求职位资质的许可流程，以确保您在法律上符合该工作的资格。

5.Assess salaries and other benefits 评估工资和其他福利

To assess the earning potential in your field, try exploring salaries on certain websites or browsing careers by industry. Here, you can find the average annual salary for common occupations and identify factors that can increase your earning potential, such as acquiring an advanced degree.

要评估您所在领域的收入潜力，请尝试在网站上探索薪酬或按行业浏览职业。在这里，你可以找到常见职业的平均年薪，并找出可以提高你收入潜力的因素，例如获得高级学位。

As you review job listings, make note of the benefits each position offers, such as healthcare, vacation time and telecommuting opportunities. These benefits can reduce your expenses and improve your quality of life, making them essential to factor into your total compensation.

当你查看职位列表时，记下每个职位提供的福利，如医疗保健、假期和远程办公机会。这些福利可以减少你的开支，提高你的生活质量，使其成为你总薪酬的重要因素。

6.Compare possible career paths 比较可能的职业道路预选项

After considering a few potential career paths, compare your options. One may require many more skills and an additional degree, which could be more time-consuming or expensive compared to the other options. Another may have substantially higher earning potential.

在考虑了一些潜在的职业道路之后，比较一下你的做出的选择。一个职业选择可能需要更多的技能和额外的学位，与其他选择相比，这可能更耗时或更昂贵。另一个选择可能有更高的收入潜力。

Next, compare how well each career path matches your core values. One may allow you to develop more of the personal qualities and relationships you aspire to have. Another may inspire you to produce your best professional work. Review your list of pros and cons to assess which professional path is most likely to help you achieve your goals.

接下来，比较每条职业道路与你的核心价值观的匹配程度。一个职业选择可能会让你的发展得到更多的你渴望拥有的个人品质和人际关系。另一个职业选择可能会激励你拿出最好的专业作品。回顾你比较后的利弊列表，评估哪条职业道路最有可能帮助你实现目标。

7.Establish SMART goals 建立你的SMART目标体系

Since pursuing a career path can take years, divide broader objectives into smaller goals you can track. Try setting SMART goals to guide you through the process:

由于追求职业道路可能需要数年时间，因此将更广泛的目标划分为可以跟踪的较小目标。尝试设定SMART目标体系来指导您完成整个过程：

• Specific: Make your goal as precise as possible. If you aspire to be a teacher, set a specific goal, like securing a job teaching high school biology in your local school system. 精确性（S）： 使你的目标尽可能精确。如果你渴望成为一名教师，那么就设定一个具体的目标，比如在当地的学校系统中找到一份教授高中生物的工作。
• Measurable: Quantify your progress. Set benchmarks like completing a bachelor’s degree in education or applying to 10 jobs that meet your requirements. 可量化（M） ：量化你的求职进展。设定基准，比如完成教育学士学位或申请10份符合你要求的工作。
• Achievable (Attainable): Set goals that you can achieve. To confirm that your goal is attainable, think about the individual steps and consider how realistic they are. 可达成（A） ：设定你可以实现的职业目标。为了确认你的目标是可以实现的，请考虑各个步骤，并考虑它们是否更接地气。
• Realistic (Relavent): Any career-related goal you set should genuinely matter. Think about how important the goal is and whether it will help you reach your long-term objectives. 相关性（R）： 你设定的任何与职业相关的目标都应该唇齿相依。锚定目标的重要性，它是否能帮助你实现长期目标。
• Timely (Time-based): Give your goals deadlines. You will have an easier time achieving the end result and motivating yourself to action if you have committed to a specific time frame. 时效性 ：给你的目标最后期限。如果你制定了一个特定的时间框架，你将更容易实现最终结果并激励自己采取行动。

8.Develop a career action plan 制定职业行动规划

To create a route map for your professional future, review action items from your SMART goals and chart the steps you will need to follow. Then, put them on a paper or digital calendar to establish your schedule. Keep your career action plan readily available so you can review it regularly. Check off each step as you complete it, and reward yourself for achievements both big and small.

要为您的职业未来绘制线路图，请回顾SMART目标中的行动项目，并制定您需要遵循的步骤。然后，将它们写在纸上或日历上，以确定您的日程安排。随时准备好你的职业行动规划，以便你可以定期回顾。在你完成每一步时都要检查一下，并给自己大大小小的成就以奖励。

Revisit and revise your career action plan as necessary. New opportunities, technological advances, personal priorities and trends in the economy can all cause essential career planning changes.

必要时重新审视和修订自己的职业行动规划。新的就业机会、社会技术进步、个人优先事项和经济趋势都会导致职业规划的重大变化。